Manny Ramirez? We'll Find Out Shortly

In probably less then 24 hours we'll find out if Manny Ramirez will become a member of the Chicago White Sox. The word is that the Dodgers will put Ramirez on waivers Wednesday afternoon and then the Sox are likely to claim him. It obviously will be a gamble on Kenny Williams part for a host of reasons. Most importantly, can Ramirez still play? Ever since he failed a steroid test he hasn't been the same player and he has been on the disabled list a few times. Almost as important, can the Sox afford him? Ramirez is owed about $1.5 million for the rest of this season but he also carries a $3 million deferred payment due him. So the price tag amounts to $4.5 million to rent a player for 5 weeks.

Will the Sox do it and should they? Williams has long been after Ramirez and must feel that he can help this team down the stretch. But that's a hefty sum to pay if the attendance doesn't merit it. Of course the Sox can try and negotiate with the Dodgers to pick up some of that money but the likelihood is they wont pick up much, if anything.

Then there is the matter of convincing Ramirez to come here. Players dont automatically have to go to the teams that claim them. Johnny Damon is a very recent example as he turned down his old team, the Red Sox who claimed him on Monday. If Williams would run into resistance from Ramirez he could simply remind him that he is a free agent at the end of this season and here is a chance to put up some numbers in a hitters park. He could also point out that the Sox play Boston seven times in the month of September and that he can extract some revenge against a franchise he now has a deep hatred for.

The guess here is that Ramirez will be in a White Sox uniform shortly.