Manny Ramirez is saying goodbye to Joe Torre and Los Angeles and is saying hello to Ozzie Guillen and the south side of Chicago. The White Sox claimed the twelve time All-Star off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier today.

Chicago is hoping that Ramirez can help the club make a late playoff push as they try to catch up with the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central. The White Sox are currently 4.5 games back of Minnesota in the AL Central and are ten games back in the AL wild card standings.

Manager Ozzie Guillen said he plans to use Ramirez primarily as a designated hitter and that Manny will likely hit fifth in the lineup. Manny Ramirez returns to the American League after spending three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before playing with L.A., Ramirez was previously a member of the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians.

While Manny does have 554 career homeruns and over 1,800+ RBI’s to his name he also has a reputation for sometimes being a nuisance in the locker room. He has been criticized by fans and the media for being a prima donna and has had mental lapses during games. In fact Ramirez’s antics are often referred to as “Manny being Manny”.

Guillen feels that Ramirez is a misunderstood individual and has gotten a bad rap from his critics.

"People have the wrong idea about Manny," he said. "I don't think Manny is a bad guy or a pain in the butt. It's funny how people say Manny is being Manny. Manny is being real. I never see anyone on his team get mad at him because he goes about his business."

The White Sox are trying to reach the postseason for the first time since 2008. Late in the 08’ season they acquired aging Ken Griffey Jr. in the hope that Griffey’s bat could propel Chicago into the postseason. Although the White Sox made the playoffs that season, Griffey had a small impact. Now late in 10’ campaign they make a similar move acquiring the 38 year old Ramirez with the hope that his presence will give the team a shot in the arm so to speak.

Manny has only amassed 27 homeruns and 103 RBI’s during the 2009 and 2010 seasons compared to his 90 homeruns and 246 RBI’s he had back in 2005 and 2006. So clearly he is no longer in his prime, but the White Sox say they aren’t looking at him as the answer to all their problems and still see him as a very valuable player.

"That's the reason we made the move," Guillen said. "He's not going to be a savior. He will help us, but he can't save us. We need to get all our guys as a group to play better."

Manny Ramirez first game with the White Sox will be against the team he started his career with the Cleveland Indians.

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