Reluctantly, here's something about Manny Ramirez

As you probably already know, Manny Ramirez retired today after 19 Major League Baseball seasons.

He got off to a terrible start with the Tampa Bay Rays, mustering just one hit in his first 17 at-bats. But that isn't why he retired.

He reportedly tested positive for a banned substance -- a performance-enhancing drug -- for the second time in his career. If he chose to appeal it, he would have faced a 100-game suspension. Instead of going through that -- and probably losing the appeal -- he decided to hang up his spikes.

If any player in the history of baseball was going to get caught twice, it would have been Ramirez. Ever since his first positive test, his numbers -- specifically his power numbers -- have decreased. Is there a correlation? Possibly; it's hard to know for sure. But Ramirez just wasn't the same hitter he was before he was traded to the Dodgers in July 2008. That's to be expected with age, but his production sharply declined.

The Dodgers still owe Ramirez money through 2013 in deferred payments and that isn't going away with his retirement.

The Rays, a team off to an 0-6 start, can't get much worse than they were with Ramirez. At least it allows another player to take his spot.

Any chances Ramirez had left to make the Hall of Fame are likely gone after this. If the writers have yet to vote in the likes of Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, Ramirez stands no chance.

He was great for the Dodgers in 2008 (playoffs included) and was one of the best right-handed hitters of all-time, but the tarnished legacy is something he won't be able to run away from.

Adios, Manny Ramirez

And just like that, Manny Ramirez is on his way out of town.

The Chicago White Sox, who claimed him off waivers on Friday, are about to acquire the veteran for nothing but salary relief.

Ramirez is owed anyhwere from $4.1-$4.4 million for the rest of the season depending which source you believe. Either way, this is a win for the Dodgers -- and the White Sox.

The White Sox get a guy who isn't always the most motivated player playing for a 2011 contract. There's no doubt in my mind he's going to mash. He's going to be a hot fantasy waiver wire pickup.

The Dodgers were reportedly deciding whether or not to pay a portion of Ramirez's salary to acquire third base prospect Jon Gilmore from the White Sox. Gilmore is in his age-21 season (just turned 22) and has a solid .318 average and .354 on-base percentage, but he hits for minimal power. His career slugging percentage in the minors is .380, which just isn't going to cut it at the hot corner. He also owns an .887 fielding percentage, which could spell a move to a corner outfield position.

Long story short, he's a fringe prospect at best (not ranked by Baseball America in the White Sox's top 30). It seems the Dodgers know this and aren't going to send any money to Chicago.

The Dodgers get some much-needed salary relief. There's no way they were going to offer Ramirez arbitration after the season, so getting him off the books (for this season, at least) a month early is well worth it. Not to mention he's played sparingly since returning from the disabled list.

The Boston fans tried to warn us Dodger fans of Ramirez's antics. We were so blinding by his mashing that we blew them off and said they were just jealous. Now, far be it from me to agree with anything that comes from Boston -- but they were right.

Aside from the last two months of the 2008 season, Ramirez has been a disappointment. His numbers have been solid (.297/.413/.524), but that hasn't been enough for Dodger fans to overlook everything else -- 50-game suspension, lack of hustle at times, his 2010 season, etc.

This guy won over the L.A. crowd in the matter of a few weeks. That is a difficult feat that almost no athlete can lay claim to. Hell, for a time, he was probably more popular than Kobe Bryant. But how quickly that went away.

Ramirez might very well the best hitter the Dodgers have ever had. Even without the performance-enhancing drugs, the guy was still going to get into the Hall of Fame (kind of like the 'roider [allegedly] in 'Frisco).

It's unfortunate the Ramirez-L.A. relationship had to end this way. He had a chance to be as beloved as Fernando Valenzuela, but he couldn't take advantage of that.

Ramirez may not help the ChiSox get into the playoffs, but he'll rip the cover off the ball, ultimately earning a 1- or 2-year deal following the season from an American League team.

In the meantime, Scott Podsednik should start the majority of the season in left field. Come the winter, the Dodgers will -- once again -- be looking for a big bat to plop in the middle of the lineup.

White Sox claim Manny Ramirez

The Chicago White Sox officially won the waiver claim on Manny Ramirez today.

This was long expected, as the White Sox were the only team to show legitimate interest in Ramirez prior to the July 31 trade deadline.

The Dodgers have three options here:

1. They trade Ramirez to the White Sox for players not on the 40-man roster or players on the 40-man roster who have cleared waivers;
2. Pull him back not not trade him, thus being stuck with his salary the rest of the seaosn ($4.1-$4.25 million);
3. They can just let Ramirez go to the White Sox for nothing but salary relief.

With the Dodgers just five games back in the wild card race, GM Ned Colletti might not be so quick to trade Ramirez.

This would be foolish. Ramirez has been injured much of the season and can barely field his position anymore. The Dodgers aren't too likely to offer Ramirez arbitration following the season, so getting whatever they can for him would be the smart move.

The Dodgers need minor league catching depth. The White Sox have a few catchers of interest, including Tyler Flowers. However, Flowers is on the 40-man roster and can't be traded without clearing waivers (which he wouldn't). Josh Phegley is another option. He's 22 and has had a taste of Double-A, which means he isn't too far away.

Third baseman Brent Morel could also be an option. He's 23 and in Triple-A right now, where he's putting up a solid .323/.353/.502 line. Third base is also a weakness within the Dodger system, so Morel would make sense.

Frankly, anything the Dodgers get in return for Ramirez is a plus. His days in the National League are numbered. The ride was good while it lasted -- or at least until Ramirez was busted for a banned substance. A return to the American League will do him some good and extend his career two or three more years.

Let's just hope the Dodgers' recent "hot streak" does not deter them from doing the right thing -- trading Manny Ramirez to the White Sox.

Vin Scully to return, Dodgers pick up Barajas

I try to avoid calling people I don't know personally by their first name. I try my best not to call Manny Ramirez, "Manny."

When it comes to Vin Scully, that rule goes out the window -- and he probably wouldn't have it any other way.

Vin announced he's going to return to the Dodger broadcast booth for the 2011 season. He is finishing up his unprecedented 61st year in the broadcast booth.

This is quite possibly the best news of the entire season. The day Vin retires will be a sad day for Dodger baseball -- not only because Vin is a legend and the best broadcaster of all time, but his replacement options are not promising.

Mr. Scully, thank you for your continued service and keep up the great work. You are a joy and pleasure to listen to.

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The Dodgers claimed Mets' catcher Rod Barajas off waivers, as the combination of Brad Ausmus and A.J. Ellis isn't exactly getting the job done since Russell Martin's season ended earlier this month.

Barajas is hitting .225/.263/.414 this season, which is quite the upgrade to the Ausmus-Ellis duo. Barajas started the season off by hitting 11 home runs in the first two months of the season (.269/.292/.551 overall) before hitting .168 for the last two months. He has all of three at-bats this month.

The Dodgers are not giving up anything but money in this deal, which isn't much, as Barajas' 2010 salary is $500,000.

The Dodgers are just stubborn. I know Ellis isn't the catcher of the future, but there wasn't much reason to pick up Barajas. This coming from the team that probably can't wait to move Manny Ramirez.

The Dodgers have long since been out of it, even if they aren't mathematically eliminated yet.

The move gives the Dodgers another option behind the plate. Barajas will get the majority of the starts for the remained of the season.

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The Tampa Bay Rays might take a chance on Manny Ramirez when he hits the waiver wire, says St. Petersburg Times Rays' beat writer Marc Topkin.

The Rays currently have the second-best record in the Majors. To get him, a team like the Chicago White Sox would have to pass on claiming him. Then the Rays could either claim him and work out a deal (or the Dodgers could let Ramirez and his reamining $4 million go to Tampa) for Ramirez. This is assuming Ramirez clears all the National League teams first, which will assuredly happen.

It's hard to tell what teams are going to do. The White Sox could claim him to help their chances, which would keep the Rays from grabbing him.

The waiver trade deadline is Aug. 31.

Do the Dodgers trade Manny Ramirez?

Following the 2008 season, the notion of Manny Ramirez reverting to his Boston ways rarely crossed Dodger fans' minds.

Ramirez came to Los Angeles and promptly hit .396/.489/.743 in two months for the Dodgers -- Godlike numbers for an aging slugger. In May 2009, Ramirez was busted for taking a banned substance. Since that time, he hasn't been the same -- on the field and off the field.

While he put up respectable numbers last season (.290/.418/.531), but not the numbers the Dodgers expected. However, the good will Ramirez had built was long gone after the 50-game suspension.

Ramirez now finds himself on the disabled list for the third time this season. His 38-year-old body cannot take the wear-and-tear of playing left field in the National League. This will undoubtedly be his last season as a Dodger and National Leaguer, which is why the Dodgers should consider dealing him now.

Ramirez will be a Type-A free agent after the season, but with the McCourts' financial issues, it would be hard to imagine them offering Ramirez arbitration, even though he'd reject it. That is the main reason why trading him right now makes sense.

Ramirez has landed on the disabled list three times this season -- twice for a right calf strain and once for a right hamstring strain. That does not bode well for Ramirez returning to left field.

While the Dodger offense would take a hit, it would also be a time for the young veterans to step up and prove they can carry a team, something they'll have to do in 2011 and beyond. Also, it'd be nice to see the Dodgers get a return on their investment.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been rumored to be interested in Jayson Werth, but the Phillies' asking price is quite high. The Dodgers should jump right in by making Ramirez available to the Rays. His contract is definitely affordable, as he's making $5 million this season with $15 million in deferred payments over the next three years.

What exactly could the Dodgers expect in return? Well, not much.

One guy I'd really like to have a look at is Jacob McGee. The 23-year-old had Tommy John surgery in June 2008. Before that, he was rated as the Rays' No. 3 prospect as recently as 2008 (No. 9 in 2009 and No. 8 in 2010), according to Baseball America. He's a left-handed starter who is pitching well at Double-A. I don't even know if the Rays would be willing to trade him. But if their attemps for Werth don't work out, Ramirez could be an option.

The Rays do have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball and could use a big bat in the middle of their lineup. Provided Ramirez is healthy, he'd be a stabilizing force in the middle of an already solid Tampa lineup.

But this is the Dodgers, a.k.a. one of the most stubborn teams in baseball. The team isn't likely to move Ramirez, even though it'd make a lot of sense.

Trading Ramirez would not be a sign of the Dodgers being sellers or giving up; it would be a smart baseball move.

Should the Dodgers trade Ramirez? Yes.
Will the Dodgers trade Ramirez? No.

Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez and the effect

Many say myths exist about great hitters making other hitters better, especially when the hitter in question hits in front of the superstar. For the sake of my argument, I'm talking about Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez. After Ethier's leadoff HR in the sixth inning of today's game against the Braves, I got to thinking about what kind of effect Manny has really had on Mr. Ethier.

Since acquiring Ramirez on July 31, 2008, he has done nothing but help improve Ethier's overall numbers. This breakdown is of every game Ethier has played while Ramirez was in the lineup -- either hitting directly in front of Manny or when Manny was in the lineup since August 1, 2008:

Ramirez in the lineup and Ethier not hitting directly in front of him (66 games):

.309 AVG (75-243)
.411 OBP
.547 SLG
.958 OPS
46 Runs
18 2B
2 3B
12 HR
41 RBI
40:34 BB:K Ratio

Ramirez in the lineup and Ethier hitting directly in front of him (28 games):

.398 AVG (47-118)
463 OBP
.737 SLG
1.200 OPS
29 Runs
9 2B
2 3B
9 HR
28 RBI
15:22 BB:K Ratio

Here are Ethier's career numbers batting second

It's obvious that, despite the smaller sample size, Ethier enjoys more success while hitting directly in front of Ramirez. However, his numbers since the Manny acquisition aren't too shabby by themselves. So, Mr. Torre, please do not remove Ethier from the second spot in the lineup, as it can only benefit the Dodgers when Ethier is hitting out of his mind.