White Sox have dibs on Manny
He's done both coasts. Time for the Second City? Manny Ramirez may be moving the grating but sometimes-entertaining "being Manny" operation to Chicago.
He's done both coasts. Time for the Second City?
Manny Ramirez may be moving the grating but sometimes-entertaining "being Manny" operation to Chicago.
The White Sox were awarded a waiver claim with exclusive rights to make a deal to acquire Ramirez, 38, by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jayson Stark of ESPN reported, citing a source monitoring the waiver wire. The Associated Press later reported the same thing, also citing an unnamed source.
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Ramirez on trade waivers Wednesday.
The leftfielder may not scramble like he did in his Red Sox days, looking more and more like a sluggish human fireplug in a fright wig, but he's still a dangerous slugger. His rusty fielding after three DL detours this season won't hurt him as a designated hitter in the AL, where he knows a thing or two about pennant races - and beyond.
The Texas Rangers were one of two other AL teams that also claimed him, a source told ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durett. There are strong indications that Tampa Bay was the third team. The White Sox have first dibs because they have the lowest winning percentage among the AL teams putting in a claim.
A deal seems likely, but the Dodgers could also decide they're too close in the NL wild-card race to trade away their No. 3 hitter. They just swept three games in Milwaukee to pull within five games of the Giants going into Friday night. They still had four games against teams ahead of them - Colorado and the Phils - before Tuesday.
If Los Angeles stands pat after all, does this mean the "Mannywood" sign goes back up at Dodger Stadium?
Edwin Jackson goes from walks to strikeouts
Our last memorable Edwin Jackson sighting was when, as a Diamondback, he managed to no-hit the Rays despite walking eight batters on June 25. Well, that's one way to do a no-hitter, but he's getting closer to doing it the tidier way - with strikeouts rather than walks.
After four games with the White Sox, Jackson has struck out 34 batters in 28 innings, including a shutout over Baltimore on Thursday night in which he allowed only three hits and walked only two while striking out 10. He lasted eight innings, so Chicago entered a three-game home series against the Yankees last night with a rested bullpen.
Jackson, who struck out 11 in his previous start, against Detroit on Aug. 14, has tallied 10 or more strikeouts in consecutive starts for the first time in his career. He's the first White Sox pitcher to do so since Javier Vazquez in '07.
Hawpe gets a fresh start - another Burrell?
Tampa Bay reached a minor-league deal with veteran outfielder Brad Hawpe, released this month by Colorado. He was one of the cornerstones of the Rockies' 2007 NL championship team and was an all-star last season.