Mannywood Heading to Chicago? White Sox to Claim Manny Ramirez

Could the Manny Ramirez show be on its way to the South Side of Chicago?  Fox Sports.com is reporting that the White Sox have every intention to claim Ramirez if he is made available by the Los Angeles Dodgers on the waiver wire. 

In addition, Fox Sports is also reporting that the Dodgers have officially placed Manny Ramirez on Waivers. Most importantly, teams have until Friday to place their waiver claims.

There are some financial implications involved as well. Interestingly, three quarters of Manny's salary is considered as deferred which means that he will make $1.1M between now and the end of the season. Ramirez will recieve exactly 3.4 million in deferred payments.

This deferrment makes him even more intriguing for other teams in contention. He should be considered as a very affordable option at this point.

Ramirez has made exactly three trips to the disabled list this season. Therefore, staying healthy has been a major issue for him. However, his numbers are very good. He is batting .312/.404/.508 with 8 home runs and 39 RBIs.

The Dodgers are rapidly falling out of contention. The team is 12 games back in the NL West and 7.5 games back with five teams ahead of them in the Wildcard race.    

It is believed that they are very annoyed with Ramirez’s antics and his constant trips to the Disabled List. Interestingly, National League teams will get the first chance to claim Ramirez.

However, it is very unlikely that any National League team would claim him. I think Ramirez would be a much better fit in the American league because he could DH.

The Chicago White Sox are in contention and they plan on winning this year. This is the reason why they are making plans to acquire Ramirez. They are looking for a tremendous spark since they are starting to go downhill in the standings.

Currently, the White Sox are four and a half games out of first place in the AL Central. The fact is, Ramirez would hypothetically have to waive his no trade clause in order for Chicago to claim him.   

Also, sources have also emphatically emphasized that the Rays and Rangers are also very interested in Ramirez. However, the White Sox will get first dibs on Ramirez.  

If both the Dodgers and the White Sox can reach an amicable and reasonable trade agreement, then the White Sox could either allow Ramirez to go to the White Sox or they could even pull him from the waiver wire.

The most likely scenario is that they will let Ramirez walk. The Dodgers have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season. Despite the fact that the Dodgers acquired Scott Podsednik from Kansas City, Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot from Chicago and Octavio Dotel from the Pittsburgh Pirates; they are pretty much throwing in the towel.

The White Sox are trying to make a serious push for the postseason and they are looking to make some serious noise in October.  Nothing concerning Manny Ramirez is boring or mundane. He knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat.