After a series of speculative deals that went from likelihoods to distant possibilities, Manny Ramirez will be leaving Boston after all in a three-way deal with the Dodgers and Pirates, the Boston Globe reported on its Red Sox blog.

According to the site, Pittsburgh will send outfielder Jason Bay to Boston and receive third baseman Andy LaRoche and minor league pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers and outfielder Brandon Moss and reliever Craig Hansen from the Red Sox. Read more »

If the New York Yankees fail to make the postseason, it won’t be for lack of effort. Less than a week after acquiring Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York swung a deal to obtain veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers. In the wake of Jorge Posada’s season-ending shoulder surgery, the Yankees filled a major need for an offensive catcher to complement Jose Molina.

The Tigers, desperate for an impact bullpen arm, had seen their relationship with Pudge sour over the past year, which made the surefire Hall of Famer expendable. They received Kyle Farnsworth from the Yankees, a veteran right-hander (and former Tiger) who could throw his name into the hat for the closer’s role. Read more »

When first baseman Mark Teixeira was sent from Atlanta to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, it signified the end of an experiment gone horribly wrong for the Braves. It also signified a major improvement in baseball’s best team, adding the switch-hitting impact bat of Teixeira into the middle of an Angels lineup that sorely needed some more pop.

In terms of fantasy value, Teixeira does get a boost, especially if we can safely assume that he’ll be his typical dominant self in the second half. Hitting in front of Vladimir Guerrero and behind scrappy infielders Chone Figgins and Maicer Izturis, as he did in his Wednesday debut against Boston, will surely help his cause. Read more »

The Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and, most importantly, Ken Griffey Jr. have agreed to a deal that will send Griffey to Chicago in exchange for reliever Nick Masset and minor league infielder Danny Richar, FOXSports.com first reported. Shortly after the two teams came to terms on the deal, Griffey, a 10-and-5 player, approved the trade.

A puzzling deal in most circles because of the Sox’s dearth of outfielders, DH types and power bats. Griffey would seem to be more likely to split time at DH with Jim Thome and in the corner outfield, but ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian reported that Griffey would return to his old stomping grounds in center field and shove Nick Swisher into a platoon role. Read more »

Obsessing over fantasy baseball can be just a tad too easy for comfort. Between a vast player universe, the minor leagues, trade rumors, and an always changing group of closers, there’s always enough news to make your head spin. For those of us who compete hard at it, taking a midseason breather is always important.

A vacation, which will explain why ImaginaryDiamond.com’s production slowed down in the past few days, will put a couple of things into perspective. Read more »

In this week’s list of top free agents are two Baltimore Orioles and two Colorado Rockies. Melvin Mora has picked up where he left off being hit in the knee and Adam Jones looks like he has finally figured out Major League pitching. German born second baseman Jeff Baker and third baseman Ian Stewart are also producing for the defending National League champion Rockies.

Khalil Greene could not have been much worse for the hapless Padres and looks poised for a strong finish, while Akinori Iwamura continues to flash the alligator skin and a quick bat for the Rays. Read more »

Billy Butler  hit his sixth home run of the year and added four RBIs in Sunday’s win over the Tigers and is now hitting .385 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs during a meager 4 game hit streak. Butler is highly regarded around Major League Baseball and fantasy circles as a potential star, but still has more strikeouts than RBIs and only 25 walks in 268 at-bats.

Butler has the swing, mannerisms and power of former Royal Mike Sweeney, but inconsistency has prevented the 22-year-old from becoming an elite first baseman or fantasy option. As it is, Butler still represents one of the better free agent power hitters, in spite of the peaks and valleys in his production. Read more »

The MLB trading deadline is a little less than 24 hours away, so a flurry of deals could happen between now and then. So far, landscape-changing deals for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs have turned the National League Central race upside down.

The Brewers turned right back around and swung another deal for second baseman Ray Durham, which won’t make a lot of headlines but does improve the club’s depth. Most recently, the Braves dealt slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels for first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steve Marek. Read more »

The lengthy hiatus between our weeks of power rankings has allowed the steady Los Angeles Angels to claim the major’s best record and our top spot. The Cubs, Red Sox and entire AL East continue to struggle on the road while traditional doormats such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals have been nonpartisan losers.

The four teams from New York and Chicago are firmly entrenched in the upper third of our rankings and the enigmatic, consistently inconsistent Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers haven’t been able to break into the top 10. Read more »

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin won’t say it, but closer Brandon Lyon’s leash just got a little shorter. The D-backs acquired All-Star closer Jon Rauch from the Washington Nationals for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio to bolster their worn out bullpen. Rauch will be in a setup role upon his arrival, but all that could change if Lyon, who has given up 7 runs in his last 2 appearances, continues to struggle.

It’s important to understand that Lyon’s recent hiccups and Rauch’s arrival in Arizona are two completely independent events. Lyon is still Melvin’s guy, and Rauch is a welcome addition to a bullpen mix that also includes setup men Tony Pena and Chad Qualls. Rauch becomes option No. 2 to work the ninth inning and could be in line for some saves when Lyon is unavailable. Read more »