dodgerfan.net

Wow. Seriously, is there a better way word to describe this deal? Maybe unfathomable. Unbelievable. Extraordinary. Am I dreaming? Did the Dodgers really get Manny Friggin’ Ramirez for Andy LaRoche and a 21 year-old Class A minor league pitcher that’s already been through Tommy John surgery? Did I mention that the Red Sox are also reportedly picking up Manny’s salary? That’s like the bow on top of this gift from Theo Epstein. I was working at the X Games today, and my phone was ringing off the hook as fellow Dodger fans called to celebrate the news. Congrats to SI’s John Donovan for breaking the news.

Read my comments on an earlier Manny Ramirez post from Alex earlier today, and I was critical of adding Manny to the Dodgers for fear of the cost of what we’d have to give up as well as what might happen behind the clubhouse walls. I never imagined that we would get possibly the greatest hitter of his generation for practically nothing. Two months of Manny while in a tight pennant race is just too good to pass up, even if he’s just average. Plus, you have to remember that Manny’s teammates have loved the guy a great majority of the time. It’s the media and the front office that usually have the problem with him (and for extremely valid reasons, I might add). But the Dodgers know it’s just for two months, and Manny’s in a contract year, so he’ll be on his best behavior. Congratualtions Ned. I never thought you had this in you!

A few thoughts on “The Trade” from Dodger executives, the media and our fellow bloggers:

- From Tim Kurkjian (ESPN): “Three potential Hall of Famers were traded within 24 hours (Ramirez, Griffey Jr. and Ivan Rodriguez. The last time this happened was 1966 when Robin Roberts, Orlando Hernandez and Fergie Jenkins were moved…and that was over the course of several months.”

- From a giddy Frank McCourt: “He (Ramirez) is an elite athlete. As close as you can come to being an artist of the game….Certainly a baseball classic.”

- Understatement of the year from Joe Torre: “Manny in the middle of the lineup will certainly get people’s attention.”

- From Dodger Thoughts (the blog of all Dodger blogs): “If Ramirez replaces Pierre/Jones in the lineup, this deal makes the Dodgers a more serious contender to finish over .500 in 2008. (I kid! I think they can do even better.) It weakens the Dodgers beyond 2008, but honestly, there’s time enough to solve that.”

- From the good folks over at the Sons of Steve Garvey: “The right personnel on the field does not include Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre–BOTH OF WHOM ARE STARTING TONIGHT in what I hope is to allow the obligatory “farewell waves to the crowd” for at least one of those players. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp simply cannot ride the pine if we hope to make a run.”

This last quote from “Steve Sax” really says it all. This move has got to mean that Jones has earned a permanent spot on the bench. The man is a strikeout machine and it’s becoming abundantly clear that Andruw has lost his mojo. Permanently.

From Yahoo Sports:

Pitcher Greg Maddux last night packed a glove for Dodger Stadium in anticipation that the San Diego Padres — who are eager to shed more than $3 million of his salary — might trade him to Los Angeles Thursday.

“I’m bringing this glove,” Maddux said while pulling a black glove onto his left hand. “Do the Dodgers wear blue spikes?”

Looks like it’s going to be a crazy trading day right up until the deadline! The big question is, what is Arizona going to do?

This just in from Yahoo Sports:

ESPN reported that Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez has agreed to a trade to the Florida Marlins if the two teams can agree on the other players in a deal.

Florida’s making a run! They already picked up M’s reliever (and winner of the title “Reliever Most Likely to be Traded at the Deadline”) Arthur Rhodes earlier in the day.

Could an NL West pitching deal be in the works? If so, it better happen fast as the non-waiver trading deadline will be here at 4:00 ET today

The Dodgers have clarified their trade priorities in the past several days, indicating that improving their pitching situation is a high priority. Yesterday, Dodger manager Joe Torre even indicated that Hiroki Kuroda, who is xxx, could be moved to the bullpen if his performance doesn’t improve. Such a move underscores how important a consistent pitcher would be down the stretch for the Dodgers.

Enter Greg Maddux. While reports indicate that talks stalled late yesterday, the Dodgers were indeed indicating interest in Maddux, who has insisted that he can only be traded to another West Coast team (and can do so thanks to his “no trade” clause). Right now, only the Dodgers appear to have an interest in acquiring a starting pitcher.

The Dodgers also have the option of placing a waiver claim on Maddux in August. How does that work?

After tomorrow, teams can still trade players, but any player they are trying to unload must pass through waivers first. When a team places a player on waivers, any team can enter a claim for him, but if more than one team enters a claim, priority goes to the team that has the lowest winning percentage and/or is in the same league as the player being claimed. The team that placed the player on waivers can work out a deal with the team that claimed him, pull him back off waivers (which means said player can’t be traded for the rest of the season), or just dump the player and his contract on the claiming team.

Maddux, 42, has a 4-8 record this season with a 4.29 earned-run average. He has chalked up 351 career victories and played with the Dodgers last season before signing with San Diego as a free agent.

Our friends at SI.com are reporting that the Dodgers are in the early stages of discussions to get Manny Ramirez to L.A..

Ramirez could certainly bring a bat to the table, but Dodger Stadium has a very different outfield than Fenway. In addition, if the Dodgers can’t get value from Ramirez and if he continues to demand contract extensions, will they have wasted a prospect for some more power at the plate? Dodger management has consistently said throughout this trade season that they are happy with their young prospects and that trades aren’t necessary to their plan for this season.

Casey Blake, however, has proven that the Dodgers are definitely interested in strategic acquisitions and capturing value today at the expense of some unknown future value (in the form of minor leaguers).

But does Manny Ramirez bring much to the table? His defense has certainly been less than stellar as of late, and he has been known to remove himself from the Red Sox lineup for any number of reasons - neither of these issues makes Ramirez seem very reliable in the second half of the year. Then again, perhaps a change of scenery and a chance to boost his value in the midst of contract extension talk would get things done.

No matter what the probability of Ramirez heading our way, the Dodgers should emphatically REFUSE to send Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier to the Sox. Cash and/or a prospect are the only items of value that the boys in blue should be willing to part with - and even that cost may ultimately be too high…