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After a week of huffing and puffing, posturing and pushing, the Red Sox finally dealt disgruntled superstar Manny Ramirez. That in itself is a minor surprise. However, his destination is earthshaking. And the circumstances surrounding the trade are literally unbelievable.

Ramirez is a Dodger.

Here are the ins and outs of the three-way deal between Boston, Pittsburgh and LA that brought him to the NL West:

The Dodgers receive Ramirez, who is hitting .299 with 20 homers, 68 RBI and a .926 OPS. The Pirates receive four minor leaguers, including third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers and closer-to-be Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss from Boston. The Red Sox acquire outfielder Jason Bay from Pittsburgh. In 106 games, the 29-year-old Bay is hitting .282 with 22 home runs, 64 RBI and an .894 OPS. In addition, the Sox agreed to pay all of the remaining $7-million on Ramirez’s contract. The caveat, the Dodgers agreed to decline team options in 2009 and 2010, making him a free agent in November. But, as the Angels proved two days ago, this is about October and the Dodgers just tilted the National League to edge of craziness.

Granted, there are still some unanswered questions. The Blue Crew has five outfielders, yes, Andruw Jones still counts. Ideally, they would play Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Ramirez regularly and use Juan Pierre as a pinch runner and Jones as a late-inning defensive replacement. That scenario may work in a video game, but in an already fragile clubhouse it could be problematic. Ramirez has limited outfield range, which will certainly hamper an already below average defense and depending on how you look at it, Ramirez isn’t exactly a charmer. His “Manny being Manny” act wore so thin in Boston that Theo Epstein and Co. decided it was worth giving up one of the most productive right-handed bats in modern history for a guy who’s most pressure filled at-bats came in the World Baseball Classic as a member of team Canada. And Manny’s displeasure was well documented. Yesterday he held up a sign in the dugout that read, “I’m going to Green Bay for Brett Favre straight up!” The Boston Globe documented the strange chain of events that led to Ramirez’s departure.

But this isn’t about why the Red Sox gave him up. It’s about the Dodgers getting exactly what they needed. Ramirez, even if for three months, will undoubtedly be the power bat they were missing. Giving up LaRoche makes Blake DeWitt the default third baseman of the future, something the Dodgers seemed willing to acknowledge all along. With Ramirez and newly acquired Casey Blake, LA can boast, from top to bottom, one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. A week ago, you’d be laughing. I guess, perception is everything…well, and acquiring a future Hall of Famer who can hit it to the moon.

What Else Went Down on Deal Day in Baseball: The days leading up to the trade deadline can sometimes feel like waiting in line to buy a lottery ticket. The drawing ultimately only garners one winner, but it’s the anticipation that generates the excitement. Sometimes the excitement is all talk. There’s banter about contenders selling their soul for a two month rental of a fading star. Or rumors of a deal that “just fell through,” even though it included 17 players, four teams and the only guy that ever believed it had legs also runs nine rotisserie leagues from his office cubicle. At the very least, baseball is not threatened by a mass salary dump to clear space for a free agent class still two years away, ala the NBA. Once and a while, however, these deals are worthy of getting more fired up than a seven year old full of gummy bears and Mountain Dew. Just read Jeff Miller’s column from Tuesday about the Angels deal for Mark Teixeira. And of course, the breaking news of Ramirez to the Ravine.

The only other significant deal today; the Reds traded outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox for second baseman Danny Richar and pitcher Nick Masset.

This was a case of two needs being met, sort of. The Sox had to do something. They’ve been scuffling to hold off Minnesota, and dropped two of the last three against a Twins team that was 1.5 games back prior to Thursday’s series finale. Griffey will add more power to the sixth best run producing offense in the majors, but is a defensive liability to an already slow outfield. The odd man out, is seemingly centerfielder Brian Anderson, who is already sharing time with Nick Swisher.

As for the Reds, they agreed to pay the estimated $4-million remaining on Griffey’s deal, but getting rid of the future Hall of Famer now, eliminates the chances of getting nothing in return for him next season. Cincy, out of contention in NL, likely had no intention of picking up his $16-million option in 2009. ESPN’s Keith Law called it a “straight salary dump” (no, not to sign LeBron). Richar was stuck in triple-A and Masset, a 26-year-old righty trapped in a middle relief role, is considered a fringe pitching prospect. Getting two players that have experience in the majors is important, but it seems like Chicago got the edge, especially if Griffey remains healthy. Overall, this is a tiny aftershock compared to the way the Dodgers’ deal altered the complexion of an entire league.

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