LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Boston Red Sox dealt Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade just prior to the Major League Baseball's trading deadline on Thursday.
The multi-player deal also included Pittsburgh's Jason Bay being shipped to Boston.
Third baseman Andy LaRoche and ex-first round draft pick Bryan Morris went from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh. The Pirates also received reliever Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss from the Red Sox.
The Dodgers were pleased to get the 36-year-old Ramirez, who is an 11-time all-star.
"We got one of the best hitters in baseball," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "With Manny in the middle of the lineup it will certainly get other people's attention. It is not going to be easy in pitchers' minds to get through this lineup."
According to American media, the Red Sox will have to pay the remaining seven million dollars on Ramirez's contract for this season. Ramirez also receives a one-million dollar trade bonus from Boston.
Ramirez has 20 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .299 batting average this season. In 15 seasons he has 510 career home runs.
Ramirez was in hot water with Boston management over two incidents this season. He was involved in a dugout shoving match with teammate Kevin Youkilis and pushing the team's travelling secretary Jack McCormick to the ground.
Ramirez reached a pair of milestones recently including hitting his 500th homer.
Earlier this week he hit his 20th home run of the season, making him the eighth player in history to hit 20 homers in 14 consecutive seasons.
He is headed to the Dodgers (54-53), who are one game behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West Division.
Ramirez joins a club that already has a crowded outfield of Matt Kemp, Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier and Andruw Jones, who has battled injuries and poor play throughout his first season in Los Angeles.
Despite his conflicts with the Boston front office, Ramirez was a wildly popular player among the fans.
He often raised eyebrows and elicited chuckles for his peculiar behavior.
Some of his more notable antics included an inexplicable cut off of a relay throw from centre field that allowed an opposing player to complete an inside-the-park home run, carrying a water bottle in his back pocket during games and frequently disappearing into the Green Monster at Fenway Park during pitching changes.
But Ramirez's odd approach occasionally angered management particularly when he failed to hustle while running the bases or in the outfield.
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