Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants pursue Manny Ramirez, mirroring what the Yankees and Red Sox did in pursuit Teixeira.

The Los Angeles Dodgers face a scary situation. The biggest problem with losing a prized player to someone who plays in the same division is the head to head competition. If the Dodgers lose Manny Ramirez to the San Francisco Giants, the swing in productivity could favor the Giants 10-15 games while losing the Dodgers 10-15 games.

If Manny Ramirez can swing three of the eighteen games to the Giants that would have gone to the Dodgers, the net gain is SIX games, not three, because the three games are head to head competition. In the course of 18 games, yes I could see Manny Ramirez being a difference maker at least 3 games, resulting in a six game swing between the Dodgers and Giants. Then factor in what happens in the other 144 games each team plays. If Manny is a difference maker for the Giants 10 more times, and not having Manny causes the Dodgers grief ten extra times, the Dodgers could lose a total of 16 games to the Giants in the upcoming season.

If the Giants also pick up a Joe Crede, and he is healthy and performs, the Dodgers could be in a situation where suddenly the Giants are breathing down their necks the entire season, and the Dodgers may not even be in the playoff hunt. Would the Dodgers really want to face San Francisco late in the season with their playoff hopes on the line and Manny Ramirez coming up to bat?

Now lets talk attendance. The presence of Manny Ramirez could result in an average of 5,000 more fans per game, because Manny's presence almost guarantees that the Dodger games in September will still mean something. When Eric Gagne was cruising to the record for consecutive saves, Dodgers fans actually looked forward to staying for a Gagne appearance. How many fans will stay an extra inning or two just to watch Manny's final at bat of the night, that sure helps the stadium's concession coffers fill up.

What the Dodgers are going through is the agony the Yankees were going through. The Yankees simply could not afford to lose a player of Teixeira's ability to a division rival, and the Dodgers similarly cannot afford to lose Manny to a division rival. About the only difference is the Red Sox already had a better line-up than the yankees, whereas the Dodgers will fall back while the Giants gain massively.

I recall hearing a rumor that the McCourts plunked a really big wad of money into their Malibu diggs. Wouldn't it be ironic if the McCourts splurged one year too early on their own real estate desires and as a result could not sign the ONE player that would probably have helped pay off their huge Malibu investment?

Have the McCourts really done enough to earn the right to have such an opulent home when it could actually cause them to not have enough left in their operating budget to invest in the ONE player who would probably ensure the type of success worthy of the home they are already creating?

It would not surprise me if Boras creates a 10 million dollar gap between the two teams. Whatever the Giants offer Manny, the Dodgers will have to beat it by 10 million. It looks like Manny will get a four year deal, worth anywhere from 90 million to a 110 million. Wow.