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Manny Ramirez

Odds & Ends: Manny, Papelbon, Pudge, Peavy

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Links for Thursday…

  • The Nationals remain interested in Duaner Sanchez, says Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post.
  • Yahoo’s Jeff Passan talked to Mark Prior.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post heard Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras consider the contract with the Dodgers a one-year deal with a safety net.  Sherman wonders if the Yankees and/or Mets could get involved depending on how Manny’s 2009 season plays out.
  • Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon commented about Manny to Chris Jones in the April issue of Esquire.  It’s a good article and there’s a lot more to it than the Manny comments.
  • Free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez is working out at first base, according to Will Gonzalez of MLB.com.
  • The Padres have the third pick in the June draft.  Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune asks whether they’ll finally take a player with big upside.
  • Jake Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod seems to be writing off the Padres, in comments to Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune: "It’s tough with the Padres’ situation.  They are not very good and it looks like it is going to be another long year for them."
  • Marlins shortstop Robert Andino is out of options, so Mike Phillips of the Miami Herald says this is his audition.
  • ESPN’s Buster Olney says Mark Mulder’s audition is drawing closer and he’s throwing well.  Olney also says Luis Gonzalez is waiting by the phone.  For a look at the other remaining free agents, click here.

Manny History: Almost A Twin Or Mariner?

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I’ve been enjoying the new book Becoming Manny by Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg.  The book is surprisingly objective for an authorized Manny Ramirez biography.

As you know, Manny was drafted 13th overall in 1991 by the Indians.  The Yankees, Braves, Twins, Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Royals, Padres, Orioles, Phillies, Mariners, and Cubs passed on him.  Many teams did not view Manny as a first-round pick, partially because he didn’t speak English well and had not graduated high school.  The book also suggests that scouts simply did not enjoy driving out to areas like Washington Heights to watch prospects.

Old school Twins scout Herb Stein recommended Manny, though.  From the book:

Stein pushed the Twins to take Manny with their third overall pick.  But he was rebuffed by his bosses – a source of bitterness even today.  The Twins chose Stanford first baseman David McCarty, who wound up hitting 36 career home runs and batting .242 in eleven major league seasons of part-time duty.

The Mariners also made a run:

Manny was playing a Youth Service League doubleheader.  In a late show of interest, the Seattle Mariners’ top scout and assistant to the general manager attended.  DeLuca [the scout who signed Manny for Cleveland] felt a wave of panic.  After the game, Seattle’s reps talked to [Manny’s coach Mel] Zitter for ten minutes on the right-field line.  They passed DeLuca on their way to the parking lot, exchanged greetings and said, "Good luck"-  shorthand, DeLuca believed, for, "We’re going to pass on Manny.  He’s all yours."

Manny wasn’t even a lock for the Indians.  They wanted a pitcher:

Indians general manager Hank Peters and director of player development Dan O’Dowd had been pressuring [scouting director Mickey] White all winter to pursue college pitcher Aaron Sele, a six-three right-hander from Washington State.

Eventually, DeLuca and White were able to convince Indians director of baseball operations John Hart to recommend Ramirez.  Sele would go to the Red Sox at #23.

Rosenthal On Pedro, A-Rod, Beimel, Ohman

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

  • One executive tells Rosenthal Pedro Martinez seeks a contract similar to the one John Smoltz received (a $5.5MM base plus $5.5MM incentives). Rosenthal’s speculative candidates for Pedro include the Dodgers, Marlins, Indians, and Mets.  He says the A’s, Orioles, Nationals, and Brewers are out.
  • Rosenthal does not expect a major acquisition by the Yankees to cover for Alex Rodriguez.  He adds that the Yanks will not collect insurance on A-Rod’s salary.
  • In addition to Orlando Cabrera, Manny Ramirez has a clause in his contract prohibiting his team from offering arbitration if he’s a Type A free agent after the season.  Orlando Hudson and Bobby Abreu do not have such clauses.
  • Two GMs told Rosenthal Joe Beimel wants a one-year, $2.5MM deal, but the pitcher’s agent Joe Sroba says they have’t gotten that specific.  Sroba says new teams are in the mix for Beimel and he’s waiting for one to be "aggressive and sincere in their pursuit."
  • The White Sox and Dodgers are two teams in on free agent lefty Will Ohman.

Manny Ramirez Contract Details

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The AP obtained details on Manny Ramirez’s new contract with the Dodgers.  Due to significant deferred money, the present-day value of his ’09 salary drops to about $18.4MM.

The AP story adds that Manny’s decision about 2010 is due on the fifth day after the World Series ends or November 10th, whichever is later.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark does some more number-crunching at his blog.

Manny Ramirez Contract Details

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has Manny Ramirez’s full contract information:

Ramirez’s new $45-million, two-year Dodgers deal is worth $42,005,723 according to the union filing obtained by SI.com.  Ramirez is to be paid $25 million for 2009 and $20 million for 2010. But the actual payouts are as follows: $10 million in ’09, $10 million in ’10, $8.33 million in ’11, $8.33 million in ’12 and $8.33 million in ’13. He is to receive no interest on the deferred payments, bringing the value down nearly $3 million from $45 million to $42 million.

For Ramirez, the key is the ability to void the contract after 2009, at which point he can become a free agent.  A full no-trade provision is also in the contract.

Heyman On Bradley, A-Rod, Manny

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New info from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

  • Milton Bradley’s two-year, $20MM deal becomes a three-year, $30MM deal only if he plays at least 75 games in 2009.  Bradley’s games played totals over the past four years: 126 (mostly DHing), 61, 96, 75.  The structure of the deal seems dangerous – does it give Bradley incentive to play hurt?
  • Heyman talks about the A-Rod injury situation, running through the various replacement names we’ve discussed.
  • Heyman believes the Giants would’ve gotten to the low-$40MM range over two years for Manny Ramirez, and they had not agreed to an opt-out.

Odds & Ends: Gload, Pierre, Beimel

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Links for Friday…

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny Ramirez

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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.

Rosenthal On Manny, Anderson, Kasten

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal wonders if Manny Ramirez could get a multiyear deal following a big/well-behaved ’09, in the vein of other Boras clients such as Kevin Millwood and Kyle Lohse (Ivan Rodriguez, too).  Of course, Manny is a lot older than those guys were.
  • Rather than money, Garret Anderson wants the 632 hits he needs to reach 3,000.  If he gets there, he’ll make for some interesting Hall of Fame debates.
  • Rosenthal spoke to an executive who knows Stan Kasten.  This exec expects Kasten to surprise with his GM choice, and doesn’t see him hiring a "young up-and-comer" or Chuck LaMar.
  • The Cubs are said to be "content with their bench players."  Cubs manager Lou Piniella has talked a bit about wanting an "extra infielder who can play first and third."  Rosenthal adds that the team’s new ownership "might not be willing to assume the remaining $63 million on Jake Peavy’s contract in a reeling economy."

Manny Meets With Media

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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.

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