According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Ramirez is still owed $5 million this season and the Chicago White Sox could feasibly get Ramirez simply as a straight waiver claim and with no need to send prospects in return.
Olney also speculates that the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, or the Texas Rangers could all take a gamble on Ramirez. It’s also possible that Ramirez could go through the waiver wire unclaimed and then the Dodgers could trade him and, in doing so, agree to pick up a portion of his remaining salary.
Kenny shouldn’t have listened to Ozzie and his crazy DH theory, and keep Jim Thome. We’d have a proper DH, and not this Mark Kotsay nonsense, and for the entire season. Furthermore, Big Jim wouldn’t be contributing a .268/.387/.578/.966 hitting line to the Twinkies.
UPDATE: Rosenthal @ FOXS:
Left fielder Manny Ramirez…would be risky for a team to claim; the Dodgers likely would let him go, assuming that Ramirez was willing to waive his no-trade clause. The claiming club then would assume the pro-rated portion of his $20 million salary, which on Aug. 31 still would be more then $3 million.
The deferrals in Ramirez’s contract would make no difference in the amount his new club would pay; only the timetable might be affected. Ramirez’s contract stipulates a $5 million salary this season and deferred payments without interest of $3.33 million each on June 30, 2011 and ’12 and $8.33 million on June 30, 2013.
If Ramirez cleared waivers, he would be eligible to be traded to any team — and he would be wise to waive his no-trade clause for an American League club that would allow him to serve as a DH and build his value for free agency this off-season.
Ramirez, recovering from a right calf strain, could begin a rehabilitation assignment this week. The Dodgers cannot place him on waivers until after they activate him from the disabled list.
