The Dodgers acquiring Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox ranks as CBSSports.com Rumor blog’s second-best trade-deadline deal involving a premier player since 2007.
Year: 2008
Trade: Los Angeles acquires Manny Ramirez from Boston, sending Bryan Morris and Andy LaRoche to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the deal sending Jason Bay to Boston from Pittsburgh.
The reason behind the deal: Manny was being about as Manny as ever in Boston as the trade deadline and both needed a change. The Dodgers were just .500 on the season on July 31, with their 450 runs scored the fourth-worst in the National League, making the addition of a transcendent hitter well worth the risk of his antics messing with the clubhouse chemistry.
Aftermath: Ramirez was good for Boston, hitting .299/.398/.529 with 20 home runs prior to the deadline, but he was on a whole new level with the Dodgers. He slugged 17 home runs and 14 doubles in the last 53 games of the season, with a .396/.489/.743 line good for a 221 OPS+. And he threw in 53 RBI for good measure.
The Dodgers went 30-24 down the stretch, enough to eke out a two-game victory in the NL West over Arizona. Los Angeles went on to sweep the Cubs in the NLDS but lost the NLCS 4-1 to the eventual champion Phillies.
How it shaped today's team: Ramirez hit as well for the Dodgers as he did any team, with an overall 1.012 OPS with the club. His exit, however, was clouded by a PED scandal after he tested positive for a fertility drug typically used by athletes to fool steroid tests. He was waived by the Dodgers in late August and claimed by the White Sox, a fizzling end after a booming beginning to his Los Angeles career.
As such, the Dodgers recived no compensation for Ramirez, leaving their offense as Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and seven prayers. Still, the price for two excellent seasons at the plate and two cracks at playoff baseball was very reasonable – neither of the prospects the Dodgers gave up have panned out.
LaRoche hit .226/.305/.337 in his career, notching just 22 home runs in 403 career games. Morris is now 25 and still in the Pirates' minor league system, yet to sniff the majors. He has a 2.57 ERA in 31 games at Triple-A and has potential as a reliever after flaming out in the low-minors as a starter.
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