On Tuesday, August 5, the New York Mets placed closer Billy Wagner on the 15-day DL with a strained left forearm, leaving the Mets without their closer as they chase a playoff spot.

This is a damaging blow to the Mets playoff chances, as until yesterday, no one else had saved a game for them. Who closes in place of Wagner remains to be seen, but if Aaron Heilman is the answer, the Mets are dead meat. Heilman has given up 9 home runs, the most of any Mets reliever, including one yesterday. The only positive news for the Mets was that an MRI exam and X-rays on his pitching arm showed no structural damage.

According to a report on ESPN.com, MLB investigators are looking into accusations of a financial scandal involving Dominican prospects. A few teams have already fired employees over this, and more people are expected to be implicated.

The scandal started in March when a White Sox scout was confronted by U.S. customs officials after returning from the Dominican Republic with $40,000 in cash. The way these employees would get their dough, is inflate the player’s value, and then demand a cut from the player’s families. The families would do this, because they still got their dough.

When the Minnesota Twins called up Francisco Liriano from the minors on Friday, to make room on the roster for him, they waived Livan Hernandez.

Hernandez, was 10-8 with a 5.48 ERA with the Twins, averaging almost exactly six innings in his 23 starts; he had allowed 199 hits in 139.2 innings, with 29 walks and 54 strikeouts. If he clears waivers, the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets are among those expected to show interest in Livan. If he were to catch on with someone, they would pay him the pro-rated portion of the minimum salary for the rest of the year.

So after being traded to LA, after his first day, Manny Ramirez says he wants to stay in LA, saying he finally has found his peace of mind that he has been looking for forever.

“I like this city, the environment, the energy in the fans. I think that I’ll play here for the remainder of my career.

“I just feel comfortable. Regardless of how hectic Friday was — traveling from Boston with only a few hours of sleep, going to a press conference and later play a game — I started to feel the peace of mind that I was searching for.”

Manny even showed himself as being a team player, as opposed to the me-first feeling he showed in Boston:

One of [Manny's] initial steps in Los Angeles was meeting with manager Joe Torre to discuss the politics of the club (beard, mustache, goatee, sideburns and dreadlocks included).

“I told him that if the rule is to get a haircut, then I’ll get one because I don’t want any special privileges. But Joe replied by saying that I should get an apartment and take care of my personal stuff first, after which I should see a barber.”

Has Manny changed or is this another turn of Manny being Manny? Only time will tell

On Friday, August 1, San Diego Padres SS Khalil Greene went on the DL with a broken hand 2 days after punching a wall in a fight of rage following a strikeout. Greene is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, and might miss the rest of the season.

All I can say about it, is serves him right for punching a wall. How about smashing a bat on the ground or taking it to the water cooler? Much more effective way to take out your anger, and you’re still able to play. A broken bat is much better than a broken hand.

Manny Ramirez wants out of Boston. Manny Ramirez wants to stay in Boston. The Red Sox are looking to trade Manny. The Red Sox are not looking to trade Manny. It’s just Manny being Manny.

No more. On Thursday, July 31, the Boston Red Sox had enough with Manny Ramirez’s antics and traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 3-team deal also involving Pittsburgh Pirates, that sends Jason Bay to the Sawks, Manny to LA, and four minor leaguers going to Pittsburgh.

Third baseman Andy LaRoche and right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris will go to the Pirates from the Dodgers, while outfielder Brandon Moss and right-handed pitcher Craig Hansen will go from Boston.

Manny is in the final year of an 8-year, $160 million contract with 2 options for 2009 and 2010 at $20M each. As part of the trade, the options were dropped. After being in trade rumors for several years, the Red Sox finally traded Manny. It seems that what Manny said to ESPNDeportes.com on Wednesday was the final straw:

“The Red Sox don’t deserve a player like me. During my years here, I’ve seen how [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn’t want them to try to turn the fans against them.

The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy. I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don’t deserve me. I’m not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don’t have peace here.

This deal makes the Dodgers the favorite to win the joke known as the NL West, adding an impact bat into a lineup that has been lacking one, with the expected impact from .167 hitter Andruw Jones never coming. It also improves LA’s outfield, adding someone productive to compliment Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in place of scrubs Juan Pierre and Jones. The Red Sox get an outfielder still in his prime in Jason Bay, who is not quite the hitter that Manny is, but is pretty dam good, and as an added bonus, doesn’t give them a headache. As for the Pirates, well, this deal won’t do much for them, at least in the near future. That streak of 15 straight losing seasons, about to be 16, doesn’t seem anywhere close to ending.

After being examined by 2 doctors who found major ligament damage in his pitching elbow, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson is likely going to need Tommy John Surgery.

Hudson was examined by the team’s lead orthopedist, Dr. Xavier Duralde, and by Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama. Both doctors said surgery was likely, but Hudson said he would try to rehab it for a little while. Hudson is likely going to miss the rest of this season, and most of 2009. The injury to Hudson was a major factor in trading away Mark Teixeira, as all the injuries made it impossible for the Bravos to contend this year.

A few days after losing starting catcher Jorge Posada for the season to shoulder surgery, the Yankees acted quickly, acquiring Pudge Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers in return for former Cubs reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

This deal fills big holes for both sides. The Yankees get a catcher who can produce at the level of Posada, while the Tigers get some more bullpen help. To make up for the loss of Pudge, the Tigers will move Brandon Inge back to catcher, while the Yankees now have a void in the pen.

While this deal certainly helps both sides, it remains to be seen whether or not this will push them into the playoffs.

A year after the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim of California of the United States of America of North America of planet Earth of the solar system of the universe of the Milky Way Galaxy struck out in their bid to acquire Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers, they finally got their man. On Tuesday, July 29, they traded first baseman Casey Kotchman and pitching prospect Stephen Marek to the Atlanta Braves in return for Teixeira.

This move adds thunder to an already loaded lineup. With Tex and Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels have a 3-4 combo rivaling the Boston duo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. With this move, the Angels have added an offensive machine who is still in his prime at age 28. Since 2004, Teixeira has a .291 batting average, .381 on-base percentage, .546 slugging percentage and .927 OPS. and has averaged 35 homers and 40 doubles. Oh, he’s also a gold glove winner.

With the best record in MLB and a double digit lead in the AL West, the Angels have gone for the kill with this move, as it puts them in position to win the World Series. In addition, the Angels did not ask to negotiate an extension with Teixeira, although they will try to keep him. However, he is a client of Scott Boras, and now that he is an Angel he is nearby Boras, who will surely advise him to hit the market in the winter, as early reports indicate he will command at least 10 years and $230 million. Turns out he was smart to turn down that 8 year, $160 million offer from Texas last year before he was traded.

Yesterday, New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada announced that he would undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, dealing a big blow to the Yankees hopes of reaching the playoffs for the 14th year in a row. Posada had been dealing with shoulder pain all season and had been trying to put off surgery until the winter and rehab the shoulder so it would be strong enough to allow him to be a DH or 1B the rest of this season.

MRI results showed fraying in the tendons around the labrum, but no rotator cuff tear. Before this season, Posada had never been on the DL. Absolutely amazing, that this catcher who has been in MLB since 1995 and is now 36 had never been on the DL until this year. Wow. I believe that Posada has made the right decision to get the surgery now and come back better next year. The Yankees have enough thump to win even without Posada, and they have an endless supply of money to add help.