White Sox Land Manny Ramirez on Waiver Claim; Debut Set for Tuesday

Manny Ramirez is finally a member of the White Sox, with the Dodgers officially letting the slugger go to Chicago via a waiver claim on Monday. Ramirez is expected to make his White Sox debut on Tuesday night in Cleveland.

"We had a few targets, but certainly Manny was on the list," White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said of the team's pursuit of Ramirez. "We did try to get him at the (trade) deadline. The thought behind it was very simple for us. We not only want to get into the playoffs, but once we get in we want to have a chance to do somethign special.

"The teams that are there have some good pitching, and you need a guy who can hit good pitching and hit it in the clutch. This guy has been there and done that. It's a matter of getting his timing back and he'll be effective."

The Dodgers and White Sox had negotiated a possible deal for Ramirez, but eventually the Dodgers decided to just let the White Sox have him. The Dodgers didn't get a player in return, but they were freed of all of his remaining salary.

Ramirez will earn just over $3.8 million over the rest of the 2010, all of which will be paid by the White Sox. About $955,000 is due the rest of this year. The remainder is deferred money, payable in sums of about $640,000 on June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2012, and $1.6 million on June 30, 2013.

The deferment schedule is likely the reason that any team was willing to claim Ramirez.

"We had an opportunity to put various players into the deal, but we determined we'd rather be awarded the player on the claim and keep our talent," Williams said. "That was our decision at the end of the day, to absorb the dollars. We feel good about it for the 2010 season and, depending on what we do, we'll feel good about it when the rest of his money is due in 2013."

Ramirez, 38, is hitting .311 with eight homers and 40 RBI this season.

He has been on the disabled list three times. Since returning from his last stint, he is just 2-for-10. Ramirez was ejected from his final game as a Dodger for arguing balls and strikes on Sunday.

"He's excited," Williams said of Ramirez. "He's a funny guy. He really wanted to get back on the field and show, in his words, that he's still one of the premier hitters around."

Chicago transferred right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy to the 60-day DL to clear a roster space for Ramirez.

FanHouse TV's Steve Phillips breaks down Manny Ramirez's move to the White Sox. Click to watch: