The fact that Manny is even in this position is all because of Manny’s selfishness or his former agent’s (Jeff Moorad, currently with the D-backs) bravado, depending on who you listen to. Manny originally signed a $160 million deal the year A-Rod signed his deal for $250 million with the Rangers. In order to make his contract look like it was nearly as big as A-Rod’s, Manny or his former agent (depending on who you listen to) insisted that the team add 2 option years worth $20 million each to bring the potential value of his contract to $200 million, rather than $160 million. Because of that, Manny now finds himself in a predicament. IF the Sox do pickup his contract, he’ll be forced to play for consecutive one year contracts which will take away any long-term security that he probably deserves. If the Sox don’t pick up the options on his contract, there’s no way any other team will pay him anything close to the $20 million per year that he would’ve received from his option years. He (or his former agent) managed to shoot himself in the foot all because of ego and greed and now it’s coming back to bite him. 

Now, back to the Dodgers. According to Boston insiders, the Dodgers were one of four teams to contact the Sox about Manny yesterday. The Dodgers have been trying to acquire Manny ever since former Red Sox manager, Grady Little, was at the helm. Undoubtedly, Joe Torre understands what Manny brings to the table and would probably do a backflip to get him in the middle of the order. It would sure make his job a lot easier (in that respect at least). It’s no secret that Manny can put up huge numbers with his eyes closed. That would not be a problem at all. The concern with bringing Manny to LA would be just that…bringing Manny to LA. You think he acts up in Boston? Just wait until he’s under the bright lights of Hollywood. LA loves drama and there’s never a shortage of it when it comes to Manny. Considering how pathetic the Dodger offense has been, I’m pretty sure Torre would be willing to deal with whatever headache comes along with a .300/40/120 hitter in the middle of the lineup. 

The question now comes down to return. What do the Red Sox expect to get in return and what can the Dodgers afford to offer. It’s seems pretty self explanatory that the Sox would want to be able to replace the production lost in one way or another. Of course, they won’t be getting a player like Manny back in return but they could get a package of young players who can contribute across the board. For example, if the Dodgers could get some kind of assurances that Manny would resign with the team, a package consisting of OF Andre Ethier (to replace Manny), reliever Cory Wade (for the bullpen) and top catching prospect Lucas May (to eventually replace Varitek), the Sox would have a hard time refusing. However, it wouldn’t make much sense to send quality players like that away if there is no guarantee that Manny will be with the club for longer than a couple of months. If we could sign him to an extension (say 5 years or so), then this would easily be a deal I’d consider. Due to his age and condition, he’d be a liability in the field but still would create enough runs to make him a + player. 

To be perfectly honest, I’d love to see Man-Ram in the middle of the Dodgers lineup for years to come but highly doubt it will happen. If the Sox are really that upset with him and don’t plan on resigning him, why not wait him out and sign him in free agency and only pay two draft picks instead of 2-3 quality, major league-ready players? If I had to guess and if history is any sort of an indicator, I’d bet that Manny won’t be going anywhere before the trade deadline.  Then again, the problem with trading Manny in the past was always his massive contract. Now that his contract is more reasonable, this may finally be the year in which the Red Sox trade Manny Ramirez. Imagine that… 

The latest rumors involving Teixeira have him possibly going to the D-Backs in exchange for 1B, Conor Jackson, among others. D-Backs’ management denies the reports. 

-Brian Fuentes, COL

According to Rockies’ management, the team will keep closer, Brian Fuentes, and try to compete for the NL West title. They are only 6 games out of first place after winning a good number of games over the past couple of weeks. 

-Bengie Molina, SF

Yankees scouts have been checking out Giants’ catcher, Bengie Molina, lately as a possible replacement for the injured Jorge Posada. Molina is signed thru ’09 and wouldn’t come cheaply. The Giants are asking for a package of big-time prospects in return making a deal unlikely. If a trade does go down, Bengie and brother Jose would be reunited again (they used to play together when they were on the Angels). 

-Jarrod Washburn, SEA

The Yankees should complete a deal for M’s lefty, Jarrod Washburn, today if the M’s decide to accept the proposed offer. The M’s are indicating that they may keep Washburn but that could just be posturing. Washburn is due about $14 million this year and the Yankees have offered to take that salary off the books for them…but here’s the catch, they’ll be sending a C-level prospect in return (if that). The Yankees have made it clear that they are willing to give the M’s some cap relief but will not give up anything of value for him. 

-Hank Blalock, TEX

After failing to come to an agreement for the M’s 3B, Adrian Beltre, the Twins have reportedly turned their attention to Ranger’s 3B, Hank Blalock. According to the Newark Star-Ledger, the Twins are serious about upgrading at 3B and tried to acquire Casey Blake from the Indians before he was sent to the Dodgers over the weekend. 

Players on the Block

ATL

-Mark Teixeira, 1B

-Will Ohman, LHP

BAL

-George Sherrill, LHP

-Brian Roberts, 2B

-Aubrey Huff, 1B

-Melvin Mora, 3B

-Jamie Walker, LHP

-Chad Bradford, RHP

CIN

-Adam Dunn, OF

-Ryan Freel, OF

-Ken Griffey Jr., OF

-Corey Patterson, OF

-Scott Hatteberg, 1B

-Bronson Arroyo, RHP

-Josh Fogg, RHP

CLE

-Jamey Carroll, 2B

-David Dellucci, OF

COL

-Brian Fuentes, LHP

-Matt Holliday, OF

-Mark Redman, LHP

-Glendon Rusch, LHP

-Kip Wells, RHP

-Garrett Atkins, 3B

-Clint Barmes, SS

-Scott Podsednik, OF

CWS

-Orlando Cabrera, SS

-Paul Konerko, 1B

-Joe Crede, 3B

-Brian Anderson, OF

DET

-Ivan Rodriguez, C

-Placido Polanco, 2B

-Marcus Thames, OF

-Edgar Renteria, SS

-Fernando Rodney, RHP

-Todd Jones, RHP

FLA

-Mike Jacobs, 1B

-Josh Willingham, OF

-Cody Ross, OF

-Ricky Nolasco, RHP

-Scott Olsen, LHP

-Mark Hendrickson, LHP

-Josh Johnson, RHP

KC

-David DeJesus, OF

-Jose Guillen, OF

-Mark Grudzielanek, 2B

-Miguel Olivo, C

-Brian Bannister, RHP

-Ron Mahay, LHP

-Gil Meche, RHP

LAA

-Chone Figgins, IF/OF

-Francisco Rodriguez, RHP

-Casey Kotchman, 1B

-Gary Matthews Jr., OF

-Reggie Willits, OF

LAD

-Juan Pierre, OF

-Andruw Jones, OF

-Derek Lowe, RHP

MIN

-Michael Cuddyer, OF

-Nick Punto, IF

-Brendan Harris, 2B/SS

-Mike Lamb, 3B

-Craig Monroe, OF

-Scott Baker, RHP

-Kevin Slowey, RHP

-Nick Blackburn, RHP

-Boof Bonser, RHP

-Glen Perkins, RHP

-Jesse Crain, RHP

NYM

-Luis Castillo, 2B

-Aaron Heilman, RHP

NYY

-Robinson Cano, 2B

-Kei Igawa, LHP

OAK

-Justin Duchscherer, RHP

-Huston Street, RHP

-Alan Embree, LHP

-Lenny DiNardo, RHP

-Mark Ellis, 2B

-Bobby Crosby, SS

-Emil Brown, OAK

-Eric Chavez, 3B

PHI

-Shane Victorino, OF

-Jayson Werth, OF

-Carlos Ruiz, C

-Geoff Jenkins, OF

-Brett Myers, RHP

PIT

-John Grabow, LHP

-Jason Bay, OF

-Tyler Yates, RHP

-Matt Morris, RHP

-Freddy Sanchez, 2B

-Jack Wilson, SS

-Ronny Paulino, C

SD

-Khalil Greene, SS

-Brian Giles, OF

-Josh Bard, C

-Michael Barrett, C

-Greg Maddux, RHP

-Cla Meredith, RHP

SEA

-Erik Bedard, LHP

-Jarrod Washburn, LHP

-Carlos Silva, RHP

-Miguel Batista, RHP

-Raul Ibanez, OF

-Adrian Beltre, 3B

-Kenji Johjima, C

-Jose Vidro, 2B

SF

-Bengie Molina, C

-Randy Winn, OF

-Jose Castillo, 2B/3B

-Dave Roberts, OF

-Rich Aurilia, 1B

-Brad Hennessey, RHP

-Tyler Walker, RHP 

TEX

-Eddie Guardado, LHP

-Joaquin Benoit, RHP

-Frank Francisco, RHP

-Wes Littleton, RHP

-Vicente Padilla, RHP

-Kevin Millwood, RHP

TOR

-Roy Halladay, RHP

-AJ Burnett, RHP

-Scott Downs, RHP

-Jeremy Accardo, RHP

-Armando Benitez, RHP

-Lyle Overbay, 1B

-Marco Scutaro, 2B/SS

-Rod Barajas, C

-Gregg Zaun, C

-David Eckstein, SS

-Scott Rolen, 3B

-Scott Baker, RHP

-Shane Victorino, CF

The Phillies have a surplus of OFs and could really use some solid starting pitching. Losing Victorino (aka The Flyin’ Hawaiian) would not be easy for the fans but would make sense for the playoffs. Baker is an up and coming young pitcher who’s proving to be very polished on the mound for his age. He doesn’t walk many batters or give up many hits. He’s a good strikeout pitcher as well and projects as a possible #2 or #3 starter down the road. As previously mentioned, the Phillies would still have enough OFs to get by in the event of a Victorino trade and could move Jayson Werth over to CF to take his spot and play Geoff Jenkins in the corner (or possibly call up Greg Golson from the minor leagues to play CF). A rotation consisting of Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Scott Baker, Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick would definitely put them in a much better position heading into the postseason. 

Even though the Twins are contending right now, they are in somewhat of a transition mode… handing the team over from the old guard to the new. Landing an OF like Victorino would be the icing on the cake and would give them possibly the best defensive OF in baseball along with Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young (and the fastest as well). Unlike most teams, the Twins have enough starting pitching and could actually afford to trade a few of them. If the team could figure out a way to send over Kevin Slowey or Glen Perkins for Victorino, I’d do that and keep Baker but I’d imagine the Phillies would want Baker for an established vet like him. This would also free up the team to make a Mike Cuddyer and/or Craig Monroe trade, possibly for a relief pitcher or prospects. Jason Kubel could then move to the permanent DH spot and the team’s lineup would be set. 

1. Shane Victorino, LF

2. Alexi Casilla, 2B

3. Joe Mauer, C

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Delmon Young, RF

6. Jason Kubel, DH

7. Carlos Gomez, CF

8. Brian Buscher, 3B

9. Nick Punto, SS

-Jaime Garcia, RHP

-Bryan Anderson, C

-Pete Kozma, SS

-AJ Burnett, RHP

-Trading Burnett now would be a way to unload some payroll and restock the farm system. He’s not pitching very well and his value is lower than it could be but nonetheless, there are some contending teams out there that are absolutely starved for starting pitchers… like the Cards. While they probably wouldn’t be willing to send over their best prospect for him (Colby Rasmus), a combination of lesser prospects shouldn’t be a problem to work out. Like all teams, the Jays could always use some young pitching… hence Garcia but the big catch here would be the catcher, Bryan Anderson (no pun intended). He’s one of the top catching prospects in baseball and could prove to be the Jays long-term answer behind the plate. Kozma is a mid-level prospect but could serve as a decent backup in the middle infield one day. To sum it up, the Jays could end up with a very promising catcher and a pitcher that they could plug into their bullpen immediately and could eventually start for the team down the road. 

-In my opinion, this is a fair price for Burnett. Although he’s not pitching his best and is injury prone, the Cards wouldn’t have to completely gut their farm system to get him. Everyone knows that Burnett has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation starter when he’s going well and he could recapture that magic on his return to the NL. The Cards have a good chance to make the playoffs this season but no one knows how long their makeshift rotation will hold up. Guys like Kyle Lohse, Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro and Braden Looper have been pitching better than anyone thought they ever would and ever have before. Adding Burnett would give them extra insurance so they wouldn’t have to rely on question marks heading into the postseason. Once Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright return, the team would suddenly have a strong rotation, capable of going head to head with the best of the NL. The best part about this trade is they wouldn’t have to subtract from their major league team. Garcia was just promoted last week to join the bullpen and could be replaced by Wellemeyer or Looper (who were both relievers before they became starters). Anderson is a minor leaguer who is not needed now with the emergence of Yadier Molina and Kozma does not quite have as much potential as Brendan Ryan. 

-Heath Bell, RHP

-Colt Morton, C

-Coco Crisp, OF

Red Sox Perspective

-The Sawks have been trying to unload Crisp for some time now without any luck. Trading him to the Padres for Bell wouldn’t be the most exciting trade for Sawks fans but would make sense for the club heading into the playoffs. Their bullpen needs strengthening and they have more than enough OFs running around out there. Crisp’s value is higher right now than it has been in the past so the club likely could land a top-line reliever like Bell. Another option would be to take a young starter in return like Josh Banks, Will Inman or Matt Latos. Morton (who is interchangeable with Nick Hundley or Luke Carlin) would give the team a young catching prospect in the system (which suddenly matters now that Jason Varitek may be on his way out) and even a possible backup catcher for this season. If the team would rather have a veteran backstop, I’m sure they could figure out a way to send them Michael Barrett or even possibly former Red Sock, Josh Bard. All in all, this is the most impressive haul for Crisp but Bell would be a big-time difference maker in the fall and would give them exactly what they sought but failed to receive when they made the transaction for embattled reliever, Eric Gagne, last season. 

Padres Perspective

-The Padres are going nowhere fast and can start looking towards next year. They have a surplus of relief pitching but need offense…and more specifically, they need a centerfielder/leadoff hitter. Crisp would instantly make a big impact on the team with his glove and as a spark plug to kick off games and generate runs. On the other hand, Bell is a valuable commodity as well but it really doesn’t matter how good your bullpen is when you’re in last place. Cla Meredith or Justin Hampson can takeover his role or the team could call up a prospect from the minors… like Inman, Latos, Drew Miller, Nick Schmidt or Steve Garrison. 

As previously mentioned, this deal leaves the door open for another trade. Andy LaRoche’s name has been on the trading block ever since the emergence of Blake DeWitt and this move would seemingly leave him without a role on the team. Management has actively been seeking a shortstop to take over for the injured Rafael Furcal and have been scouting various pitchers as well. It’s been rumored that the Tigers would like to trade struggling, former all-star, SS, Edgar Renteria and may even consider releasing him if they can’t find a taker. Obviously, that would be the way to go but there are no assurances the team will actually release him. If an outright release is the next step, one would think the asking price can’t be very high. Perhaps a Juan Pierre for Renteria deal could work? I believe that they roughly make the same salaries and we have a surplus of outfielders… Just floating it out there. 

Another deal that has been rumored is a bit more complicated but could prove to be a real blockbuster. Ever since the Orioles’, Brian Roberts, hit the trading block, the White Sox have been trying to figure out a way to acquire him. So far this season, the ChiSox have fallen in love with their current 2B, Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez’s natural position is at shortstop and the team would likely move him there if they were able to land Roberts from the O’s. Of course, this would mean that Orlando Cabrera’s time in Chicago was up. It’s been rumored that the Sox and Dodgers have discussed a Derek Lowe for Orlando Cabrera deal. Lowe is set to become a free agent after the season and likely will not be retained by the club. Trading him now and getting something for him, especially a gold glove shortstop like Cabrera, would seem to make a whole lot of sense. 

If that Cabrera trade does happen, look for the team to then send Andy LaRoche to a team like the A’s for closer Huston Street or to the O’s for George Sherrill. Acquiring Street or Sherrill would then allow the team to return Jonathan Broxton to the setup role and could then move Hong-Chih Kuo into the rotation. Though much more of a longshot, the Blue Jays have reportedly had discussions with the Dodgers about former Cy Young Award winning ace, Roy Halladay. It would take a whole lot more than just Andy LaRoche to land a pitcher of Halladay’s caliber but it may be possible to trade for him without giving up Kemp or Loney. If we could trade Clayton Kershaw, Andy LaRoche and Ivan DeJesus Jr. or Chin-Lung Hu for him, it would be something to think about (and comparable to what the Indians received for Sabathia). If these deals do go down, we could end up with a team that looks something like this:

C – Russell Martin

1B – James Loney

2B – Jeff Kent

3B – Casey Blake

SS – Orlando Cabrera

RF – Matt Kemp

CF – Jones/Pierre

LF – Andre Ethier

SP1 – Roy Halladay

SP2 – Chad Billingsley

SP3 – Brad Penny

SP4 – Hiroki Kuroda

SP5 – Eric Stults or Chan Ho Park or Hong-Chih Kuo or James McDonald or Scott Elbert

Setup – Hong-Chih Kuo or Cory Wade 

Closer – Jonathan Broxton

-Clayton Kershaw, LHP

-Jonathan Meloan, RHP

-Andy LaRoche, 3B

-Lucas May, C

-Roy Halladay, RHP

-David Eckstein, SS

-Considering what the Brewers got for former Cy Young Award winner, CC Sabathia, this trade is even better for the Blue Jays. Clayton Kershaw is one of, if not the top pitching prospect in all of baseball. He projects to be an ace in the relatively near future and is considered to be one of those “can’t miss prospects” and could possibly end up being as good as Halladay. Meloan is a very good relief pitching prospect who the Dodgers have recently tried out as a starter. He could eventually close for the Jays if he can cut down on walks. LaRoche is one of the top 3B prospects in baseball and could instantly start for the team at the hot corner. Many have wondered why the Dodgers never gave him more of a chance but the Jays won’t have anybody standing in his way. His bat’s got some pop in it and many scouts think he’ll be a better hitter than his brother Adam. Lucas May isn’t as well known as the others but is rapidly climbing up prospect lists due to the fact that he’s tearing up the minor leagues right now. Some scouts think his bat may be too good to keep him at catcher and suggest he’d be better suited as a 1B. Either way, the Jays have a need at both positions… 

-Obtaining Halladay would give the Dodgers that top of rotation, shutdown, ace that they’ve lacked for so many years. Brad Penny gave us a glimpse of how potent a good pitcher can be at Dodger Stadium but quickly collapsed this year. Halladay is an experienced, veteran, Cy Young Award winner who could win playoff games for the team. He’d be the perfect pitcher to matchup with some of the other aces in the NL, pitchers like Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Johan Santana, Carlos Zambrano, CC Sabathia, etc.. A rotation consisting of Halladay, Billingsley, Lowe, Kuroda and Penny (eventually) would surely put the Dodgers in a good position heading into the playoffs. Of course, they’d still need to address their needs in the power department but a move like that would likely be better to make in the offseason… when they can sign a player without having to trade a player for him. David Eckstein would provide the team with the shortstop that they’ve desperately needed ever since Rafael Furcal went down. Berroa could then either be returned to the minors or sent to the bench and Matt Kemp could move to the middle of the lineup and allow Eckstein to hit leadoff. All in all, this trade would be beneficial for both teams and is rather equitable as well. 

-Nick Adenhart, RHP

-Howie Kendrick, 2B

-Jordan Walden, RHP

-Chone Figgins, IF/OF

-Matt Holliday, OF (w/contract extension)

-Brian Fuentes, LHP (w/contract extension)

-The Rockies know that unless they trade Matt Holliday before the deadline, they’ll only get draft picks for him when he signs with another team in free agency over the offseason. Sometimes teams prefer to get the draft picks if they can’t find a deal that’s better. In this case, the Rockies would be getting two proven major leaguers as well as two top pitching prospects for the top of their rotation. Losing Holliday will hurt but acquiring Kendrick and Figgins will help them stay in contention in a weak NL West. Kendrick would immediately take over as the everyday 2B and Figgins could either take over for Holliday in the OF or serve as a super utility player like he did for so many years with the Angels. Fuentes wouldn’t be nearly as hard to replace. Manny Corpas is ready to reassume the closer’s job (that he originally lost to start the season) and Taylor Buchholz could slide right into the setup role. The Rockies could try to press the Angels for Scot Shields or Jose Arredondo as well but considering how much they’re already giving up, that probably wouldn’t happen. Adenhart projects as a top of the rotation start and Walden projects as a mid-rotation starter with potential for more. If the two pitchers do develop as projected, the Rockies will have come away with quite a major haul for one of the game’s best players. 

Assuming that the team can sign both players to an extension, they will have set themselves up to win the World Series after making this trade. Holliday is easily one of the game’s best players and could carry the Angels offensively for years to come. He hits for average, power, steals bases and drives in runs like crazy. Some are concerned that Coors Field may be inflating his numbers but even if it is, the Angels can expect a solid .330/30/110 hitter. If his numbers do translate to another stadium in the AL, the team would have literally stolen a .345/40/130 player, which needless to say is exactly what the Angels need (it’s exactly what every team needs). Fuentes would provide the team with an insurance policy on K-Rod for when he parts during the offseason. At the very least, he’d give the team options. They’d have Shields and Arredondo waiting in the wings so if Fuentes faltered for any reason, he could be flip-flopped with one of the afore mentioned relievers. One with think he’ll probably be able to transition fairly well considering that he’s a lefty who’s been lights out in an infamous hitter’s park like Coors. He’s no K-Rod but is far better than the average throw-in in a blockbuster trade. The price here is significant but it comes back to the old adage “it takes something to get something”. Even though Kendrick is a very promising young player, he could be replaced right away by the likes of Maicer Izturis or Sean Rodriguez. Figgins, on the other hand, has been a player that the Angels have been trying to unload for some time. By trading him, the Angels could either plug in the loser of the 2B sweepstakes at 2B or call up top prospect Brandon Wood to play 3B. The beauty of a trade like this is the fact the Angels would acquire a premiere power hitter and wouldn’t have to deal from their big league starting rotation. Adenhart could be an ace one day but it won’t be this year. In fact, he’ll probably contribute very little if anything at all this year during the team’s quest for a World Series Ring. Likewise for Walden but he’s not quite as developed as a pitcher and doesn’t project quite as well as Adenhart either. However, either/both pitchers could end up as big time starters one day a few years down the road but by that time, Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes may have won themselves several World Series Rings with the Angels by that time.