Manny Ramirez suspended

Given Manny Ramirez’s spotty performance and health in the last few seasons, we knew he carried some risk heading into this season.

We didn’t account for this. Updated reports are saying that the drug(s) wasn’t necessarily performance-enhancing (Manny said it was a “medication”).

Needless to say, this hamstrings his owners, who since this is effective immediately will be shut out of Mannywood until early July – that “N/A” or “SUSP” next to his name means no DL spot. His chance to receive fair trade value is now pretty much non-existent.

Manny Being Medicinal Manny?

It’s also time to start proposing offers to “help” your leaguemates who have been de-Mannyfied.

Expect a slight downturn in Andre Ethier’s value since Manny’s protection won’t be there anymore, meaning you may be more inclined to sell him to an unsuspecting owner. It shouldn’t completely derail his fantasy value, but it will make pitchers avoid him a bit more. The entire surrounding lineup naturally takes a hit, too, and some value can be taken away from Matt Kemp, but not much.

Juan Pierre receives the immediate boost in value. He’s a must-grab if you need steals. Xavier Paul, recalled to take Ramirez’s roster spot, should be a pickup in extremely deep NL formats.

Some outfield pickups that could help soothe at least a little bit of Manny withdrawal:

Shallow

• With Rick Ankiel (neck) on the DL, the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Colby Rasmus will probably be the starter in center field. The power-speed combo makes for an immediate grab.
• The San Diego Padres‘ Scott Hairston is typically a platoon player against lefties, but he has ample power potential and has been raking.
• Melky Cabrera has made a resurgence for the New York Yankees. He has displayed increased patience and is smoking line drives at a career pace.
• The brittle but often elite J.D. Drew (Boston Red Sox) may still be on your wire. He has a solid week of making contact, but he hasn’t been anything special.
• The Oakland Athletics‘ Jack Cust is overachieving, but the slugger should be a pickup if you’re looking to make up for Manny’s boom bat.

Deep

• Baltimore Orioles flycatcher Luke Scott is riding one of his hot streaks. Ride the waves with him.
• The Texas Rangers‘ Andruw Jones is seeing part-time duty and has recaptured some of his bat strength. This isn’t the lazy slob that was clogging the bases and his arteries last year. He’s a poor man’s Hairston.
• The consistent Randy Winn, of the San Francisco Giants, has started slowly this season but has potential to contribute modestly in home runs – he’s more certain for runs scored.