MANNY RAMIREZ TRADED TO OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Now THIS is how you start a rumor!

OK, he wasn't really traded to the Oakland A's.
But I think the A's should deal for him... because I think the Dodgers will make the trade.

The A's are having a much better season than anyone thought they would have.
Yet they need a thumper in the middle of their line up. Kurt Suzuki's 4 homers currently lead the pack.

The West is completely winnable. Yeah the Rangers look good now... just wait until it heats up. The Mariners club house resembles the group dinner in the Real House Wives of New Jersey and the Angels can't get out of their own way.

The A's have every once in a while shown the guts to go for it (remember Matt Holliday coming to Oakland last year) and Manny could be what the doctor ordered.

Remember, Manny plays best when he is warmly welcomed. He was the greatest thing to happen to L.A. since Shaq when he was traded to the Dodgers in 2008.

He was Happy Manny... and trust me, as a Sox fan I will tell you that Happy Manny is awesome.

Moody Manny is awful. Everyone walks on eggshells and wonders if he will even play. Well the Honeymoon is over in L.A. A steroid suspension and a subpar second half and an illtimed shower during the playoffs will do that.

Now he is unhappy again and staring at free agency again.

And while it is early, the Dodgers are floating around .500 (and it took a 4 game winning streak to GET to .500.)

A trade to a market where he can relax, be adored by the fans and pad his stats could be what he needs. And if he needs a little more, BALCO is right across the Bay.

But Sully, you say. Why would the DODGERS do it?

Well under normal circumstances, I would agree with that. The face of the Dodgers is Manny... and while his home run numbers are down he is hitting .393 with an OPS of 1.096.

But remember, this isn't normal circumstances.

This is the Frank McCourt divorce era.
This is the Dodger era where the team got so close to the World Series in back to back years and yet wouldn't improve the team in the offseason as the McCourts are getting into a divorce that makes Sandra Bullock and Jesse James look like two people who just drifted apart.

Teams have dumped players for salary purposes since the days of Connie Mack's first dynasty. Star players have been traded to cover the owner's financial issues.

(Did someone say Babe Ruth and No No Nanette?)

So Manny is 38 years old... his contract is running out but he still has about $15 million of deferred payments and a lot of his 2010 salary to pay. You think he wouldn't mind taking SOME of that off of his books?

Which is why I think the acquisition of Manny isn't so far out of the question.

And a team like Oakland is the perfect stress free place for him to land, give a post season boost, make everyone think he is the slugger we all remember, and have him squeeze one more contract from a gullible GM. (Did someone say Omar Minaya?)

So you heard it here first.
Manny to the A's.

E mail me at info@sullybaseball.com if you thought this was a real trade announcement.