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A motivated Manny's coming up big
But then the earth shifted in Los Angeles — a 5.4 magnitude quake rippled through the Southland — and baseball's plate tectonics shifted too. Both sluggers landed in SoCal and began raking for their new clubs, setting the stage for a potential all-Los Angeles Freeway Series in October. (Though anyone who has ever made the drive from Los Angeles to Anaheim for a 7:05 weeknight start knows how ridiculous it is for the Halos to be called the Los Angeles Angels.)
Approaching the quarter pole of baseball's two-month stretch run, we hand out letter grades for the contenders' deadline acquisitions, starting with the boppers in L.A.
Manny Ramirez, Dodgers — A
It is not uncommon for a player to step it up in his option year. But the circumstances surrounding the commencement of Manny Ramirez's two-month salary drive are unprecedented. Manny, on the orders of Scott Boras if you listen to the cynics, misbehaved his way out of Boston by A) slapping Kevin Youkilis B) assaulting traveling secretary Jack McCormack and C) ducking Joba Chamberlain. Boras insisted that any club obtaining Ramirez waive its rights to the two option years dangling at the end of Manny's original 8-year, $160M deal -- which Boras did not negotiate and could not receive commission from. When the Dodgers agreed to the terms, parting with prospects Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris in a three-team deal that included the Pirates, it unleashed one of the most fearsome forces in baseball history: Manny Ramirez with a chip on his shoulder in the midst of a salary drive. The last time these elements came together, in Ramirez's final season in Cleveland in 2000, all he did was hit .351 with a .457 OBP and .697 slugging percentage while driving in 122 runs in 118 games. Hard numbers to improve on, but Manny has taken it to a whole new level with the Dodgers. In 10 games since joining the Dodgers, he is hitting .475 with a .543 OBP and .850 slugging percentage. With a ridiculous 1.393 OPS in L.A. Manny could be on his way to securing the second nine-figure contract of his career.
Mark Teixeira, Angels -- A
The Angels were going to run away with the AL West whether they acquired Teixeira or not. But the arrival of the mashing first baseman has all of the baseball cognoscenti agreeing that the Angels are the team to beat this year. Tex has hit .325 with a .440 OPS and .525 slugging percentage in front of Vlad Guerrero. The guy who preceded Tex in the 3-hole? Maicer Izturis. That's a nice 300-point OPS leap for the Halos. The only downside to his two weeks in L.A. was a ninth-inning error that momentarily interrupted Frankie Rodriguez's assault on the single-season save record.
Jason Bay, Red Sox -- B+
Considering everyone in baseball knew the lengths Manny Ramirez had gone to to alienate himself from the Red Sox, the fact that Boston was able to obtain a solid player like Bay (who is under contract for next year) is fairly astounding. Bay arrived in Beantown with a bang, scoring the winning run in his first game after preserving the tie with a diving catch. He is hitting .326 with an .871 OPS in 10 games for Boston, during which the Sox have gone 7-3 while showing flashes of the chemistry that was missing during Ramirez's toxic final days.
Ken Griffey, Jr., White Sox -- D+
The skeptics said Griffey's legs were too slow to play center and his bat was too slow to make much of a difference in the AL playoff chase. Chalk one up for the skeptics. Junior wasn't exactly setting the world on fire with his .787 OPS (in a great hitter's park in Cincinnati) but he's looked even worse in Chicago, failing to connect for an extra-base hit in his first 24 at bats for the White Sox. The novelty of having a 600-home run guy and a 500-home run guy (Jim Thome) in the same lineup is steadily losing its allure the longer Griffey sits on 608. As for playing center, Bay hit a ball that seemed to hang up for an eternity in the 9th inning of the Red Sox 5-1 win over Chicago on Monday night but Junior was unable to track it down, contributing to a three-run inning.
Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte, Yankees -- A/D
All Nady has done since arriving in the Bronx is hit .339 with a 1.082 OPS and share an AL Player of the Week award. Good thing, too, because the rest of the deal has been a disaster for the fading Yankees. Not only has Damaso Marte been rocked (0-2, 1.714 WHIP, 9.00 ERA) as the lefty setup man who was supposed to be the missing piece in the bullpen, but Jeff Karstens, who was shipped to Pittsburgh in the trade, is unscored upon in two starts while Yankee starters have been dropping left and right.
Pudge Rodriguez, Yankees -- C+
With Pudge and the Yankees scuffling it would be easy to write this one off as another bad, panicky deadline deal. But the fact that New York acquired a lock first-ballot Hall of Fame catcher for Kyle Farnsworth (both are free agents at the end of the year) is still an absurd heist. Sure, Pudge may be sporting a sickly .654 OPS, but dealing Farnsworth would have to considered addition by subtraction. He has been rocked for three home runs and an 8.31 ERA in his first four appearances in Detroit.
Joe Blanton, Phillies -- B
When your starting pitching is as bad as the Phillies has been it doesn't take much to be an upgrade. Which must have been exactly what Pat Gillick was thinking when he acquired Blanton from the A's despite his 5-12 record and 4.96 ERA. In four starts since joining the Phils, Blanton has posted a 3.27 ERA and Philly has won three of those four starts. In his only start the team lost, he gave up only one hit in seven innings.
Arthur Rhodes, Marlins -- B+
It was small consolation for a team that went down to the wire in the Manny Ramirez sweepstakes, but at least the addition of the lefty specialist has been a success. Rhodes has allowed only one hit and no runs in five appearances since arriving from Seattle at the deadline.
Member Comments
It's official: the Dodgers are still beatable. With Manny, they're like 11-8. As a Rockies fan, I just watched the Dodgers in a three-game series. I noticed that opponents are wary of Manny, but pitch to everyone else like normal.<br /><br />Basically: When you face the Dodgers, don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. Handle the lineup as if it's been like that for a long time. Don't get ahead of yourself.<br /><br />In the playoffs, pitching rules. Very few 10-4 scores. Many fans will be surprised if LA's lineup is held in check, and LA bows quietly in the first round. Remind anyone of 2006?
sox2rox8/22/2008 10:39:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey bradychix do you wear a pink hat and was the first pats game you ever watched the " Oakland Game" ? You have a short memory like all "new" england fans DONT BUY THEO's Bull SH##T, Manny sat out similar games in years past. New York fans were as happy as you are to see Manny go does that tell you something ?
yankeehater668/16/2008 7:38:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey Blue Walrus get over it . If that weasel Theo did n't treat his veterns like s#it and just picked up Manny's 2 year option at the beginning of the year, he would have torn it up and not been a problem. He came into the year saying he wants to retire a Red Sox and asked that they pick up his option. If players are treated like comodities, they why not play hard ball, when your option is not picked up. I don't blame Manny or any other player who fights back <br />I am a life long Red Sox Fan not some 2004 pink hat fan; I remember Carlton Fisk in 1975; and i still hate Bucky Dent. Manny helped break the curse. He is the best clutch hitter in baseball right now. I hate the way boston has such a short memory. Ask Roger or Boggs what he thinks of the Sox organization was he a traitor too for wanting to pitch more and get paid what he is worth .<br /><br />Manny did not want to be Theo's puppet so he did what he had to get back at team that should have picked up teh option on a guy who helped win 2 world series.<br /><br />By teh way, the New York press was very happy to see Manny go to LA, be destoryed Yankee pitching to 8 years.<br /><br />Don't buy Theo's propaganda and his bullsh##t he is a much to blame as Manny.
yankeehater668/16/2008 7:28:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
elccpa24<br />I'm happy for you. You seem to have fallen so hard for Manny that you can overlook anything. <br /><br />I embraced Manny when he came here and was willing to write off a lot of his oddities for a long time. But it grew old. He wore out his welcome. <br /><br />And believe or not a lot of fans feel this way and a lot of the players did not appreciate him dogging it and yes faking injuries. They mri'd both knees and found nothing. And he quit on the team the last 6 weeks of 2006 claiming some sort of sore knee which was never really pinned down. And I could NEVER figure out how a big leaguer could not run out ground balls when a step here or a bad throw there could make the difference in a game. <br /><br />Lump me together with all the evil fans you hate and are embarrased by if you want but if Manny wasn't such a selfish flake he'd still be in Boston. <br /><br />The fans showered him with adulation for a long long time. If you're not living in Boston now you might not know that. Part of me was sad to see him go but he was using his leverage of not playing or not trying if he did play to get an edge and it was ruining the team and the clubhouse. At least they're a team again.<br />If the middle relief could just settle down they could go places. Sorry you have such a low opinion of Red Sox fans. Fickle idiots? I think Manny was here 9 years. And I think the other players are smart enough to not say they were sick of his act. He was a charming fool to have around and I'm sure it was all fun when things were going well but I know a lot of them did not think the 350 ft singles and the other things like that were very funny. But that's the players. Fans can say how they feel now that it's over. He manipulated the Sox mangment along with Boras to get what he wanted and he got it. It's done. If you're a real Red Sox fan you wouldn't appreciate a player screwing the team like that. But to each his own. That's how I see it.
BlueWalrus8/15/2008 18:46:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Greensleeves,<br /><br />If the Red Sox fans were not a bunch of fickle idiots they wouldn't listen to everything coming out of the press about Manny. If I had to put up with fans like you I'd want out of Boston too. FYI Manny wanted to stay in Boston, Manny wanted the Red Sox to pick up his option. The FO said they'd been wanting to trade Manny for 5 1/2 years. Since he helped win two World Series in that time, was the MVP of one, can you really blame him for wanting out? I miss Manny and could NOT care less about Jason Bay and "the Bay state". What a bunch of crap!
elccpa248/15/2008 15:50:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
BlueWalrus,<br /><br />The Red Sox players did not and do not hate Manny. Was it hate the had Big Papi wearing 24 wrist guards after he was traded? Was it hate that had Alex Cora saying it was a very sad day for the Red Sox? Was it hate that had Jason Varitek saying that if Manny had wanted to be a Red Sox that Manny WOULD still be a Red Sox. How do you know he was faking injuries? Maybe the 36 year old just needed a couple of days off. You're an idiot. You are the very definition of the "ugly" Red Sox fan. Makes me ashamed to be one. And since the man is gone why the hell do you care anyway? Get over yourself. Idiot!
elccpa248/15/2008 15:42:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I must say that boston fans seem to just keep on Manny about how much that dislike him now and won't let up on it. Such hatred for the man. Maybe that's why he just didn't want to stay there anymore. I guesswhen they get tired of you in boston, they just treat you like crap and won't you gone.
baseballfanatic1238/15/2008 5:20:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
actually yes there is. its for the scorekeeper between innings.
jhorning8/14/2008 22:17:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Manny has already made his first disappearance in LA. All I know is that boy has to pee an awful lot. that was his excuse in boston every time he went missing into the green monster....I had to pee. Ahhh there is not restroom in the GM
loismustdie8/14/2008 16:05:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Manny needs to start towing the line, or no one will give him a big contract next season. Sure... he will get signed by someone (Yankees?), but for probably less money than he will be looking for.<br /><br />First off... cut that ridiculous junk that you call hair. After all, you are a human being... not some form of the "Predator".<br /><br />Secondly... clean that c-r-a-p off you batting helmet... it looks horrible and non-professional.<br /><br />Third... learn how to wear a major league uniform, and stay in the dugout until the game is over... regardless of if you are playing or not!
TheDemonator8/14/2008 13:12:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
notbook1 no onder you had a stroke take a chill man. i am a red sox fan. dont say i dont know or care about any other team.if the sox win or loose i still get up in the morning go to work come home eat supper. sepend time with the wife. watch base ball. if the sox arent on i will watch another game. so dont say all sox fans care about the sox only. ya putz
joetim8/14/2008 7:29:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I got a question for Joe Girardi. What the heck are you thinking? Damaso Marte is a lefty specialist and nothing more. Why on gods green earth would you leave him in there for thirty plus pitches against both lefties and righties for multiple innings with the game on the line? Especially on more then one occassion. Do we not learn from our mistakes? Further more Wilson Betemit has been playing AA ball for oh lets say the whole freakin year. He swings at anything from nose to toes and yet Girardi must bring im in to pinch hit? I have officially resigned to the fact the Yanks are done this year, thanks for the heads up coaching Joe!!
Evil_Empire_798/14/2008 6:26:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Ummm. For the month of July, the Dodgers had a win % of .615, whereas the Red Sox were .478. Since Joining the Dodgers, the Aug win % dipped to .500 (12 games) where as the Sox went up to .750......It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Manny is a disease on a team...good hitter yes, but he is a cancer on team spirit.
synchronous8/14/2008 0:17:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I'm surprised that the Chad Bradford to Tampa for a ptbnl to Baltimore wasn't mentioned.
UVAGuy818/13/2008 17:40:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Did it fire Kreigel i have not seen a garbage note from him for a while now. that would be great if they released him!!!! Are you interested in chatting sports with cute women? If yes, check out my profile on B l a c k W h i t e K i s s . c o m where many black or white sfans seeking love online.
eicoh4548/13/2008 17:23:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
What about the Ray Durham to the Brewers trade? I know it's not a blockbuster like the Manny and Tex deals but it is still a decent trade that will affect a pennant race.
IVSPORT8/13/2008 16:26:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
MANNY-MANNY Dodgers wont re-sign him for 100 million but they'll give 95 million to Kent for 4 more years. Love the Dodgers hate the decisions from up top...
toiletbrush8/13/2008 16:00:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Well vients, I am a girl and there's no tears around here for Manny. When he refused to play that game with the Yankees I think most of us said Bye Bye right then. Good luck to him, good luck to the Dodgers managing him. I saw they already had a "no-show" incident the other night, typical Manny move, goes to the bathroom in the middle of the game. He certainly gave us lots of laughs with all his shenanagans. Bay is fitting in beautifully and the rest of the guys, espcially Pedroia and Youkie have stepped up their game and all is well in Red Sox Nation! Go Sox! Repeat!
bradychix8/13/2008 15:55:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey booni01 nevershow up in my hood, the blacks and latinos will boot you ass. Boston has no class, dude look in the mirror
8/13/2008 15:52:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
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