Manny Ramirez has been placed on irrevocable waivers. Any team with a spare $20 million in payroll for the next five years can get their very own superstar, free. From the story by Michael Silverman in the Boston Herald:
The Red Sox grew fed up with Ramirez' defense and his man-child moments of inattention and immaturity this season, and the team clearly is positioning itself for greater payroll flexibility this winter, as it faces several critical decisions on players signed through next season only.
This is a risky move by Epstein and company. If Ramirez isn't claimed by tomorrow at midnight, they have further alienated a guy who is already a head case. If he is, they can sign a free agent hitter at 5-10% of the cost and spend the rest of the money on guys like Colon or Millwood. It's entirely possible that this is a ploy by the Sox to get Manny into pinstripes and get the Yankees out of the Guerrero sweepstakes. Who else can afford him?
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20031030081252999