Manny Ramirez Rumors: Monday
9:35pm: The D’Backs are considered "highly unlikely" to acquire Ramirez. So now we have denials from all four teams named this morning.
9:08pm: The Dodgers would only be interested in Ramirez if the Red Sox took Andruw Jones back.
8:42pm: Peter Gammons has some unkind words for Manny.
6:46pm: Cross the Mets off the list too, according to Jayson Stark.
3:06pm: GM Pat Gillick says the Phillies have no interest in Ramirez. He makes the fairly obvious point that the Phils don’t have an open position for Manny.
9:26am: Click here for a refresher on yesterday’s Manny Ramirez rumors. He said he would approve a trade, if the Red Sox can find one. Todd Zolecki noted that the Phillies have discussed Manny internally.
- Dan Graziano and Ed Price of the Newark Star-Ledger talked to an official who says the Mets and Phillies are both in "serious pursuit" of Ramirez. If so, why do both teams have no interest in Adam Dunn? Graziano and Price think Ramirez would command big-name prospects like Fernando Martinez or Lou Marson.
- Sean McAdam says the Sox have spoken to four teams about Manny: the Phillies, Mets, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. McAdam says Ramirez will waive his no-trade clause for a guarantee that his options will be declined. Additionally, the Red Sox might consider kicking in money to get better players in return.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday says the Mets aren’t interested in Ramirez and continue to eye Raul Ibanez. However, the asking price may be too high.
- Paul Hagen finds no indication that the Phillies are interested. And unless Pat Burrell is included in a deal, he or Ramirez would have to play right field. Umm…no.
- Jeff Passan thinks that all things considered, Manny still might be worth keeping in Boston for $20MM in ’09.
Juan Pierre Not Happy Being A Bench Player
Juan Pierre, who has been the odd man out in the crowded Dodgers outfield this year, said following the team’s 5-3 victory over the Florida Marlins on Thursday that he still has not accepted his current role with the club as a bench player:
"I don’t see myself as a bench player. I haven’t accepted that. I know if they don’t want me to play out there, that’s their decision. But I don’t see myself as a bench player."
One reporter asked Pierre if he wanted to remain with the Dodgers to which the 30-year old responded:
"I’m not going to answer that one. It is what it is. I’m not going to touch that one."
Pierre is currently behind young outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, along with offseason acquisition Andruw Jones, in the Dodgers’ depth chart. His deal is guaranteed for four more years including 2008 (at a combined $36.5MM) with a limited no-trade clause.
One difficult aspect of this situation is that Pierre is essentially still the same player he always was offensively. He has never hit for power and his OBP has always been fairly reliant on maintaining a high batting average (a dicey proposition year in and year out). The Dodgers knew what they were getting when they signed him in November 2006. Now Pierre is left to wonder what changed.
Paul Moro is a writer for UmpBump.com and can be reached via e-mail at Paul@UmpBump.com.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Roberts, Jones
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has his latest video "Rosenthal’s Full Count" up and running.
- First, Rosenthal calls Andruw Jones the "early candidate for worst free agent signing" noting that Jones is now batting 7th. Rosenthal goes so far as to say that the Dodgers’ best outfield right now includes Juan Pierre and does not include Jones…The Dodgers are truly lucky to have Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp on the cheap right now ($840K combined), because Jones ($14.1M) and Pierre ($8M) are a lot of dead contract weight for one outfield.
- And we can thank Rosenthal for keeping Brian Roberts in our lives…Rosenthal notes that as the O’s start coming back to earth after their hot start, they can start thinking once again about their July fire sale. The big name is obviously Roberts and Rosenthal says that the Cubs still want the second baseman. He says the Rockies are also likely to be interested. However, the Indians, who tried to put a package together for Roberts this past off-season, will not be one of the bidders as it would require position shuffling, something not likely to occur in-season…Then again, Peter Angelos may just keep dangling Roberts into next off-season. Once Roberts is traded, Angelos may be worried that there won’t be much reason to talk about the O’s. You guys would miss all the Roberts rumors, wouldn’t you?
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Perez, Jones, Howard, Burnett
Let’s round up today’s linkage.
- No more long-term discussions with Oliver Perez and the Mets.
- Andruw Jones already wants to talk extension with the Dodgers.
- The Cardinals are not likely to make anymore acquisitions. In my view the team has question marks in right field, the middle infield, and the rotation. Here’s a look at their MLB.com depth chart. By the way, could Ryan Franklin be a league average starter? They could try it if the current options don’t pan out.
- Jim Salisbury thinks the Ryan Howard contract situation is a nonstory. I think this is partially because (and I hope this doesn’t sound condescending) most fans do not understand the arbitration process. Anyway Salisbury’s source says the Phillies would match Chase Utley‘s seven-year, $85MM deal and might approach $100MM. He says Howard may want "significantly more."
- Ivan Rodriguez would like to play beyond the 2008 season and retire a Tiger. If the Tigers can’t find a taker for Brandon Inge this year, he could be their starting catcher in ’09.
- Carl Pavano doesn’t seem too popular in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
- J.P. Ricciardi does not plan to do an extension during the season with A.J. Burnett. I think Burnett will stay healthy enough to top the two years, $24MM he could get if he does not opt out.
Cubs Willing To Pay $12-15MM Per Year For Fukudome?
UPDATE, 12-6-07 at 7:39pm: Sandy Alderson was on 1090 AM XX Sports Radio tonight. He said the Padres gave Fukudome one of the top two or three offers the team ever proposed. An answer from Fukudome is expected tonight or tomorrow.
FROM 12-6-07 at 2:23pm:
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, it "sounds like the Cubs might go as high as $12-15MM per year" for outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. He adds that Fukudome would have to be willing to take less money to play on the West Coast if he is to become a Padre. Many players have before, so don’t go buying those Fukudome Cubs jerseys just yet.
Krasovic also has a note on Andruw Jones. Apparently the only other concrete offer outside of the Dodgers was a two-year, $22MM one from the Royals.
Dodgers Sign Andruw Jones
UPDATE, 12-6-07 at 7:42am: Make that $36.2MM, plus a no-trade clause. I wonder why it was done with the huge $12.2MM bonus. Meanwhile, Tom Krasovic said the Padres never got around to bidding on Jones despite the talk of a one-year, $17MM offer.
UPDATE, 12-6-07 at 1:14am: The salary structure to Jones’ deal is interesting: $9MM in ’08, $15MM in ’09, and a $12MM signing bonus. That setup could make Jones much more tradeable if the need arises.
UPDATE, 12-6-07 at 12:23am: Tony Jackson has a hunch that the Dodgers will now trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier in a package for a frontline starter.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 11:50pm: The Dodgers have reached an agreement with Jones – two years, $36MM. Despite all the posturing from Scott Boras, the Dodgers got Andruw for a reasonable rate and term. Nice move by Ned Colletti.
FROM 12-5-07 at 11:12pm:
Ned Colletti and Andruw Jones haven’t reached common ground, but they did make progress today. It sounds like Colletti may be warming to the idea of three years. No deal is expected before the end of the Meetings, though.
While the Royals have well-documented interest in Jones, former teammates indicate he prefers the NL. In regards to his poor 2007, the article suggests a secret elbow injury may have contributed.
Odds and Ends: Guzman, Shelton, Garcia, Jones
Rounding up some smaller rumors…
- The Phillies talked to the Pirates today about Nate McLouth, Damaso Marte, and John Grabow. Grabow remains a possibility.
- There’s some ill will between the Marlins and Angels.
- Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones, and Hiroki Kuroda are all asking for more years than GMs are willing to give.
- The Tigers picked up Freddy Guzman from the Rangers for first baseman Chris Shelton. Maybe Shelton can work his way into the team’s first base mix.
- Interesting note from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan – the Rangers considered trying to acquire Adam Jones, but Bill Bavasi said, "You don’t want to see Jones kicking your tail for the next 10 years."
- The Mets and roughly five other teams looked at Freddy Garcia’s medical records, according to Joel Sherman. The Rangers are one other interested party.
Dodgers Still In On Andruw, Rowand?
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:03pm: Talks between the Dodgers and Andruw revived today, according to Ken Gurnick. Gurnick thinks Scott Boras is looking for something similar to J.D. Drew‘s Dodgers deal, a long-term one with an opt out in the middle. Boras told Jerry Crasnick today that he does not have a one or two-year deal in mind for Andruw.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:00am: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick is with Tony Jackson on this one…Colletti hasn’t made any offers and will move on to other priorities unless Jones and Rowand reduce their demands. Gurnick notes that the Dodgers are still in hard on Hiroki Kuroda but don’t seem terribly interested in David Wells.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:44am: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times does not agree with Jackson exactly…he says the Dodgers still want to sign Jones or Rowand.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 11:49pm: Jackson now has some quotes from Ned Colletti…Colletti wasn’t able to get to the point of making an offer to Andruw. Apparently Boras wants far more than the Dodgers think Jones is worth. Also, Aaron Rowand wants 5/70 and the Dodgers ain’t havin’ that.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 9:31pm: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News counters Crasnick’s report, saying the Dodgers did not offer 2/32 to Andruw. As far as Jackson can tell, no offer at all was made to Jones today.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 1:04pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says the Dodgers have a two-year, $32MM offer on the table. That seems a little light; I suggested $38MM earlier.
FROM 12-3-07 at 1:24am:
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Dodgers have stepped up their talks with free agent Andruw Jones. As we suggested before, it seems Ned Colletti’s rift with Scott Boras was overblown.
Andruw is asking for something bigger than Torii Hunter‘s five-year, $90MM pact. However, Jones had a terrible 2007 and the Dodgers only want to give him two guaranteed years. This is one of Ned Colletti’s methods that I actually like, the paying more to decrease the term (see Rafael Furcal and Jason Schmidt).
So if Torii makes $18MM annually, maybe the Dodgers will offer Andruw two years, $38MM? That would keep their risk low while giving Jones a chance to become a free agent as he enters his age 33 season. If no agreement can be reached, it sounds like the Dodgers could make a similar high-dollar short-term offer to Aaron Rowand. Failing that, they’d turn to Mike Cameron.
Gurnick adds that the Dodgers are aggressively pursuing Hiroki Kuroda for rotation depth.
Crasnick’s Latest: Hamilton, Figgins, Andruw, Inge
Jerry Crasnick filed more rumors ripe for discussion.
- The Reds may consider trading Josh Hamilton, but not to an NL Central team. There was nothing to the Hamilton-Cubs rumor anyway, according to Bruce Levine. And now officials from both teams have debunked it.
- The Cubs actually want to add two left-handed hitting outfielders, for some reason. Beyond Kosuke Fukudome, Geoff Jenkins remains on the radar. Jim Hendry likes Chone Figgins, but the Angels would ridiculously ask for Aramis Ramirez in that one.
- Scott Boras is still saying Andruw Jones isn’t looking for a one or two-year deal.
- The Rays have checked into Shawn Green, Geoff Jenkins, and Cliff Floyd. No truth to the rumor that Green is considering retirement.
- Brandon Inge hits the market, though he’s got three years and $19.1MM left on his deal. Plenty of clubs are in the market for a third baseman assuming the Tigers will eat some of the contract. Inge probably won’t be moving back behind the plate, by the way.
White Sox Not Interested In Andruw
At about 4:30 today, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said "he’s in the mix, I guess" in reference to Andruw Jones. According to Sox GM Kenny Williams, Ozzie guessed wrong. Williams says Jones is not on his list, as he desires patient hitters.
Williams’ statement about patience might indicate the Sox are in on Jason Bay and Kosuke Fukudome, as has been rumored. Others who exhibit patience or deep counts who might be available: Nick Swisher, Austin Kearns, Reggie Willits, Johnny Damon, Brian Roberts, Jamey Carroll, Milton Bradley, and Mike Cameron.