MLB Waiver Wire: Manny Ramirez Hits Waivers

Manny Ramirez and his 20-year-old bat have been placed on waivers...now what?

According to sources close to the Dodgers, the veteran slugger has been placed on waivers for the Los Angeles Dodgers to work out a trade (if he is claimed, that is). 

If you are unfamiliar with waivers, let's see how it works:

Any player can be put on waivers by his team, and the player does not need to be informed.

Other teams have the chance to make a claim on the player during a 47 hour window.

If the player is claimed, the team that placed him on waivers has the option of pulling him back.  If the team pulls him back they can't trade him for 30 days.

If his team decides not to pull him back:

Option 1:  His team can work out a trade with the team that claimed him.  Any player involved in the trade who is on a 40 man roster must go through waivers first.

Option 2:  His team can just dump him and his salary on the team that claimed him, getting no player in return.

Option 3:  No one claims him, and his team is free to trade him to any team.

If more than one team places a claim on a player, the winning claim is awarded based on worst record or the league the claiming team is in.

Manny is available to all MLB teams and is to be claimed by Friday, and if the Dodgers do not want to send him away, they can pull him back. If and when Manny is claimed, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to work out a trade with the club that claimed him. If a club does claim Manny, they would have to pay a fourth of the $20 million he signed for, plus some $3 million deferred.

This means that the Pirates would get first grabs at Manny, and so on until you ended at the Padres, then the claim would be passed on to the American League where several teams like the White Sox and Rangers have expressed interest. It all comes down to Manny's option to express his no-trade clause. He has the option to block out a claim and request to stay in Dodger blue.

Since Manny was suspended, his power numbers have been down, but his contact numbers including average have stayed normal. Manny is the kind of player you wold love to have, especially an AL contender looking for an addition to the DH spot. Manny does however become a free agent after this season, so he is trying to impress and breakout to get other teams knocking on his door and pick up his bat.

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