Manny Ramirez Rumors

Olney On Pedro, Holliday, Hairston, Manny

The Phillies are going to watch Pedro Martinez throw today, but he'll need more than an impressive workout to latch on with the NL East leaders, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Pedro will have to accept that teams are going to want to pay him "like a 37-year-old pitcher who had a 5.61 ERA last season," not a future Hall of Famer. Olney wonders whether Pedro's low ground ball rate might prevent him from succeeding at Citizens Bank Park. The A's aren't currently involved in trade talks regarding Matt Holliday or the recently-acquired Scott Hairston. One scout who watched Manny...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Duran, Ichiro, Wright, Manny, Wilson

The Pirates are dominating the rumors lately, but there have been a few other noteworthy items: The Astros claimed infielder German Duran off unconditional waivers from the Rangers. Ken Rosenthal writes that Duran will be put on the DL and will end up in the minors. Though money is tight for many American franchises, SI reports that the earnings for the world's twenty richest non-American athletes are at an all-time high. Ichiro, with $22.5MM, is the only ballplayer on the list. David Wright shook off criticism from former Met John Franco, telling reporters that Franco "doesn't know what's going on"...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: O's, Josh Johnson, Yankees, Red Sox

A busy Sunday morning has made for some some discussable items from around the league: Rick Dempsey of MASN is excited by the Orioles future and says it is undoubtedly time for the team to trade, highlighting George Sherrill, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Roberts, Aubrey Huff, and Melvin Mora. Carlos Frias of the Palm Beach Post notes A.J. Burnett has regrets over leaving the Marlins and burning his bridges in the process. After Josh Johnson beat the Yankees yesterday, Mike Feinsand of the New York Daily News says, "Hope you got a good look, Yankees fans. You may have been watching...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Bray, Fox, Manny, Crow

Links for Wednesday... Today's chat will be at 3pm CST. According to Andy Martino, the Phillies claimed righty Steven Register off waivers from the Rockies today and sent him to Triple A. Reds reliever Bill Bray will miss the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon yesterday. Dave Cameron at FanGraphs says Jake Fox belongs in the Majors, given his ridiculous Triple A numbers (.431/.513/.954 in 130 ABs with 17 HR and 50 RBI). The Cubs, though, are already trying to find ways to get Micah Hoffpauir into the lineup. ESPN's Buster Olney...   Continue Reading

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Manny Suspension Only Frees Up $2.7MM For L.A.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports the Manny Ramirez suspension frees up just $2.7MM in payroll this year for the Dodgers- or about $5MM less than originally expected. Because Manny's contract is deferred over the course of many years, he'll lose the money gradually, instead of all at once. Though Manny was originally expected to lose close to $8MM in total, he'll only lose $6.8MM. The Dodgers save $2.7MM this year and $1.37MM in each of the next three seasons. Rosenthal adds that the Dodgers are expected to spend on pitching if they decide to make any additions.   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Manny, Rangers, Pie

Links for Saturday morning... On ESPN Radio, Keith Law says no team would pass on Manny Ramirez if he's available for $5MM in the near future, regardless of his suspension. He won't be available at that rate this offseason, as he has a $20MM player option for 2010. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News passes on a quote from Dodgers GM Ned Colletti: "My concern is still with the pitching." Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes the Dodgers' pitching will carry them while Manny serves his suspension. Jamey Newberg suggests on the Newberg Report that the Braves...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Bay, Boras, Danks

Links for Friday afternoon... Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports revisits last year's July 31st trade deadline and breaks down the decisions that sent Jason Bay to Boston instead of Tampa Bay. Michael O'Keeffe of the New York Daily News lists off a number of Scott Boras clients who have been linked to PEDs. To be fair, Boras has a lot of clients and baseball's had a lot of users so it would be a surprise if none of his clients had connections to PED use. John Danks told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the extension he passed up...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Hinch, Manny, Longoria

Links for Friday... Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes the D'Backs' new manager, A.J. Hinch, is a "strange choice" because he has no managerial or coaching experience. Newsday's Ken Davidoff says signing Manny Ramirez was the best move the Mets never made. MLB.com's Doug Miller and Ken Gurnick sift through a year's worth of Ramirez-related drama. Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders if the Dodgers will have enough payroll flexibility to take on Jake Peavy's contract, now that Manny has been suspended without pay. Kirk Kenney of the Union-Tribune asks where Stephen Strasburg belongs in college baseball history....   Continue Reading

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What Manny's Suspension Means For The Dodgers

We know that Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games after failing a drug test, but what does it mean for the Dodgers? ESPN.com's Buster Olney breaks down the consequences for baseball's winningest team so far. Ramirez loses between $7-8MM in salary this year. He'll miss 50 games and return in early July. Olney says "no team with any sanity is going to match the money that Ramirez stands to make in the second year of his deal" (he makes $20MM next season). So Manny will not opt out of the contract. The Dodgers, like the Yankees with Alex...   Continue Reading

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Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games

2:48pm: ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says he believes the positive test was triggered because of a "personal medical issue," not HGH or steroids. Gammons spoke with a Red Sox official who doesn't believe "for a second" that Manny cheated. 1:30pm: ESPN's T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada say the drug was HCG - "a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Bonds, Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO." 12:39am: Tim Brown and Steve Henson of Yahoo say Manny...   Continue Reading

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