Rangers, Rays Pursuing Manny

Manny Ramirez

He patrolled (if you can call it that) left field at Fenway for nearly 8 years. He has blasted 554 homers in his career and is a .313 hitter. He's driven in close to 2,000 runs. And he might be on the move again.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly considering waiving Manny Ramirez, an investment that didn't exactly pan out as they had hoped it would. According to the LA Times, both the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays had scouts attending his most recent rehab performance. I'm not too concerned about the thought of Texas hauling in Ramirez. I'm interested in the Man-Ram-ifications that might result from Tampa snatching the slugger.

We're in a pretty critical stretch of the season where we need either the Rays or the Yanks to experience a drop-off. The Rays are playing a little bit better than New York right now, having tied them for the division lead last night. But what would Manny Ramirez bring to Tampa? My first reaction is that this would put Tampa over the hump and lock up their playoff spot. But upon further consideration, I can't be so sure that Ramirez wouldn't just bring more problems than solutions -- just the way he did in Los Angeles. Tampa prides themselves on being a team without the big name superstars. We easily forget that just a few years ago, the Rays were the Devil Rays and they were the stinkers of the MLB. This group of players has developed and risen to the task. Is Manny a fit on that squad? I'm not so sure. I mean, I guess a proven slugger is a good acquisition down the stretch for anyone. But his personality is a stark contrast to those already making up that Rays lineup.

Still, I'd just as soon keep Manny in the National League and avoid the circumstance by which he hits a homer that turns into the dagger through the heart of Boston's playoff hopes. Let's extend the Mannywood era just a few weeks longer.