ManRam To The Dodgers

Well, that kinda came out of left field. Literally.

Manny Ramirez is now a Los Angeles Dodger. For peanuts no less. The Dodgers gave up nothing to get him.

ManRam's numbers this year are: .299 BA, 20 HR's (that's it?), 68 RBI's, .398 OBP, and .590 Slugging Percentage. Not too bad, though to be honest i was surprised at the HR total. Mark Reynolds has more HR's than Manny.

Anyway, what does this mean for the Dodgers, and how does this affect the Dbacks? Well, the obvious is that the Dodgers just got more pop in their lineup. I think the Dodgers will be better, but i'm sure how much better.

Think of it this way. No matter how you look at it, the Dodger's lineup is not the Red Sox lineup. They don't have the players around Manny to protect him the way someone like David Ortiz did in Boston. Manny as a Dodger will be fairly easy to pitch around or walk in big spots with a base open.

The clubhouse chemistry could be interesting as well, as Manny has been known to be, uh, quirky. That said, i think with Joe Torre as the manager and Manny now on a new team in a contract year (no chance LA has him next year), Manny will actually be a great clubhouse presence for them.

Whatever happens, it should tighten the race for the NL West even more. The Dbacks have the type of team built to counteract the Manny signing, namely a good rotation and a (mostly) good bullpen. Manny is a great hitter, no doubt, but in the postseason pitching always beats hitting. Always.

With the Dbacks in Chavez Ravine to open a four game set tonight, the NL West is now officially a sprint to the finish. Game On.