In the Playoff Pulse series, our MLB editor takes on a hot October topic.

These aren't your daddy's Dodgers, you know the franchise that had one playoff win in the last 20 years. Heck, these Dodgers barely resemble the team that was lagging behind the Diamondbacks and below the .500 mark in the NL West three months ago.

The Cubs found that out the hard way in the NLDS, and the Phillies (or Brewers) could be in for a similarly rude awakening in the next round.

Los Angeles won 84 games this season -- the fewest of any postseason team. It's worth noting that the last playoff team to win so few games -- the 83-78 2006 Cardinals -- went on to the World Series. But that team had Jeff Weaver and Anthony Reyes in the rotation and hit an extraordinary hot streak at the right time. This Dodgers team does not need to go on a fluke hot streak to win it all. It is much better than its 84 wins would suggest.

It will be all too easy to point to the Manny Ramirez trade as the key turning point in Los Angeles' season. His impact is undeniable. He hit close to .400 over the final two months of the regular season and he had two home runs in the three-game sweep.

But Ramirez is only part of a radical in-season makeover that has turned the Dodgers from an expensive flop into an NLCS team.

The architect behind one of the most successful periods in Red Sox history is going to remain in Boston for awhile. General manager Theo Epstein has agreed to a new three-year deal with the team, according to Red Sox owner John Henry.

''We are all on the same page with regard to our vision for the organization," Henry wrote in an e-mail this afternoon. "The negotiations were pleasant and were all about rewarding Theo for the great, great job he has done in bringing two world championships to the Red Sox. We look forward to the difficult task of trying to win a third."

Henry clarified in a later e-mail that while the main negotiations were complete and "lawyers are handling the details," the sides haven't settled all matters.

The last time Epstein's contract was up in 2005, he famously snuck out of Fenway Park in a gorilla suit after resigning his post, partially because of a conflict with team president Larry Lucchino. Epstein returned three months later, and there's been harmony ever since in Boston's front office -- enough at least that the Red Sox will avoid another offseason of speculation about their star GM's job status.

Epstein was hailed as a "boy wonder" when he first took over in Boston. He became the youngest GM in major league history when he was hired in 2002, and two years later he helped the Red Sox end an 86-year title drought.

But Epstein has transcended that moniker over the last two years by delivering another championship in 2007 and cultivating a minor league system that is the envy of baseball -- one that will give Boston a chance to become a dynasty.

Back in 2002, John Henry wanted A's GM Billy Beane to lead the Red Sox. When Beane backed out after initially accepting Henry's contract offer, the job fell to Epstein. Six years later, not even Beane, a brilliant executive in his own right, can lay claim to the title of best GM in the game. Epstein stands alone on that mountain.

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- Champs Getting Stronger: The Red Sox have suddenly opened up a sizable four-game edge in the wild-card race after winning Tuesday while the White Sox and Twins lost. The news gets even better when you consider that Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett are set to return on Friday, with J.D. Drew and pitcher Bartolo Colon possibly returning next week.

It's easy to compare the 2008 Sox to the last Boston team that defended a title. Like this year's version, the 2005 team was ravaged by injuries to key players. There's one major difference, though, and that's the depth in the organization. GM Theo Epstein's vision of making the Red Sox a nine-figure player development machine has bloomed fully, and because of it Boston has a very real chance to repeat.

Their minor league system is among the most robust in the game, far different from the Dan Duquette era, and it's enabled the Red Sox to plug many of the holes they've had over the course of a trying season.

When Julio Lugo went down, Jed Lowrie came up and improved the team. When the team needed a spot starter for Josh Beckett, they turned to pitching prospect Michael Bowden. When the team needed another outfielder because of Drew's injury, they were able to deal a prospect with good upside for Mark Kotsay because of their minor league depth.

The Boston Red Sox believe they can win the World Series again this year, despite a four game deficit to the Tampa Bay Rays and a slim lead in the AL Wild Card race. Hence, their trade for Mark Kotsay.

Of course, part of those postseason plans probably don't include not having Josh Beckett. Which might be a legitimate scenario, as the Sawx ace didn't receive any good injury news today.

Following manager Terry Francona's postgame press conference in the wake of a 3-2 Sox loss at Yankee Stadium, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein announced today that Josh Beckett has been scratched from tomorrow's scheduled start in order to visit with renowned specialist James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama.

Translation: Start worrying again.

Uh yeah. That seems like a safe prognostication. Epstein mentioned something about Beckett's elbow not being "100%", which also seems reasonable, since he's headed to see Andrews.

I know we've all seen plenty of heroically styled September and October behavior from the Red Sox over the past few years, but in all honesty, if the Sox lose Beckett for the season -- not too far-fetched an idea with DJA involved -- I think we can all go ahead and call of any more Beantown celebrations.

To fans and the media, what a team does in the MLB Draft pales next to a big free-agent signing or blockbuster trade.

Part of that is the gaudy figures thrown around during the hot stove season. The Red Sox, this year's top spender in the draft, couldn't even buy one year of Gil Meche if they shifted their draft outlay to the open market. Most of it stems from immediacy, though. A big winter signing answers the question who will help me today? A big haul in the draft answers who will help me tomorrow, but in most cases tomorrow is years away, if it ever comes at all.

Still, as the cost of free agents escalates, the draft continues to become the most important way to ensure long-term success. With that in mind, and with the deadline to sign picks in the books, here's a look at three teams who won and three teams who lost in the 2008 draft

While I'm still having a hard time believing that the Red Sox would deal Manny Ramirez, after his latest comments, it seems that neither side has any real choice in the matter. While the Manny to the Marlins rumor I wrote about yesterday still doesn't work for me, I'm not the general manager of the Red Sox, and my opinion means nothing.

You know whose opinion does matter, though? Manny Ramirez's. After all, he'd have to approve of any deal before the Sawx can make it, and Theo Epstein doesn't have to worry about Manny blocking any trade to Miami. He's already approved it.

Embattled Red Sox superstar Manny Ramirez has agreed to be traded to the Marlins, SI.com has learned, but a deal has not been reached.

While the Red Sox, Marlins and Pirates are still negotiating details of the three-way mega-deal and nothing has been finalized by the teams, one major hurdle has been cleared by Ramirez accepting the deal ahead of time, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

The Red Sox approached Ramirez in advance of their negotiations, and got his OK. He signed off on the paperwork, contingent upon the two $20-million team options for 2009 and '10 being dropped. The move will set the stage for Ramirez to become a free agent this winter, assuming a trade can be completed by the three teams.

Obviously, if this deal happens it means the Red Sox will likely end up with Jason Bay playing left field, which would help offset the loss of Manny's offense. As hard as it is for me to believe all of this, I'm starting to think it's really going to happen.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Red Sox, Marlins and Pirates are indeed working on a three-way deal that would send Manny Ramirez to South Florida, Jeremy Hermida and prospects to Pittsburgh and Jason Bay (and possibly reliever John Grabow) to Boston. The trade is still a long way from being completed, however, with the teams expected to haggle right up to the deadline on the prospects heading to the Pirates. The deal is fragile because it involves three teams and prospects from both Florida and Boston, so it could go right down to the wire, and there's always a chance the deal collapses.

But there is also a different feeling in Boston this time around with Ramirez, much like the feeling in 2004 when GM Theo Epstein swallowed hard and got rid of the beloved Nomar Garciaparra. If the three-way deal with the Pirates collapses, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Red Sox would then deal directly with the Marlins. And remember this: while the Red Sox would love to have Manny Ramirez in their lineup in October, it won't be as difficult as you'd think to replace his production over the final two months of the season because he is so poor defensively.

- GM Kenny Williams has already added future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox's roster, but he might not be done. With Scott Linebrink on the DL and closer Bobby Jenks just off of it, Chicago is looking for bullpen depth. Williams and the White Sox have been connected with Oakland closer Huston Street for a few weeks now, and there are indications from the Windy City that he'll make a final push to acquire him before the 4PM ET deadline. Eamonn Brennan has already covered the Nick Swisher-Street swap speculation already at FanHouse and correctly assumes that a deal is unlikely.

Word on the street is that the Boston Red Sox are quite interested in Braves middle reliever/could be setup guy/ Harry Carey impersonator Will Ohman. Well, either that or Daniel Bard slept with Theo Epstein's ladyfriend.

Bard, a former first round pick and teammate of Andrew Miller's at Carolina (boo), is almost certainly headed out of Boston today. One scenario has him rolling to the ATL, or Mississippi as it were.

Besides the Red Sox, five other teams are discussing Ohman with the Braves, who are looking for a pitching prospect in return. A logical name that might surface in trade talks with Atlanta from the Red Sox farm system is Double-A pitcher Daniel Bard, who is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 37 2/3 innings pitched for the Sea Dogs this season.

Of course, the other scenario is the increasingly likely Manny Ramirez Three Way (ew) deal between Pittsburgh, Boston and Florida. That freaky deal between such unlikely suitors would end up sending Bard to Pittsburgh in a package that would swap out Jason Bay and ManRam.

The Ohman deal sounds pretty freaking good for the Braves -- the middle reliever is a free agent after this year anyway, and it's unlikely the Braves would actually retain him. So picking up a pitcher of Bard's potential would be a nice follow up to the Teixeira debacle trade by Frank Wren (I'm sorry, I just feel like they could have gotten more).

Wren might be putting the press on Beane, and he should, but the problem that moving Manny is the first priority will likely remain until later in the afternoon.

The Manny Ramirez Will He or Won't He Get Traded Saga, which has reached such ridiculous proportions that people were discussing a swap of ManRam and Brett Favre (please? pretty please?) was taken to a whole new level on Wednesday evening.

Ramirez has always had the "Manny Being Manny" card played for him (he doesn't actually play it himself) but given the latest shots he took at the Boston Red Sox organization that refuses to satisfy his contract demands, it's hard to imagine anyone taking this with an aloof grin and head shake.

"During my years here I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them," Ramirez said in an interview with ESPNdeportes.com

"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price and I don't have peace here."

Yeah, so, that's reasonably awkward. It also means that Theo Epstein has about 18 hours to deal him. Which might mean less than full value. We know he's not going to Philadelphia and while the Florida deal (Josh Willingham or Jeremy Hermida)seemed a little strange ... well suddenly it has caterpillar legs.

While I don't think the Red Sox are seriously considering trading Manny Ramirez anywhere, the fact they've come out and said they would think about it has been more than enough for teams to come calling. There have been rumors that the Red Sox are having conversation with the Phillies, Dodgers, and most surprising of all, the Florida Marlins.

Considering that the Marlins spent the last off season shipping Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis north to Detroit instead of paying them, it's somewhat surprising that they would want to add Manny's contract to their payroll, but according to Ken Rosenthal the idea isn't that crazy.

Manny to the Marlins? The idea, first reported by SI.com, is not as wacky as it sounds.

The chances of the Red Sox trading Manny Ramirez remain slim, but executives from at least one rival club in touch with Boston are convinced that the Sox are intent on purging their left fielder.