A Deadline Dandy

Just hours before the trade deadline last week, the Dodgers gave up a handful of prospects in exchange for future hall-of-fame outfielder Manny Ramirez. The Pirates inherited these prospects, while sending arguably their most talented player, Jason Bay, to the Red Sox.

At first glance, one can't help but salivate at the addition of Manny's numbers to the Dodger offense. Upon Manny's arrival, the Dodgers boasted a mediocre offense, a mediocre pitching staff, and had a record (54-54) that displayed exactly that: mediocrity. When he left Boston, Manny had a .299 average (ranks #1 among active Dodger starters), 20 home runs (ranks #1 with the Dodgers), 68 RBIs (ranks #1 with the Dodgers), an OBP of .389 (ranks #1 with the Dodgers), and slugged .529 (ranks #1 with the Dodgers). Adding these types of numbers to any offense would help immensely, right? Right, but in more ways than you think.

With Manny Ramirez now the focal point of the Dodger lineup, a great deal of pressure is now lifted off the shoulders of Dodgers, both young and old, currently struggling to the carry the offense. In other words, expect to see gradual increases Matt Kemp's, Andre Ethier's, James Loney's, and Jeff Kent's numbers. More importantly, as desperate Dodger fans now divert their expectations to Manny to be their offensive savior, don't be surprised to see a sudden revival in Andruw Jones.

Now, if you're anything like my boss, Brian P, you might be desperately trying to understand my logic here. You might be asking, "But Brian Chen, if reducing expectations and pressure to perform results in improved production, then what about Manny? With all eyes on Manny now, won't all this pressure be too much for Manny to handle? Won't we see a decline in his numbers, as we saw with poor Andruw?" Relax, my loyal reader. Manny is different from most other players. He seeks out the spotlight. He craves the pressure, the expectations. And he's enjoyed these expectations his entire career. That is, until the last few years.

Hence, I believe this to be the explanation for the sudden drop in his production the last few years in Boston. The experts will tell you that he's had health issues. Give me a break, Manny has always had health issues. He's never once notched 600 at-bats in a season. Here's the real reason: Manny's feelings were hurt. With the emergence of David Ortiz in 2004, the Red Sox nation embraced Big Papi as their new leader, and discarded Manny to being only 'second best.' As good as Manny is, he is a baby (a big, buff-ass baby, but a baby nonetheless). And, in simple terms, this baby got pissed, and stopped producing.

Now, Manny's in LA. Now, the person who comes closest to displaying the same dominance at the plate as Manny is Jeff Kent (in other words, nobody even comes close). Now, there's not even a question of who the best hitter on the team is. Manny, if you're reading this, you got what you wanted. For at least half a season, this is your team. Dazzle us with your greatness.

By the way, Manny Ramirez, if you're actually reading this, you're invited to After the Anthem's undie launch party. Please come.