Dodgers trade 2 minor leaguers and/or cash.

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LOS ANGELES -- Greg Maddux is back in Los Angeles for another stretch drive. The Dodgers announced Tuesday that they have reacquired Maddux and received cash from San Diego. The Padres will get two minor league players to be named or cash. Greg Maddux Maddux The 42-year-old first came to the Dodgers late in the 2006 season, when he went 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts to help them win a wild-card berth. This time, Los Angeles is dueling Arizona for the NL West lead. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, who put together the trade that sent Cesar Izturis to the Chicago Cubs and brought Maddux to Los Angeles on July 31, 2006, obviously was pleased to have the right-hander back. "It's very rare that you get the opportunity to add a pitcher like Greg even one time, let alone twice," Colletti said in a statement. "He's one of the greatest pitchers of all time and we've already seen what he can add to a team both on the field and in the clubhouse." Maddux is 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA this season, and has 353 career wins. His record with last-place San Diego this season includes 11 no-decisions. He had indicated to the Padres before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline that he wanted to rejoin the Dodgers, but Los Angeles was unable to reach a deal then. Maddux, who has a home south of Los Angeles in Orange County, had to waive the no-trade clause in his contract for the new deal to go through. His salary with San Diego this year was $10 million. He will replace Brad Penny, who went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury last Thursday, in the Dodgers' rotation. Maddux will probably make seven or eight starts. He becomes the latest addition to the much-improved Dodgers, bolstered by the acquisition of Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake over the past month. Los Angeles has been below .500 much of the season, but remained in contention in baseball's weakest division. Winners of six of their last seven as they headed into Tuesday night's game against Rockies, the Dodgers have improved to 64-60 and were tied with the Diamondbacks atop the West.

Ramirez traded to Dodgers, Red Sox get Jason Bay

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LOS ANGELES -- Manny Ramirez is heading west, a summer rental of sorts for the Los Angeles Dodgers following an ugly exodus from Boston. The Dodgers acquired the future Hall of Famer from the exasperated Red Sox on Thursday, giving up two minor leaguers in a stunning three-team trade that sent outfielder Jason Bay from Pittsburgh to Boston. The Dodgers also received cash considerations, general manager Ned Colletti said, in a deal that was completed just before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline for making trades without waivers. The Red Sox will pay the estimated $7 million owed to Ramirez through the end of the season, at which time he can become a free agent. Ramirez was in the final guaranteed year of an eight-year, $160 million contract, and the Red Sox held $20 million options for the next two seasons. As part of the trade, the club options were eliminated, meaning the mercurial slugger might be playing elsewhere next season. Ramirez is expected to make his Los Angeles debut Friday night against Arizona's Randy Johnson in the second game of a four-game series. The Dodgers trail the NL West-leading Diamondbacks by two games. "We figured we had to do it," Colletti said. "Hopefully it pays dividends. We're confident we've got one of the best hitters in baseball coming in here -- one of the best hitters of his generation from the right side. He's a champion, he's a winner, and we really couldn't be happier with trying to make the club better at this point in time than to do this. "We wanted this player at least for the next two months, and hopefully longer. So we're willing to take the chance and go with this guy." It appears the Dodgers need some pop if they're to reach the postseason, much less experience playoff success. They have a dreadful postseason history since winning the World Series in 1988, qualifying only four times and winning just one game. Former Boston teammates Derek Lowe and Nomar Garciaparra, now playing with the Dodgers, were delighted with the move. "I think people for some reason think he's lazy and a bad teammate and that he doesn't care," Lowe said. "He's none of the above. Does he do some goofy things? Absolutely. He does do some goofy things. But as far as preparation and knowing the game and wanting to win, there's no way you put up those numbers year in and year out unless you're a special talent and work at it. And he does both." The 36-year-old Ramirez, who hit his 500th home run earlier this season, was batting .299 and led the Red Sox with 20 homers and 68 RBIs. He is one of eight players to hit at least 20 homers in 14 consecutive seasons. Among active players, Ramirez ranks third in RBIs (1,672), fifth in home runs (510), sixth in on-base percentage (.409) and seventh in batting average (.312). He also ranks eighth in baseball history, and second among active players behind only Albert Pujols (.620), with a .590 slugging percentage. His 2,318 hits rank 10th among active players and his 493 doubles are tied for fourth. "It's nice to see we've done something like this, to make a push for the next two months," Garciaparra said. "He'll be just fine. Manny is really a simple person. He works extremely hard. He just wants to play baseball and go home and be with his family. How can you not respect and love a guy like that?" As of early Thursday, it appeared Ramirez might be on his way to the Florida Marlins. When those talks collapsed, the Red Sox and Pirates found a willing third partner in the Dodgers. Colletti said Boston general manager Theo Epstein got in touch with him early Thursday. "It really wasn't many hours at all," Colletti said. "Theo reached out to me in midmorning and wanted to gauge our interest, and I said, 'You know what? We have an interest.' Then, we probably spent the next two-plus hours hammering it out. This wasn't on the board for very long." Ramirez, the MVP of the 2004 World Series, remains one of baseball's best hitters and has enjoyed plenty of big moments in October. But his relationship with the Red Sox soured -- again -- in recent months. So now, Manny can be Manny on the West Coast. "Manny being Manny can also mean he'll hit a lot of home runs and drive in a lot of runs," Colletti said. Even before landing Ramirez, Los Angeles had a crowded outfield. Dodgers manager Joe Torre has been juggling Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre. "When a player like Manny becomes available, I don't think there's a manager in baseball who wouldn't say they're interested," said Torre, whose Yankees teams went toe-to-toe with Ramirez for years. "Manny's certainly not a simple personality, that's for sure. He's complex. But I've seen him when he competes. "I've had some colorful personalities on my clubs like David Wells and Jimmy Leyritz. If you feel somebody's going to help your club, you've got to find a way to make it work. And that'

Report: Agent says Bonds could be ready to play in bigs in 10 days

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Pairs who've really shone

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It's late June in a presidential election year, and you know what that means: lots of campaign fundraising trips, sniping via surrogates and wall-to-wall vice-presidential speculation. Will Barack Obama and John McCain opt for geographical balance, ideological compatibility or electoral math in choosing their running mates? Only time and the vetting process will tell. At the risk of torturing an analogy until it screams, synergy is an equally valuable commodity in the baseball world, where double plays, doubleheaders and ground-rule doubles are part of the lexicon. The biggest difference is that baseball puts an end to the suspense in October rather than November. In this week's installment of Starting 9, we pay tribute to the game's best dynamic duos of 2008 -- guys who feed off each other and make each other better. The individuals mentioned below are all very good in their own right. But like a ballpark hot dog and a frosty cold beer, they're more effective in tandem. Maddon Friedman Best performance by a general manager and manager: Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay We really wanted to cite Baltimore's tandem of GM Andy MacPhail and manager Dave Trembley for their fine work. Trembley has injected the Orioles' clubhouse with a sense of energy and purpose, and MacPhail's fleecing of Seattle in the Erik Bedard deal looks better every day. But when it's late June and the Rays are 45-31 with baseball's second-lowest payroll, how can you ignore Tampa Bay? Maddon creates a productive environment for young players by giving them the freedom to fail, provided their mistakes are aggressive. He's shown he won't back down from the Yankees or the Red Sox, no matter how daunting their mystique, and lately it seems he's had a knack for pushing the right buttons. In a 4-3 victory over Houston last week, Maddon used three straight pinch-hitters in the ninth inning, and Eric Hinske and Dioner Navarro both reached base before Gabe Gross produced the game-winning double. You also have to love a guy who refers to an umpire's strike zone as "slightly amorphous" and to hyperintense pitcher Matt Garza as a "recovering emotionalist." Friedman is building an impressive body of work with assistance from consigliere Gerry Hunsicker. With the exception of Josh Hamilton's departure through the Rule 5 draft, it's hard to find a blemish on his résumé. In the past year alone, Friedman has made moves to fortify the Tampa bullpen (Troy Percival), defense (shortstop Jason Bartlett), starting rotation (Garza) and bench (Gross and Willy Aybar). In Tampa these days, nobody is lamenting the departures of Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes. Friedman acquired Dan Wheeler for Ty Wigginton, Navarro in a deal for Mark Hendrickson and Toby Hall, Edwin Jackson for Danys Baez, and workhorse middle man J.P. Howell for Joey Gathright. Carlos Pena, who hit 46 homers last year, was a non-roster invitee. Hinske, the team leader in homers and RBIs, signed for $800,000 in early February. Three years into his tenure with Tampa Bay, Friedman's résumé is starting to look like one giant heist fest. Honorable mention: MacPhail and Trembley, Baltimore. Santana Saunders Best starting pitching duo: Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, Angels There was a reason Seattle emerged as a fashionable AL West pick late in spring training. With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar out for an extended period with injuries, the Angels' big advantage -- depth in the rotation -- was all but nullified. Then Saunders and Santana stepped in and put an end to that nonsense. With the help of pitching coach Mike Butcher, they've tightened their mechanics and posted a combined 20-6 record with 21 quality starts. Most impressive, in a brutal year for road teams, they're 11-2 with a combined 2.57 ERA away from Anaheim. Saunders throws a fastball in the low 90s, makes deft use of his changeup and breaking ball and rarely throws anything down the middle. Santana routinely hits 96-97 mph on the gun and complements his fastball with a terrific slider. His stuff is so overpowering, you wonder how he went 7-14 last year. "A lot of teams are kicking themselves for not ponying up for Santana," said an American League executive. "I think if you were willing to trade value for value, you could have gotten him, but a lot of teams tried to pay 75 cents on the dollar. Who'd have guessed if you had stepped up on Cliff Lee and Ervin Santana this offseason, you'd have two All-Stars?" The best news of all for the Angels: Lackey has been superb since his return from a triceps strain, and Escobar is about to head out on a rehab assignment in his comeback from a torn labrum. Honorable mention: Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster, Cubs; Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, Diamondbacks; Roy Halladay and Shaun Marcum, Blue Jays. And feel free to raise your hand if you predicted that Kyle Lohse and T

June 25th MLB Rankings

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1 Cubs 1 - 1/13 The Cubs bounced back from being swept in Tampa to take their weekend series against the South Siders. There was talk last week of Alfonso Soriano returning earlier than expected from his broken hand. The Cubs have to hope Soriano isn't rushing back just to be a part of the All-Star festivities in New York. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 2 Angels 3 (+1) 2/12 If Ervin Santana keeps this up, he'll pitch his way into the AL Cy Young argument. Santana completely baffled the Phillies last Friday in a park where not many visiting pitchers can say that. The Halos' schedule lightens up a bit this week with sets against two sub-.500 clubs in the Nats and Dodgers. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 3 Red Sox 2 (-1) 1/3 Anything Curt Schilling gave the Sox this season would've just been gravy. So officially losing him for the season doesn't really change things. Taking a series in Philly without a healthy lineup was pretty impressive, but it didn't carry over into the weekend against the Cardinals. Dice-K's back, but he'd better improve off of Saturday's showing. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 4 Rays 4 - 2/24 The Rays are getting downright scary at home. Only Boston and the Cubs have a better home winning percentage. You can bet the Marlins will be looking for a little revenge this week after the Rays swept them at the Trop last weekend. Who knew a Marlins-Rays series could be so interesting? Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 5 Cardinals 5 - 4/20 What a fickle game baseball is. The Cards took their weekend series against the Red Sox, looking very much like a playoff-caliber in the process. But they spent the early part of the week being swept by Kansas City. Albert Pujols is scheduled to return this week in time for a revenge set against the Royals. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 6 Phillies 6 - 5/16 The Phils haven't won a series since taking a set against the Braves in early June. Granted, the competition has been stiff as the Phils have played arguably the toughest June schedule of anybody in the league. It only gets tougher this week with road tests at Oakland and Texas. With no clear No. 2 starter, it's obvious what the Phils need to do at the trade deadline. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 7 Brewers 11 (+4) 6/23 Ryan Braun has driven in a run in all but six games this month. But he hasn't been the catalyst to the Brewers getting over .500. That's been Russell Branyan, who has 10 homers this season. Starting Branyan over Bill Hall may have saved Ned Yost's job. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 8 White Sox 7 (-1) 7/19 The weekend set at Wrigley didn't go according to plan, but it's no fault of Jermaine Dye, who hit five homers last week. Pitching would be a better place to put the blame. Jose Contreras is giving every indication his hot start was an aberration. Perhaps the ChiSox will fare better at home this weekend vs. the Cubs. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 9 Athletics 8 (-1) 7/25 Friday's win over the Marlins was a perfect microcosm of the A's season. Just when you think they're done, they come back ... and it's usually from an unexpected source. It gets tougher this week with the Phillies hitting town before another weekend set against their Bay Area rivals. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 10 Marlins 9 (-1) 6/29 Dan Uggla is getting ridiculous. Raise your hand if you thought he'd cool off three weeks ago? Well, he hasn't. Uggla has quite honestly played his way past Chase Utley, but that doesn't mean he'll start ahead of him at the All-Star game. The Marlins get their chance at revenge this week when the Rays come to Dolphin Stadium. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 11 Yankees 12 (+1) 3/23 Nobody thought the Yanks' winning streak would last forever, but dropping a series at home to the Reds? The Yanks are still within striking distance in the East and the hitting is good enough to make it an interesting summer in the Bronx . But unlike the Red Sox, who seem to just absorb injuries and move on, we don't see the Yanks simply overcoming the loss of Chien-Ming Wang. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 12 Twins 16 (+4) 12/26 The Twins caught the Nats on a rare winning streak and quickly put that fire out with a sweep. They then took a series against Arizona, which isn't hard to do these days. This interleague stuff has worked out pretty well thus far and a set at punchless San Diego this week should continue the trend. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 13 Diamondbacks 10 (-3) 2/13 Eric Byrnes is nearing a return and that has some people grumbling that Justin Upton may be sent down when it happens. Upton's struggles over the last two months have hurt the D-backs. He was hitting .327 entering May and is now in the mid-.240s. But the D-backs have to take the good with the bad while starting such a young roster. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 14 Orioles 13 (-1) 12/30 The O's swept the Astros with two one-run wins and a two-run win. Closer George Sherrill, who has bee

Ftf Blog : MLB Power Rankings

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Absurd quote power rankings, Vol. 2

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For the Rest Click the link

100 MLB Stories for this Season

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Does the NL stand any chance at winning the AllStar game, or the World Series?

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AL Superiority to the NL

MLB Power Rankings

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Medical examiner rules Kennedy died of heart disease.

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Major league pitcher Joe Kennedy was afflicted with a condition that caused his heart to suddenly stop beating at his in-laws' home in November, when he collapsed and later died.

Who is the best team in the national league as of right now?

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I hear Dodgers i hear Phillies but im also hearing D backs and Rockies.

Aaron Rowand may become a Dodger.

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The Dodgers are in the market for a center fielder and are reportedly interested in Aaron Rowand.

Report: Jose Guillen and Williams bought steriods.

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MLB players bought thousands of dollars worth of steroids.

Rockies vs. Diamondbacks - Who advances to the World Series?

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What are the keys to the NL Championship Series? Who will win and why? Make your argument now!

FanBlog: The Yankees

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Division Series Predictions???

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Indians- Yankees Angels- Red Sox Cubs- D Backs Phillies- Rockies/Padres

Who has the best rotation going into the playoffs?

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NL hopeful teams, Mets, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Cards, Phillies, Rockies, Dodgers, Braves......AL hopeful: Red Sox, Indians, Angels, Yankees, Tigers, Mariners, and (with two sweeps of the yanks) the Blue Jays.

Yanks down Jays, on Tigers' heels in wild-card race

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Dayn Perry of Foxsports.com Power Rankings. Do you agree?

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Top five teams in Baseball Red Sox, Indians, Mets, Braves, and Angels at the end of April. Dayn will be appearing on NY Baseball Talk this Sunday May 6th. Let him know what you think!