If Torre Won't Play Manny, There's No Point To Keep Him

The Dodgers have until Tuesday morning to work out a deal with the Chicago White Sox, who have placed a claim on Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers, who start today four and a half games out of a playoff spot, are understandably waiting through the weekend to see if their postseason chances improve before making a decision on whether or not to deal Ramirez. However, it appears manager Joe Torre has already made his choice, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

Manny Ramirez is not in the Dodgers lineup for a third consecutive game.

Ramirez, who was activated from the disabled list a week ago today, has only played in three of (now) seven games this week. It's one thing for the Dodgers to claim they're still in the race and that they want to win. Simply put, if the Dodgers want to win games, they should play their best players. Manny Ramirez is the best hitter on the team, so I would qualify him as someone who simply has to play right now. However, if Torre doesn't think Manny Ramirez is better than Scott Podsednik, there is really no point to keep him around.

Manny is as good as gone.