Manny Ramirez‘s days with the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be coming to an end, as the general consensus around baseball is that he will end up on waivers early this week.
Monday was the first opportunity the Dodgers had to put Ramirez on waivers because it was the first business day after Ramirez came off the disabled list, but they are not expected to do so.
According to baseball sources, the only thing that will come in the way of Ramirez being on a different team before Aug. 31, the deadline for playoff roster eligibility, is his no-trade clause.
Ramirez’s contract is not as bad as one would think for teams pondering the need for a DH.
Any team that makes a move for Ramirez would owe a portion of his $20 million salary that is divided. What makes Ramirez’s contract affordable is the fact three-fourths of the salary is deferred.
Playoff contenders like the Chicago White Sox, who are getting no production at DH with Mark Kotsay or Andruw Jones, or a team like the Tampa Bay Rays, who don’t have a solid DH, would have to pay Ramirez $1.1 million for the rest of this season and around $3.3 million in deferred salary.
It all comes down to Ramirez waiving his no-trade clause. He can use his no-trade clause to reject any waiver move or trade to any team. He also could even ask for money just to waive his no-trade clause.
If Ramirez were claimed by another team via waivers and he proceeded to veto it, then the Dodgers would have to remove him from waivers. They would be unable to trade him for the remainder of the season as well.
Not a bad idea for a rival of a possible playoff team to do, solely to keep Ramirez away from another team. If you’re out of the race, why not claim Ramirez off waivers, knowing he’ll reject it, and keep him away from a contending rival?
Dirty, yes. Hilarious also.
No one knows what you’d get out of Ramirez, however. He has missed 59 games this season due to injury and just came off the disabled list for a calf strain.
On the other side of that, Ramirez does become a free agent after this season, and if he would like to get paid again, he may suddenly have a breakout last month of the season.
Ramirez is a huge risk, but he’s an improvement for a couple American League playoff contenders—when he decides to play.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com