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Manny Ramirez Rumors: Wednesday

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9:46pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti spoke by phone Wednesday.  As Stark writes, "There were no indications the two sides made any significant progress toward resolving their differences. But they did agree to stay in touch over the next several days."

6:55pm: Giants manager Bruce Bochy appeared on XM Radio’s Home Plate program Wednesday afternoon.  Manny was discussed:

The host, Lee Hamilton, asked Bochy whether the Giants are in on Ramirez.  His response: "Well, I’ll say this, he is a free agent, Lee. There have been talks."

"I can’t quantify how much of a player, but this guy no question a tremendous player. Impacts the game, very few players can, it’s got to be the right thing. This is a business, you understand, that as a manager my job is to manage the players.  Whatever ownership can do, which they done a lot already, I’ve got to be thankful for what we’ve done. Acquiring [Randy] Johnson, relievers, [Edgar] Renteria, but as long he [Ramirez] is still out there, you never know."

9:29am: We start out today’s Manny Ramirez rumors with a Scott Boras quote obtained by Yahoo’s Tim Brown, which apparently refers to the Dodgers:

"What I do know, you better watch out when you’re playing chicken."

Meanwhile, Buster Olney wonders if Manny, not Boras, is behind the holdout.

Need a refresher on all the recent developments in this saga?  Check out our Manny archive.

Rosenthal On Peavy, Ohman, Looper

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Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Jeff Moorad’s acquistion of the Padres does not affect the likelihood of a Jake Peavy trade, according to Rosenthal’s source.  There have been no recent conversations with the Cubs about Peavy.
  • The Phillies had been confident of signing Ty Wigginton before the Orioles offered two years.  The Phils are still mulling Nomar Garciaparra and Rich Aurilia, with the Giants also in on Aurilia.  The Phillies are out on Will Ohman.
  • Braden Looper is receiving interest from Baltimore, but he prefers the NL.  The Brewers are not optimistic about signing Looper despite a recent conversation with one of his agents (Tom Haudricourt believes the Brewers are "laying in the weeds" for when the right pitcher comes along).  Looper is Plan B behind Randy Wolf for the Dodgers, and not a candidate to return to the Cardinals (who are apparently out of money).  One other team known to have interest in Looper is the Pirates.

Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Dunn, Hudson, Wolf

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3:11pm: Dylan Hernandez and Bill Shaikin asked Dodgers owner Frank McCourt about the Manny situation:

"We very much want this player back and we’re trying to hard to do that, which is why we came up with something that we thought was creative that gave him a lot of money, well-deserved money, in a very, very challenging economy, but also gave him flexibility.  I don’t see the long-term contract happening in this particular baseball market that we’re in."

More McCourt quotes from MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:

"The other thing is, the agent [Scott Boras] is challenging to work with and we’ve tried hard. We’ve made three efforts and we still have not received a specific number from the agent, and I don’t know what to tell you. At some point, you have to move on and start to get ready to win a championship."

SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Dodgers and Manny are "nowhere near a deal."

11:55am: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says the team remains interested in Ramirez despite the newly rejected offer, according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says "the Giants still maintain interest in Ramirez on a two-year deal max."

ESPN’s Jayson Stark has info on their progressing pursuit of Wolf:

It’s believed the Dodgers are offering a one-year deal with an option that could be similar to the contract free-agent starter Jon Garland just signed with Arizona.

11:39am: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Dodgers are considering their Manny alternatives, including going after Hudson and Dunn.

8:38am: Manny Ramirez has rejected another offer from the Dodgers, this time for one year and $25MM.  This offer seemed like something that could work for both sides – Manny gets a salary increase and a chance to re-enter the market quickly, the Dodgers minimize their risk and keep that free agency carrot in front of him.  Manny and Scott Boras did not agree.

Ken Rosenthal suggests the Giants and perhaps the Nationals as Manny’s remaining suitors if the Dodgers drop out.  There is no indication that those teams will top the Dodgers’ offers.  What is Boras’ master plan here?

Rosenthal says the Dodgers are "intrigued by the possibility" of signing Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson, and Adam Dunn instead of Ramirez.  He says Wolf "should be theirs by the end of the week."  It should be noted that the Dodgers would lose their #17 pick if they sign Hudson or Orlando Cabrera prior to the June draft.

Adam Dunn Has Offer From Nationals

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According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, Adam Dunn received a contract offer from the Nationals.  He’s been sitting on it for a while, indicating the Nats are not his top choice.  Jayson Stark has said Dunn prefers the Dodgers, and is waiting to see how the Manny Ramirez situation plays out.

Dunn has been only loosely connected to the Braves and Red Sox.

Manny Turns Down Dodgers’ One-Year Offer

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1:33am: Ramirez has turned down the Dodgers’ one-year offer, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.  The Dodgers have confirmed it.

Hernandez lists the Mets, Giants and Nationals as teams that are monitoring Ramirez’ market.

The Dodgers could find themselves in a bind if Ramirez receives a multi-year offer from another club. If Ramirez is offered what he considers a fair deal, sources close to him say that he wouldn’t grant the Dodgers a chance to match it, forcing the Dodgers to go into Spring Training without their only star attraction and reliable run producer.

Hernandez believes the Dodgers could possibly pursue free agent outfielders Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu if they don’t re-sign Ramirez.

9:11pm Monday: ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports that Ramirez and agent Scott Boras were given a 48-hour deadline to either accept or reject the offer. 

7:40pm Monday: According to Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Dodgers have made another offer to Manny Ramirez.  This time it’s a one-year deal worth $25MM.

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti confirmed that the offer was made last night.  "We are still trying to sign Manny, and we hope that this will make him happy,” Colletti said.  The team’s first offer was two years, $45 million with a club option for 2011.  As Jackson notes, these are the only known offers extended to Ramirez since he filed for free agency last fall.

Orlando Hudson On MLB Network

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Free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson appeared on the MLB Network today.  Barry Larkin asked which teams he’s talking to, and he named the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, and Nationals.  None of the teams have said anything to Hudson’s agent about changing positions.  Hudson says right now he sees himself as a second baseman.  Ken Rosenthal says Hudson "seems to be banking on [the Mets or Yankees] pursuing a creative solution."

Hudson, 31, hit .305/.367/.450 in 455 plate appearances for Arizona last year while earning $6.25MM.  Based on the plus/minus system, Hudson did not flash his typical stellar glovework in ’08.  The market for Hudson has been held down partially because he is a Type A free agent who turned down the D’Backs offer of arbitration.  That means whoever signs him will give up a draft pick.  Another factor may be the broken wrist he suffered in August.

Latest On Randy Wolf, Braden Looper

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9:23pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick confirms that the Dodgers spoke multiple times with the agents for Wolf and Looper over the weekend. 

Gurnick writes that the team is "cautiously optimistic" that having Oliver Perez off the board will spur the remaining free agent pitchers to reach agreements. 

The Dodgers currently have starters Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda slotted into the starting rotation with Jason Schmidt, Eric Stults, Shawn Estes and Claudio Vargas looking on from the outside.  Either Wolf or Looper could easily slide into that fourth spot.

3:21pm: Ken Rosenthal has the latest on free agent lefty Randy Wolf: 

The Dodgers have maintained almost daily contact with the agents for left-hander Wolf, and the two sides made "a little" progress over the weekend, one source said.

It seems that Wolf has one less suitor now that the Mets are set to re-sign Oliver Perez.  Braden Looper is said to be the Dodgers’ backup plan after Wolf, but the market for Wolf appears quiet.  The Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers might be looking to add one starter, but those three clubs have not been connected to Wolf in recent days.

Olney’s Latest: Abreu, Manny, Torre

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Buster Olney has a new video up, discussing some of the bigger issues in the MLB world right now:

  • One GM thinks Bobby Abreu may have to settle for a one-year, $7MM deal. Quite the dropoff from the initial three years, $48MM he was asking for to begin the season.
  • If the Mets sign a cheaper alternative to Oliver Perez, they may consider making an offer to Abreu.
  • Olney isn’t sure if the Giants are in on Manny Ramirez, or just trying to drive up the price for the Dodgers. He says that the Giants won’t bring on Manny unless he "fits" offensively, defensively, and contractually. It’s hard to imagine Manny’s bat not fitting in any MLB lineup, but his glove and contract could be another story.
  • Olney wonders if the recent controversy surrounding Joe Torre’s book will affect his relationship with Dodger players.

Abreu Still Waiting

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Tyler Kepner of The New York Times reports that Bobby Abreu’s former general manager Ed Wade believes that Abreu could still be an impact player this coming season:

"He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” said Wade, now the general manager of the Houston Astros. “He’s probably not the guy that stirs the drink, but if you have the ability to add Bobby Abreu to your lineup and your clubhouse, it’s going to make all the players around him better.”

Abreu, 34, who made about $16MM with the Yankees in 2008, hit .296/.371/.471 in 684 plate appearances last season.

The Mariners, Giants, Dodgers, Reds and Braves could still get in on Abreu. Though Abreu had originally sought three-year contract, agent Peter Greenberg has confirmed that the slugger would be open to a one-year deal.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Saturday

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According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, the Giants are still talking to Manny Ramirez. Giants president Larry Baer said "we’ve got interest. But it’s one of those things where it’s got to fit."

Some executives say the Giants want to prevent the Dodgers from getting Manny on a one year deal, but aren’t about to start a bidding war. If they end up with a Hall of Fame player for a year because of it, they’d be happy.

As one executive said, few teams have enough money remaining to sign Ramirez, so the Dodgers could conceivably offer $30MM over two years and still make the highest bid.

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