Odds & Ends: Gload, Pierre, Beimel
Links for Friday…
- The Dodgers designated Justin Orenduff for assignment to make room for Manny Ramirez, according to Tony Jackson.
- The A's contracts with Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra are official.
- WEEI's Alex Speier talked to Marlins prospect Mike Stanton and manager Fredi Gonzalez about the near-acquisition of Manny last summer.
- In another column, Speier looks at the players the Red Sox and Yankees have battled for in recent years.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says a bunch of relievers are vying for one bullpen spot for the Cardinals, now that they've signed Dennys Reyes.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star suggests there's a chance the Royals release first baseman Ross Gload and eat the $1.9MM owed to him in 2009. Rany Jazayerli talks about Gload as well as the chances of the Royals competing this year.
- Tom Tango says Juan Pierre would have to defer his contract for 50 years to be worth acquiring.
- Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies says the Rox offered Joe Beimel more than $1MM but so far he's passed. Beimel's home run prevention trend might be challenged at Coors Field. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says the A's are in on Beimel but "have not yet have substantive talks" with his agent.
- Check out a Giants Spring Training preview from the guys behind El Lefty Malo and McCovey Chronicles.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny Ramirez
On this date 36 years ago, Yankee teammates Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich made it known that they had traded their families. Seriously. Their entire families including wives, kids and dogs. Kekick and his new "wife" broke up shortly thereafter while Peterson and his new wife may still be together and may have four kids of their own. You can’t make it up. In more recent relationship news, the Dodgers finally signed Manny Ramirez. Let’s take a look at what is being written about Manny and the Dodgers in the Blogosphere…
- The Biz of Baseball takes a look at the Manny deal and the negotiations that led up to it and can describe the entire process with one word: Lunacy.
- Feeling Dodger Blue says the Manny signing takes the Dodgers from an average offense to one of the best offenses in the NL.
- Josh Q. Public says Manny is worth every penny no matter how he left Boston.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham offers their feelings on the Manny signing from their perspective as a Red Sox fan.
- Mets Geek says the Manny signing was a sad day for many Mets fans, while the rest can finally get on with their lives.
- Jorge Says No! examines why Manny is the most polarizing presence in baseball right now.
- The Sons of Steve Garvey predict that with the opt-out clause, Dodgers fans will be angry again before the year is done.
On a quick side note…It has been a little while since I have updated my blogroll. While I do receive numerous suggestions from bloggers each week, I would love to hear from you guys. So let’s have it in the comments: Which blogs do you prefer for your favorite team?
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Manny Meets With Media
8:05pm: Some more on Manny and Boras…Gwen Knapp of CBS Sports says Boras is not to blame and that he just takes what the teams give him. Knapp added that the Dodgers played right into Boras’ hands because they did not have a fallback plan and needed the megastar that all teams crave…Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com takes a closer look at how much the Dodgers’ lineup has improved in the last two weeks.
5:21pm: Manny Ramirez met with the media today in Arizona. Steve Silva of The Boston Globe provides some quotes in which Manny takes some parting shots at the Red Sox.
"I was looking for this place for eight years," Ramirez said. "Now I’m here and I’m just gonna go give it all I got…[On whether the scene in Boston last season hurt his contract] “I don’t think so," Manny replied. "I’m 37 years old. I got two more years. What happened in Boston, that’s in the past. I think it didn’t hurt me. It was a bad economy. I got a great contract. And, hey, I made my money already. I’m in a happy place, where I wanted to be, so . . . I don’t think . . . actually, I won. I won getting out of there [Boston] because I’m in a great place. I’m in a place that I want to play. I’m in a place that I’m gonna be happy.
Bob McManaman of the The Arizona Republic has a few more quotes from the press conference, in which Ramirez makes it a point to thank Scott Boras.
"First, I want to thank the McCourt family for doing this good investment. Second, I want to thank Scott (Boras, his agent) for making the deal happen – good job. I’m happy to be back and like I told (manager) Joe (Torre), I think we have some unfinished business to take care of."
Also, it is worth noting that Manny has until November to decide whether to void the second year of the contract.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Juan Pierre Will Pursue Trade
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:
The Dodgers have given Juan Pierre‘s agent permission to explore potential trade partners for the outfielder who again lost his starting job with the re-signing of left fielder Manny Ramirez.
Pierre says his agent will "talk to teams and try to find a situation that can work out for everybody."
The whole idea seems weird to me. Why would Pierre’s agent be making these calls instead of Ned Colletti? Perhaps the idea is for Pierre’s agent to identify a few teams that wouldn’t mind having the outfielder under certain circumstances, to get the ball rolling. Pierre’s owed a hefty $28.5MM over the next three seasons, but he is willing to defer payment.
Odds & Ends: Free Agents, Manny, Buchholz
Links for Thursday…
- A confident Sidney Ponson expects his agent to receive a few calls after he pitches in the WBC Saturday, according to Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- ESPN’s Rob Neyer looks at the most interesting remaining free agents.
- Jorge Says No! names their 8 Worst Free Agent Contracts of the offseason.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire weighs in on the Manny Ramirez contract, noting the player’s control over the team’s finances. Check out Manny’s comments made to the AP. Juan Pierre doesn’t have much to say about the signing.
- Baseball America’s Ben Badler talks about the reactions of Latin American scouts to the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal.
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark looks at the top players who are on Spring Training invites.
- Rockies reliever Taylor Buchholz will miss the rest of Spring Training with a sprained elbow.
- Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves made room for Tom Glavine on the 40-man roster by outrighting pitcher Anthony Lerew, who cleared waivers.
Dodgers Sign Manny Ramirez
7:43pm: It’s official, according to this press release from Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News. Manny will donate $1MM to the Dodgers Dream Foundation. The AP (via Yahoo) reports that Manny passed his physical.
12:15pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that an agreement has been reached. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe confirmed it with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
11:44am: Not sure of the timestamp on it, but Mike Hiserman of the L.A. Times says no agreement has been reached and the Dodgers and Manny were still meeting in L.A. The Dodgers’ official website still says there’s an agreement though.
10:35am: Yahoo’s Tim Brown also says an agreement has been reached. He says a portion of the money both seasons ($25MM in ’09 and a possible $20MM in ’10) is deferred. Brown says to expect a press conference tomorrow.
Ken Gurnick and Barry Bloom of MLB.com have info on the deferred money:
Payment is deferred over five years without interest, with an opt-out clause after one season paid at $10MM each for the first four years and $5MM for the fifth.
10:05am: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News says the meeting took place very early this morning and an agreement is in place.
10:01am: The story has been removed from the L.A. Times’ website.
9:37am: According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers reached a contract agreement with Manny Ramirez today on a two-year, $45MM deal with an opt-out clause after the first year. The deal also includes no-trade protection. It’s pending a physical.
This was fun. We get to do it all over again after the season. Given the value of the opt-out, Scott Boras ultimately did get Manny a contract worth significantly more than the Dodgers’ initial offer.
Manny Ramirez Reactions
Manny Ramirez agreed to a deal with the Dodgers today after extensive negotiations. What’s everyone saying about it? Here’s a look at some reactions from around the game:
- ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark passes along five words that were vital in the negotiations: "We want to say yes." Stark’s explanation of how the deal came together is a great read.
- Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports writes that no one looks good in the aftermath of this deal.
- Both sides made silly mistakes, but "everyone moved on," according to ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons, who likes this deal for all involved. Here’s a clip of Gammons discussing the deal on ESPN.com.
- Ned Colletti’s the winner if you ask Bill Plaschke of the LA Times.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com writes that Manny’s excited to be back, even without a $100MM contract in hand. The mood brightened at Dodgers’ camp today, even though Manny wasn’t there yet.
- Yahoo’s Jeff Passan bluntly states: "Ramirez could care less about the team for which he plays so long as it dumps the most money into his bank account."
- Rob Neyer of ESPN.com likes the Dodgers’ lineup. The gap between Manny’s production and Juan Pierre‘s should be massive, yet the Dodgers only guaranteed Manny $1MM more than Pierre.
- Alan Embree told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that Manny will make a huge difference. At least one of Embree’s teammates, Brad Hawpe, doesn’t believe one player can change that much.
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown suggests the saga was always going to end this way.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants would only have signed Manny if there was value to be had. The Giants’ players don’t sound disappointed to have missed out.
Manny Meeting With McCourt This Morning
According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, Manny Ramirez will meet this morning with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt at Dodger Stadium. McCourt wants to be sure Manny will not sulk after signing a contract. Brown adds:
If McCourt is satisfied, Ramirez will take a physical in L.A. and could be on a plane to join his teammates at spring training in Arizona later Wednesday.
MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick says Joe Torre and Ned Colletti have also been summoned for the meeting.
Dodgers, Manny Getting Closer
11:08pm: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times says the Dodgers and Manny have "agreed on the general parameters of a contract," the terms Heyman mentioned.
10:22pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman confirms that Manny is headed to L.A. to meet with McCourt. Heyman speaks of "optimism on all sides" and says they’re discussing the same $45MM/two-year deal, with the opt-out after the first year.
9:37pm: T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times spoke with Manny on Tuesday afternoon and collected a few nice quotes. Keep in mind that this conversation took place a few hours before tonight’s events:
"I’m happy in L.A. I like my teammates and had a great time," said Ramirez. "The fans were so good to me; they treated me the best anywhere in my career. And now I think we’re close [to a deal]. … Tell everyone Mannywood is coming."
9:16pm: Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News has provided excellent, accurate information throughout this entire saga. Here’s an excerpt from his most recent blog post:
Manny IS on his way to Los Angeles tonight, just as Enrique Rojas reported on ESPN. Manny IS willing to accept some form of what the Dodgers offered him last Wednesday, a two-year, $45 million deal with $25 million the first year, $20 million the second year and an opt-out. That offer IS back on the table, even though it has been taken off the table last week. But there is no actual agreement in place YET, because Dodgers officials want to meet with Manny face to face, presumably tomorrow morning, before making this thing happen.
9:12pm: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times has gathered a strong quote from Boras: "I assure you, we have no deal."
9:06pm: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal weighs in:
Ramirez and the Dodgers have agreed to a two-year, $45 million contract, according to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas. While that report eventually might be proven correct, it is premature.
8:41pm: ESPN.com’s story now boasts the headline: "Sources: Manny, Dodgers closer to $45M deal," and Enrique Rojas has been removed as the author.
8:32pm: Will Selva, the anchor on staff for ESPNews, says Rojas’ report is "false."
8:30pm: Ken Gurnick and Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com have a quote from Boras himself: "I’m still working on it, but it’s yet to be finalized."
8:25pm: ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes that "obstacles still remain to completing the contract."
8:24pm: ESPN.com has now removed the story from the front page.
8:22pm: It should be noted that ESPN.com‘s front page headline reads: "Manny To Dodgers: It’s a Deal."
8:16pm: MLBTR just received this e-mail from Senior Editor of Yahoo! Sports, Steve Henson:
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports just spoke to Scott Boras and a Dodger front-office official. Both said no agreement has been reached. Ned Colletti and Boras did speak today, but no real progress was made.
–Steve Henson
7:56pm: Will Selva, an anchor for ESPNews, is now saying that the network is still "trying to confirm" the report.
7:53pm: According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, Manny Ramirez has agreed to a two-year, $45MM deal with the Dodgers.
Plenty more details to come…
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday
7:23pm: According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, there has been no contact between the Dodgers and Boras since Saturday. Brown thinks the silence might allow the Giants to climb back in the hunt.
9:03am: ESPN’s Buster Olney joins Jon Heyman and others in the belief that the Dodgers may reduce their offer to Manny Ramirez soon. Olney says the next offer "figures to more properly reflect the rollback in free agent prices that have occurred this winter." Olney believes the Dodgers have realized Manny will never be completely satisfied with the offers.
The Dodgers and Scott Boras were seemingly just $1.5MM apart on a deal worth more than $40MM, but owner Frank McCourt put the brakes on. He wants to start negotiations from scratch. As many have suggested, this could be the Giants’ best chance to jump in and steal Manny away.