We know that Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games after failing a drug test, but what does it mean for the Dodgers? ESPN.com's Buster Olney breaks down the consequences for baseball's winningest team so far.
- Ramirez loses between $7-8MM in salary this year.
- He'll miss 50 games and return in early July.
- Olney says "no team with any sanity is going to match the money that Ramirez stands to make in the second year of his deal" (he makes $20MM next season).
- So Manny will not opt out of the contract.
- The Dodgers, like the Yankees with Alex Rodriguez, have been "duped," but there's nothing they can do about it.
Some other consequences for the team:
- Juan Pierre will presumably play every day in left field and bat eighth.
- Could the $7-8MM be used to acquire a free agent like Pedro Martinez or Ben Sheets?
- Could it give the team the flexibility to make a deal for a premier player?
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