Manny Ramirez: Finally

Manny Ramirez signed today with the Dodgers. Let me first say this: He knew exactly what he was doing. As the season drew nearer his leverage over the Dodger Blue was growing exponentially. He and Boras were able to squeeze every last dollar out of them and got a deal that fit his career perfectly. So lets go over quickly how this affects the fantasy landscape. For the most part guys like Kemp, Either, Furcal etc... are being drafted as if Manny was all ready in the lineup. But a guy like Juan Pierre loses a tremendous amount of value as his playing time will now be reduced drastically, as the OF will now be manned by Kemp, Either and Manny. Pierre will be hard pressed to eclipse 200 ABs, so unless he's traded you can pretty much nix him as a cheap source of steals in mixed leagues. As for Manny it will be interesting to see how his season plays out. He's certainly capable of posting Manny-esque numbers, as his post trade numbers proved. My forecast is as follows:

550 ABs, 105 Runs, 42 HR, 120 RBI, .315 BA, 2 SB

It's possible he can eclipse these numbers, though not by much. If Furcal plays a full season and Either, Kemp and Loney continue to improve these numbers can be written in sharpie. As for dollar value, I've seen him go for as little as $15 and as much as $30. I'd pencil him in around that $27 mark, though I wouldn't argue with someone willing to pay a bit more than that, and anyone who got him below $20 can consider it an incredible buy. His power numbers will be similar to Braun, but since he doesn't swipe bases like Braun does, you can't really justify spending in the Braun range, though Manny's average will be a bit better. I'm pretty much telling you what you all ready know, but in case you weren't sure, I hope this helps.

Roto Wizard