Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday
The New York Post reports that Dodgers owner Frank McCourt told the MLB Network Tuesday that his club is still hoping to sign free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez.
"Well hopefully we are going to sign him soon," McCourt told the "Hot Stove" program. "That is certainly our intention."
"You know Manny had a tremendous impact on L.A. and made great contributions to our run at the end of last season," McCourt continued. "I’ve seldom seen a situation like his with our fans. I mean that love affair was tremendous. It’s our intention to try and bring Manny back. We’ve tried to do that, been unsuccessful to date, but that doesn’t mean we are going to stop trying."
Phillies Rumors: Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes
Cameron Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on the Phillies’ pursuit of a reliever.
Will Ohman‘s agent Page Odle spoke of a "real good positive conversation" with the Phillies over the past week, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the dollars would have to be "extremely modest." Odle said Ohman is open to a one-year deal with a contender. The Mets are the other main suitor, but they are also in bargain mode.
Smith spoke to Dennys Reyes, who said his agent has been talking to the Dodgers and A’s. But Reyes did talk to the Phillies back in December. He is also focused on signing with a contender.
The Phils do have in-house options, plus Amaro suggested he could find a righthanded reliever with the ability to retire lefties.
Dodgers, Jeff Weaver Agree To Terms
8:38pm: Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Weaver will "compete for a bullpen spot in spring training, NOT for the fifth spot in the rotation."
7:33pm: Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that the Dodgers have agreed to terms with Jeff Weaver on a minor league contract.
The deal comes with an invitation to spring training. Weaver, 32, will make $500,000 next season if he makes the club, but that seems like a longshot. He has struggled mightily since winning a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006 and finished last season with a 6.20 ERA.
Plus, he’ll have to outpitch Jason Schmidt, Claudio Vargas, Eric Stults, Ramon Troncoso and Shawn Estes to win the fifth spot in the starting rotation. His willingness to work out of the bullpen might help, but there’s also plenty of competition there.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Monday
Interesting note yesterday from ESPN’s Peter Gammons, related to the Manny Ramirez negotiations:
Scott Boras has put the heat on Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and there has been no love lost. The L.A. scouting department has been told it will not draft Boras clients come June.
Gammons adds that the Giants "may well be seriously considering constructing a three-year package for Manny."
Ramirez recently spoke with Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, and the slugger described his situation this way:
"We’re in the seventh inning and I’m waiting for my pitch."
Ned Colletti: GM Trade History
MLBTR contributor Brendan Bianowicz is back with a new installment in our GM Trade History series: Ned Colletti of the Dodgers. Click here to download the spreadsheet chronicling Colletti’s work.
Cafardo’s Latest: Manny, Sheets, Glavine
The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo shares some notes on Manny Ramirez and around the league. Let’s have a look, bullet-point style:
- He cites an AL Exec who says, "I’ll be honest, I never thought Ramirez would walk away from… one year, $25 million. That’s better than the $20 million option he had torn up… If he has another great year, he gets another $25 million for one year? Or maybe a team then decides, ‘OK, this guy has behaved himself for a while, continues to produce at a high level now, let’s commit for another two years to him.’ Unless a team like the Yankees comes in at the last minute and gets it done, I just don’t see where he’s going to make more than $25 million." Cafardo adds that "Brian Cashman insists it won’t happen."
- A quote from Rich Hill on his being traded to the Orioles: "[Cubs general manager] Jim Hendry really took care of me. He wanted to create an opportunity for me that he told me probably didn’t exist in Chicago, so I’m grateful. I know Baltimore tried to deal for me last year and it didn’t work out, but this time they made it work." Hill also adds that he’s over his back injury and will rediscover his control.
- Ben Sheets not signing anywhere until June hurts the Brewers two-fold: they may have to foot the bill for the surgery and won’t receive a first round draft pick for losing a Type-A free agent. Sheets has a torn flexor tendon, as revealed by an exam with the Texas Rangers. On the other hand, MLBTR has noted that in June, after his surgery, he won’t cost a draft pick to sign.
- Andruw Jones on playing in Boston: "It’s too cold there. There’s too much stuff going on."
- Bobby Abreu may have to settle for a one or two year deal at $3MM. Cafardo lists the Angels, Mets, Braves, Dodgers, and Mariners.
- Expect an incentive-laden deal for one year between Tom Glavine and the Braves. As MLBTR has noted, their latest offer was between $1-2MM with no incentives.
- Mark Mulder could be a useful back end starter and he’s almost ready to put himself on display to teams.
- Shea Hillenbrand is 32 and receiving no interest. Cafardo wonders if he’s "being punished for past transgressions?"
- Cubs, White Sox, and Dodgers are lined up for Orlando Hudson; however, the transfer of ownership may have temporarily tied the hands of Jim Hendry to do anything until Tom Ricketts takes over.
- The A’s are continuously interested in Orlando Cabrera, Adam Dunn, and Abreu.
The Corner Outfield-DH Market
There are still many jobless players who could contribute as a corner outfielder or a DH, so it’s a good time to take stock of the market. Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu are the big names, but Garret Anderson, Andruw Jones, Luis Gonzalez, Jim Edmonds and Ken Griffey Jr. want jobs and Jermaine Dye, Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher could be available through trades.
Here’s a look at the teams who have reportedly had interest in this type of player, starting in the AL:
- White Sox: They thought about Abreu and Dye’s been involved in rumors all offseason, much to the frustration of Kenny Williams. Dye will earn $11.5MM in 2009.
- Angels: They aren’t interested in Dye, but they could be interested in Abreu or Dunn at the right price. Don’t look for them to make a play for Manny though; GM Tony Reagins said it won’t happen. Garret Anderson won’t be back.
- Mariners: The Ms could sign Griffey, but they prefer Abreu and Anderson.
- Braves: They are the top suitor for Swisher and they have some interest in bringing back Jones. Atlanta has about $5-9MM to spend, so they could change plans and pursue Dunn or Abreu if they’re willing to accept a deal worth under $10MM. Don’t rule out a Nady trade, either.
- Nationals: The Nats have offered Dunn a contract, which he’s been sitting on for a while. They’re also monitoring the Manny market.
- Mets: Abreu and Ramirez won’t sign with the Mets this offseason. If Griffey’s willing to sign at a major discount, he could sign with the Mets, but indications are he wants $5-6MM.
- Dodgers: The Dodgers have targeted Manny Ramirez all offseason, and he’s rejected two contract offers from them. The first was for $45MM over two years with a club option; the second was for $25MM over one year. Dunn appears to like the Dodgers, and Abreu’s an option, too.
- Giants: The Giants are also courting Manny, but some have said they just want to prevent the Dodgers from getting a deal. Abreu could also fit in San Francisco.
- Reds: Yet another team that could pursue Abreu, the Reds spoke with Luis Gonzalez’s agent ealier in the winter. Adam Dunn won’t return to Cincinnati this offseason.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Friday
9:04pm: Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News spoke with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti on Friday. Jackson asked if there would come a time when the Dodgers will simply have to move on from their pursuit of Manny. Here’s Colletti’s response:
"At some point in time, yes, but I’m not sure when that point in time will come yet. We signed Furcal, we signed Loretta, we signed Ausmus, we signed Casey Blake, we signed Wolf, and we signed Mota. We haven’t been sitting and waiting for one player to sign. We have been active, and we have continued to put a club together. At some point in time, we have to come to a conclusion. But we’re not there yet, and we’re still open-minded.”
8:17pm: A few current Giants offered perspectives Friday on the possibility of having Manny in the clubhouse:
"You’d be an idiot if you didn’t say a guy like Manny Ramirez can’t help your team," center fielder Aaron Rowand said. "But even with that being said, there’s not a guy in here who’s looking at that and hoping and praying. To a man, we’re all confident about what we have right now."
"Manny Ramirez is an unbelievable hitter," said right fielder Randy Winn. "He’s probably the best RBI guy that I’ve ever played against. Of course he’s going to help any team he goes to. But it’s nothing I can focus on because it’s kind of like a trade rumor. It’s probably not going to happen."
4:44pm: Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has a Manny Ramirez update today, from the Giants’ point of view. Most Giants execs, as well as former owner Peter Magowan, expect Manny to re-sign with the Dodgers. They’ll continue to explore the possibility though.
On the other hand, ESPN’s Jayson Stark talked to one official who regularly speaks with the Giants’ front office. That person thinks new owner Bill Neukom wants to make a splash and said, "I would watch the Giants" in regard to Manny. The official also suggested the Giants may have "more dollars to spend than they’ve been letting on."
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny, Braves Howard, Mets, Nomar, Sheets
On this date 51 years ago, the Red Sox signed Ted Williams to a one-year deal for $135K – making him the highest paid player in Major League history. This contract came on the heels of a season in which Williams hit .388-38-87 with a .526 OBP and 233 OPS+. And all of that was at age 38. With one week to go before pitchers and catchers report, several players in the twilight of their career are still looking for contracts of their own. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- River Ave. Blues says a one-year deal for Manny Ramirez in L.A. would open the door to Manny being Manny in pinstripes next year.
- Feeling Dodger Blue takes a look at options for the Dodgers other than Manny.
- Braves Blast sees Bobby Abreu as a better fit for the Braves than Adam Dunn and a better option than trading for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher.
- The Phrontiersman argues for trading Ryan Howard.
- UmpBump continues their "Hot Offseason Action" series, this time looking at the Red Sox, their offseason moves and how the roster might look on opening day.
- Mets Geek breaks down the Mets offseason.
- The ‘Ropolitans say the Mets’ bullpen still needs work and wonders why they don’t go after one of the remaining big-name relievers on the market.
- Detroit Tigers Thoughts notes that if Orlando Hudson wants to sign a one-year deal after the June draft, he is more likely to lose his type-A free agent status next season if he signs with an NL club this season.
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels that Nomar Garciaparra would make a nice backup shortstop for the Cubs.
- More Hardball puts together an All-Star squad of players still available on the free agent market.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at which teams might be interested in signing Ben Sheets for the second half.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Stark On Andruw, Swisher, Hudson, Pedro
The latest from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…
- Stark looks at all the factors influencing this year’s slow-moving free agent market, talking to all sorts of anonymous execs. It’s a good read.
- Among all the teams, the Phillies have added the most to their payroll this winter ($30MM+). Only ten teams raised payroll this year. The Phils are still looking at the same cast of righthanded bench bats, and are also looking to sign a reliever for one year. Names of interest: Joe Borowski, Rudy Seanez, Will Ohman, Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, and Randy Flores. Stark notes that Flores is out until June due to shoulder surgery.
- Andruw Jones is looking for a team that will give him playing time. One of Stark’s sources says Braves manager Bobby Cox is "lobbying harder for Jones than the rest of the baseball operation."
- The Braves are the top suitor for Nick Swisher, but their suggestion that the Yankees eat some of Swisher’s contract was shot down.
- Stark has heard that Angels owner Arte Moreno is ticked at Scott Boras and Mark Teixeira for the way they handled negotiations.
- Stark received conflicting answers on whether the Elias formulas "can be changed without a special negotiation." It figures that the players union would push to eliminate the Jason Varitek/Juan Cruz/Orlando Cabrera situations we saw this winter. The D’Backs may have interest in re-signing Cruz, but don’t look for a Cabrera-White Sox reunion.
- The Yankees and Mets have not pursued Orlando Hudson, despite Hudson’s statements of their interest. Stark sees a one-year deal with the Nationals or Dodgers in his future.
- One assistant GM doesn’t think the WBC will be a good gauge for Pedro Martinez‘s abilities, since he’ll be doing short stints.
- Stark has details on Eddie Guardado‘s contract, which has interesting provisions if he is to be traded.