Dodgers Diaries

I have pretty much given up on the likelihood of the Dodgers making the playoffs. But I haven’t given up on the possibility that they could make the playoffs. The wild card is a wonderful thing for those bereft of any other chances. Without the wild card, the Padres would be ahead of the Reds by 2.5 games and the Braves by 3.5 games in the West, while the Phils would be ahead of the Cards by one game. The Dodgers would still be 10 out.

With the wild card, however, their deficit is just 4.5, and they have games remaining against all the teams in front of them except St. Louis. If the Dodgers do make the playoffs, it’s going to be because they play exceptional baseball down the stretch. They can’t count on all four of the teams ahead of them to falter.

Which brings us to Manny Ramirez. Before the current four-game winning streak began, I’d have said sure, dump him on the White Sox for whatever you can get. The guy has never been one of my favorites, and his presence in the lineup has been so erratic that it’s hard to argue he has made that much of a difference. But with just 33 games to go, the finish line is in sight, and Manny has always been best when he can see the finish line.

Manny is making $10 million in salary this year, so dumping him for the last 1/5th of the season would save at best $2 million. It’s hard to say what prospects the Dodgers might get back from Chicago in exchange. I tend to doubt the White Sox would give up on any real prospects for five weeks of Manny.

There’s still the chance the Dodgers could make the playoffs without Manny on the roster. But selling him off would be seen as an admission that the season is over. The Dodgers might lose more than $2 million in gate receipts, merchandise, and concessions if attendance were to fall off for the last 15 games of the year.

I imagine there’s already a deal in place with the White Sox. But there are still four games before Sept. 1. If the Dodgers win three or more of those games, I suspect they’ll hold onto Manny. If they lose three or more, they’ll trade him. The hardest questions will be if they win two and lose two.

-- JOHN ROSENTHAL