By Tim Dierkes | at
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan spoke to Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who said:
"We’ve looked at some right handed options for the lineup but we’re not pursuing Manny [Ramirez] at this time."
Chatter was sparked earlier today by a recent Jon Heyman appearance on the MLB Network where he said the Rangers have interest in Manny. But there’s nothing on Heyman’s blog on the topic currently. Tim Brown, sizing up the market for Ramirez, talked to a Rangers source who said they’re "unlikely" to sign him.
By Nat Boyle | at
Every Sunday we read John Perrotto’s Every Given Sunday:
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
10:11pm: Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Giants want to wait until the corner outfield market is "more precisely defined" before pursuing Manny. He adds that the Giants are unlikely to enter a bidding war so they need more financial flexibility than usual from Boras.
10:45am: Buster Olney adds that rival executives have "major doubts" about the Giants’ willingness to spend enough to sign Manny, especially in the midst of a recession. Olney points out that trading Randy Winn or Aaron Rowand to clear payroll would likely yield very little in the current market.
9:13am: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle carefully summarizes the Giants’ interest in Manny Ramirez to kick off the day’s Manny rumors.
Schulman reminds us that the Giants have talked with Scott Boras about Manny and writes that this is "not another case of Boras just trying to drum up another suitor."
That said, their interest is far from "an all-out assault on Ramirez in a bid to get him." They’re simply intrigued.
Like any team at this point in the year, the Giants are apparently considering other free agents and "trying to make trades." In other words, they’re interested, but they have other options.
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SATURDAY, 11:23am: Buster Olney’s sources tell him that Jones will receive the $15MM he’s owed in 2009 over the next six seasons, without interest. Apparently the Dodgers are likely to call the Braves, Reds and Mets about potential trades. One source familiar with the discussions said it’s virtually certain that the Mets won’t be interested.
11:55pm: Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the deal cuts Jones’ 2009 salary to about $5MM. The Dodgers agreed to trade or release him; interested teams may prefer to wait for the latter. Shaikin says the Jones restructuring is independent of the Manny Ramirez situation.
7:51pm: Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that the Major League Players Association has approved the contract agreement, which will defer Jones’ remaining salary. According to an industry source, Jones will either be traded or released before the start of spring training and perhaps sometime this month.
FRIDAY, 2:38pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Dodgers and Jones have agreed to rework his contract to save the team $12MM in ’09. Jones is likely to play for another team in the coming season.
THURSDAY, 9:55pm: As pointed out in the comments section below, Andruw’s ’09 salary could be deferred across several years and would thus gain interest, resulting in a higher total payout. That could work for both sides. A blog called Fantasy Sports Experience recalls a similar situation with the Mets and Bobby Bonilla in 2000.
9:40pm: Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has confirmed that Jones’ contract is being reworked. It could be an extension or a deferred buyout.
9:00pm: I just spoke with Simers, who tells me that the Dodgers "would do the deal with Scott Boras." Jones’ 2009 salary "would be reduced to make him attractive" to possible suitors in a trade. And the agreement would essentially free up money on the Dodgers’ side that would head directly towards Ramirez, another Boras client. But it’s still unclear why Jones would want to take the paycut. Is Boras going to pay the man out of his own pocket? This kind of dealing is unheard of in the sports world, but you can never doubt the almighty Scott Boras.
8:38pm: T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times has heard that the Dodgers are working on a deal to unload outfielder Andruw Jones.
Simers claims that the deal would save the team $12MM and "send the guy, who couldn’t hit a thing, seeking employment elsewhere." Jones is in the final year of a two-year contract and is set to make around $15MM in ’09. He’s not just going to forfeit that money, so it’s not exactly clear what kind of a "deal" the article is speaking of. A trade? Buyouts don’t typically happen in baseball. Nonetheless, Simers is onto something and it appears the Dodgers are readying the cash to make an offer to Manny Ramirez.
By Tim Dierkes | at
11:00pm: Schulman says the Giants have had conversations with Boras about Manny, but have not extended a formal offer. Nothing is imminent, and the Giants are considering other options via trade and free agency.
3:33pm: The Chronicle’s Henry Schulman doesn’t have anything new on the KPIX report yet. But he’s heard that the Dodgers offered Manny $60MM over three years at some point and were turned down.
2:40pm: MLB.com’s Chris Haft splashes some cold water on the KPIX-TV rumor. His sources say recent reports linking the Giants to Manny are overblown. The Dodgers may be the only truly interested team currently. Haft says the Giants are looking to add a corner infield bat instead (they’ve been linked to Edwin Encarnacion and Jorge Cantu in the past, among others).
1:30pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman was able to confirm that the Giants entered the bidding for Manny. He says the Dodgers remain interested, and that "some baseball people" aren’t writing off the Angels despite Tony Reagins’ public statement. Heyman adds that one or two other AL teams are on the periphery, the Yankees not among them.
6:05am: There’s a rumor making the rounds from Dennis O’Donnell of KPIX-TV of San Francisco. O’Donnell says the Giants have offered Manny Ramirez a four-year deal. Reasons to treat the report with skepticism:
By Cork Gaines | at
On this date 32 years ago, commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended Braves owner Ted Turner for one year for tampering. Turner had announced publicly that the Braves would sign free agent-to-be Gary Matthews. Unfortunately, 30 years later, nobody was disciplined when the Angels signed free agent Gary Matthews Jr. to a $50MM contract. In the first two years of the deal, Matthews has been paid $15MM and his play has been worth -$600K (yes, that is negative) according to Fangraphs. With several big free agents still looking for new teams, will any of them be the next Matthews Jr? Only time will tell. In the meantime, let’s see what is being written in the Blogosphere…
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a new blog post up.
By Tim Dierkes | at
10:28pm: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle is skeptical about this rumor. His bottom line: "At some point the Giants could consider Ramirez under very specific financial conditions. However, their concessionaires should not order a large stock of dreadlock wigs for the souvenir stands just yet."
Jon Heyman has a new blog post on the topic; he says the Giants "could become the biggest threat to the Dodgers’ hopes to retain Manny."
11:33am: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post:
The Giants, the NL West’s most active team this winter, are quietly making an aggressive play for free agent Manny Ramirez, according to a major-league source.
The Giants have been linked to Manny for months now; they apparently spoke with Scott Boras about him in November. It’s interesting to see the Giants being aggressive while so many other teams are standing pat. Would Manny put them over the top? I imagine Brian Sabean would like to move Dave Roberts, Randy Winn, or Aaron Rowand to clear roster and payroll space.
By | at
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Dodgers and agent Scott Boras are finally gearing up for Manny Ramirez negotiations.
As was reported yesterday, Boras left a voicemail for Dodgers GM Ned Colletti on Tuesday. Well, Colletti shot him back a voicemail Wednesday morning and the two are expected to finish their game of phone tag after the New Year’s holiday. The Dodgers, of course, made a two-year, $45 million offer with an option for a third during the Winter Meetings in November.
By | at
Bill Ladson of MLB.com has been told by a baseball source that reports of the Nationals’ interest in Manny Ramirez are false.
Ladson notes two fairly obvious reasons why Manny isn’t a good fit in D.C.:
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