Now that this is finally official, let's go over a few points.
One: Upgrade
It's another bold move by Kenny Williams. Manny Ramirez, the talented and enigmatic hitter, is on his way to Chicago and will likely become the White Sox new DH. Considering the jokers that Williams has made Ozzie Guillen choose from so far this year, yeah, there's really no doubt that this is an upgrade.
Two: Lineups
If recent history is anything to go by, Guillen's lineup versus RHP looks like this: Pierre, Vizquel, Rios, Konerko, Quentin, Pierzynski, Ramirez, Teahen, Beckham. Against lefties, swap Vizquel and Ramirez, shift Quentin to DH and slide Jones into the outfield.
In the big picture, the Sox have had three hitters this year who you could consider a threat: Konerko, Rios and Quentin. Obviously Manny makes four, which makes for a very strong middle of the order. The top of the order is still a bit suspect, although Pierre has a good OBP versus southpaws and Vizquel has a good OBP versus righties. And even with Manny, the bottom of the order is still pretty terrible this year.
Three: Value
Manny has been worth 1.4 WAR in 65 games this year. Considering that this was while hitting .305/.405/.510, there isn't a lot of room for improvement here over the last month of the season. At a push, Manny makes the White Sox two wins better than they'd be without him. That's significant, and we know Ramirez has a flair for the dramatic and loves the spotlight, too.
Four: Is It Enough?
It could be. Don't let anybody fool you into thinking this is "too little, too late" or that this move isn't as impactful as it looks. If the Twins take care of their own business, no, it won't be enough. But we've been on the other side of the "too little, too late" rationale so many times over recent years, and we should know better than to dismiss the Sox. We shouldn't have dismissed them, even without Manny.
Five: The Bottom Line
The Twins are still a better team than the White Sox, especially considering the mess their bullpen is in and the trio of acquisitions the Twins have made in recent weeks. It just doesn't always come down to who the better team is--hot and cold streaks, injuries, opponents, matchups...there's a lot involved, especially when two teams are as close as Minnesota and Chicago. But it's still clear who the better team is, and considering their play lately there isn't much doubt that the Twins should take home their sixth division title in the last nine years.
This has been the Twins' division to lose since before the season started, and nothing has changed. Minnesota is in first place, right where they belong (that's right, Hawk, THE WHITE SOX ARE IN SECOND PLACE FOR A REASON), and barring a collapse it's exactly where they'll be come October 5th.
The fun part is watching them play it out. And I can't wait for that satisfying moment when Chicago is truly done for the year.