The Pirates, by obtaining four young players for Bay, three of whom will contribute immediately, the fourth of whom could develop into a mid-rotation starter.

And finally, the Dodgers. Yes, the Dodgers. For once, the Dodgers were the biggest winners of all.

Commissioner Bud Selig might want to ask why one of the game's jewel franchises is unable to add payroll at the non-waiver deadline.

The Dodgers sure will look funny with outfielders Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre sitting on the bench, their combined salaries higher than the Marlins' entire payroll.

But at least general manager Ned Colletti turned it loose, acquiring Ramirez for a two-month burst in which everyone's favorite 8-year-old should be more motivated than at any point in his career.

Ramirez deserves scorn for pushing and limping and bad-mouthing his way out of Boston, for viewing his $20 million club option as a form of incarceration and not part of a signed contract.

Jeff Kent will love him, don't you think?

Of course, the Dodgers will overlook all of Manny's faults once he starts mashing, just as the Red Sox tolerated him when he formed the game's most dynamic 3-4 combination with David Ortiz.

For the Dodgers, locked in a tight race with the Diamondbacks in the mediocre NL West, there was everything to gain and little to lose.

The Dodgers weren't all that enamored of third baseman Andy LaRoche; otherwise, they would have passed on trading for Casey Blake. Class A right-hander Bryan Morris, the other player they sent to the Pirates, is at least two years away.

Meaningful losses, but replaceable with the two premium draft picks the Dodgers will receive if they decline to re-sign Ramirez as a free agent. Combine that with the payment they will receive from the Red Sox to cover the rest of Ramirez's salary, and they're getting a future Hall of Famer almost for free.

For months, weeks, years, the Dodgers have been a bane to rival clubs, exasperating them with their inscrutable front-office dynamics, their shifting trade offers, their inability to close deals.

An hour before Thursday's blockbuster, I sent a text message to an executive with one of the teams involved in the three-way discussions and asked the chances of the Dodgers landing Ramirez.

His response: "You know that process ..." And I could almost hear his sigh come through my cell phone.

Earlier this month, the Dodgers had a chance to land left-hander CC Sabathia, Blake and infielder Jamey Carroll from the Indians, but owner Frank McCourt rejected the deal because it would have added more than $7 million in payroll, according to major-league sources.

Well, give Colletti credit — he kept plugging. As it turns out, the Dodgers were better off passing on CC; Ramirez will make a greater impact on their offense than even Sabathia would have made on their rotation.

Never mind that the deal only happened because the Red Sox were utterly desperate to move Ramirez, and because the Marlins ultimately declined to pay the necessary price for him.

No one cares at the end.

Consider the Red Sox, who effectively traded two months of Ramirez, the approximately $7 million remaining on his contract, outfielder Brandon Moss and reliever Craig Hansen for a year plus two months of Bay.

MLB trade deadline

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Latest news:

• Manny to Dodgers in blockbuster
• Reds trade Griffey to White Sox
• Tigers send Pudge to Yankees
• Astros nab Hawkins from Yanks

Analysis:

• Rosenthal: Dodgers finally pull one off
• Perry: Deadline winners and losers
• Perry: Tigers not surrendering

More on the trades:

• VIDEO: Torre ready for Manny
• VIDEO: Dodgers owner talks Manny
• VIDEO: Rosenthal on Teixeira deal