The Los Angeles Dodgers were one of the first teams to strike this year in the trade market after picking up Ricky Nolasco from the Miami Marlins and it was another deal with another team that helped spark the best move in franchise history at the deadline, as David Schoenfield says picking up Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox was the best deadline deal ever for the team.
In his series looking at all 30 teams and their best deadline deals ever, Schoenfield mentions that before the Sox traded Ramirez to the Dodgers, he almost ended up a Marlin for a Class A player named Mike Stanton, aka Giancarlo Stanton. Luckily for the Marlins that didn't happen and now Mannywood is history. The trade brought a star to LA after the team wanted more offense in the outfield with Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre and while the Dodgers wanted Ramirez, other teams were interested, but then Boston pulled off a Red Sox, Pirates and Dodgers three-team deal.
The team sent prospects Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to the Pirates, who sent Jason Bay to the Sox for Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen and obviously the trade worked out for LA. Ramirez was nasty with the team and hit nearly .400 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in 53 games and the team won the NL West by two games, meaning Manny made a difference. Later on he hit .520 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in eight postseason games and the team made it to the NLCS.
