Dodgers-2009 Offseason Plan

As you should already know (because you're all loyal readers, of course), I have covered a lot of what I would like the Dodgers to do this offseason in the 'Options, Options, Options' and 'Free Agent Fun' posts. However, I haven't really completely laid out my plans as far as how they will fit into the budget and how the roster might actually look. So to rectify that problem, I give you my '2009 Offseason Plan'. First things first, I have to estimate what the real budget will be. The Dodgers' budget this year was approximately 120 million dollars, but there aren't any signs that McCourt wants to increase that number. Many of the moves in the 2008 season revolved around saving money, so I don't see any reason that McCourt will expand the payroll for 2009. So while the rest of baseball is busy adjusting their budgets to the growing monetary wealth, I doubt McCourt will follow suit. I'm assuming he doesn't cut the payroll purely because i'm hoping he doesn't do it, but a part of me thinks it's somewhat likely. In the end, while this might be a bit of cognitive dissonance, I believe McCourt will set the 2009 payroll around 120 million dollars. To save you from a really long list to begin the post (there's one at the end anyway), i'll just state that the Dodgers enter this offseason with about 50 million dollars to spend. It sounds like a lot, but without Ned Colletti running the Dodgers for the last few years, that total would be closer to 90 million. Anyway, without further ado, here is what I would try to accomplish in the offseason. Manny Ramirez (Signed For...