The expectation around baseball is that outfielder Manny Ramirez will be placed on waivers early this week, according to baseball sources.
The Los Angeles Dodgers could have put Ramirez on waivers Monday but would not do so, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. Monday was the first day the Dodgers could have taken that action because it was the first business day after the outfielder came off the disabled list.
But baseball sources say there remains a high probability that unless Ramirez exercises his no-trade clause, he will be with another team by Aug. 31 -- the deadline for postseason roster eligibility.
The structure of Ramirez's contract might make him more attractive to teams interested in the slugger. Any team that made a move for Ramirez would owe him a prorated portion of his $20 million salary. However, about three-quarters of his salary is deferred.
So if the Chicago White Sox or Tampa Bay Rays, for example, were to acquire Ramirez, they would owe him only $1.1 million for the rest of this season and about $3.3 million in deferred salary.
But Ramirez has a full no-trade clause and would have to approve any waiver claim or trade to move to another team. It's also possible he would ask for compensation in return.
If he were claimed by another team and vetoed the deal, the Dodgers would be required to pull him back from waivers -- and could not trade him for the remainder of this season.
Ramirez returned Saturday from his third stint on the disabled list this season, his second because of a right calf strain. The 12-time All-Star has missed 59 games this season due to injuries, after sitting out a 50-game drug suspension last year.
Ramirez, who said at the start of spring training that this would be his final season with the Dodgers, is in the final year of a two-year contract and becomes a free agent at season's end at age 38.
