The Many Faces Of Manny
Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe has an interesting article about Manny Ramirez up. The article likens Manny’s exit to that of former Boston fan-favorite Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar said that he cautioned his teammates not to believe everything they heard about Manny before his arrival:
"I told the guys here, ‘Don’t believe everything you read about Manny, because it was wrong,’ " Garciaparra said. "I said from day one that he was going to come in smiling, he was going to be great in the clubhouse, and he was going to be fun to watch, and I was right about every single thing."
Garciaparra went one step further even, stating that this is not the first time Boston has tried to make a departing star look badly:
The former Sox All-Star asserted in an interview that the Boston brass unfairly tried to demonize Ramírez, just as team executives tried to do to Garciaparra, Pedro Martínez, and Mo Vaughn, among others, when they left town.
Hohler also talks to Bill Mueller, who states that when he won his batting title in 2003, it was because Manny voluntarily sat the last game of the season out, telling Mueller that he wanted Mueller to win the title. Mueller entered the game hitting .327, while Manny was at .325.
Hohler also delves into the usual topics of conversation and controversy that surround Manny, breaking down his last few months in Boston, and alluding to similar difficulties towards the end of his time in Cleveland. Hohler quotes Scott Boras numerous times, as he tries to make his client out to be simply misunderstood, likening him to Randy Johnson at the end of his tenure with Seattle.
Nice article that does a good job of showing both sides of one of baseball’s biggest Jekyll and Hyde characters. Sounds like Manny can be a good teammate when he wants to, but does anyone really think he can actually stay happy and focused for six years? I still have a hard time seeing him getting a contract of that length… what about everyone else? Thoughts on Manny?
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Sunday
As we await an offer from the Dodgers to Manny Ramirez, the notion is often floated that a six year contract for Manny is better suited for an American League team. There he can spend the latter half of his deal, presumably the final years of his career, transitioning to DH.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi confirmed that he has interest in Manny Ramirez. Rogers quotes Ricciardi: "I’ve always liked him," Ricciardi told the Toronto Sun. "But obviously getting him and liking him are two different things." We’ve heard this before here.
Rogers goes on to explain that if Manny is going to wind up on a team in Chicago, it would first require a trade. The Cubs will need to deal Alfonso Soriano, as we discussed last week, and the White Sox would need to trade Paul Konerko or Jermaine Dye for either team to be able to afford Ramirez. The article mentions a bad history between White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Scott Boras, but it does give credit to Ken Williams’ craftiness and Manny’s power potential as a righty in U.S. Cellular Field. Jim Thome and Manny hitting back-to-back would be imposing to say the least.
Odds and Ends: Iwase, Martin, Manny
Links for Saturday…
- Japanese reliever Hitoki Iwase will receive a multiyear offer from the Chunichi Dragons. If he turns it down, he’ll attract interest from MLB teams.
- Richard Justice describes the bad blood between former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker and owner Drayton McLane.
- SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to a "Dodgers-connected person" who believes Russell Martin was "just another catcher" this year. Mitchel Lichtman does not agree.
- Heyman named the Orioles as a potential Manny Ramirez suitor, but Roch Kubatko finds a signing highly unlikely.
Colletti: No Offer To Manny Yet
SATURDAY: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says both reports about the Dodgers preparing or offering a two-year deal to Ramirez in the $55-60MM range are fiction. Colletti says the Dodgers haven’t even discussed the length or salary of their offer internally.
Colletti plans to meet with Scott Boras in the near future, and both Ramirez and Derek Lowe will be discussed. Colletti’s heard Lowe wants to move to the East Coast, however.
FRIDAY: According to Bart Hubbuch, George King, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Dodgers offered Manny Ramirez a two-year, $60MM contract. Their sources believe this offer was made to appease fans, as it has no chance of being accepted. Still, $30MM a year is nothing to sneeze at.
ESPN’s Buster Olney notes that the highest-paid outfielder in the game in 2008 (present-day value) was Torii Hunter at just $18MM. He considers it "a little nuts" to be talking about paying Manny A-Rod money.
Blue Jays Rumors: Burnett, Manny, Ryan
10:07pm: Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution heard the Blue Jays will make Burnett a "take it or leave it" offer of four years, $54MM ($13.5MM per year). Burnett’s agent hasn’t heard that, and Ricciardi says there’s no offer on the table currently. Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail says the Jays have indicated privately they’ll do a three-year, $48MM deal ($16MM per year). On the open market, Burnett can probably get four or five years at a higher salary.
10:06am: A little more on Ricciardi’s talks with Burnett’s agent. Here, Ricciardi says talks have been "very productive." But here, Ricciardi says they’re "not going bad, they’re not going good. They’re fine."
8:42am: Talking to Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi gives the standard line of being willing to trade any player if it makes the team better. Beyond that, he gave some quotes about his offseason plans.
- Ricciardi says payroll will be $100MM, which should mean $15MM+ to spend after A.J. Burnett leaves for greener pastures. Ricciardi may allow for uncertainty in the rotation and spend that money on a slugger. He likes Manny Ramirez, but doesn’t sound optimistic on signing him.
- Burnett hasn’t officially decided whether to opt out, but…c’mon. The Jays’ exclusive window to talk to him will depend on when he opts out. Burnett’s agent set salary expectations at more than Derek Lowe, less than C.C. Sabathia.
- Ricciardi says trading B.J. Ryan is not a priority for the Jays at present.
- To sum it all up: Burnett is a long shot, he won’t be replaced with another free agent starter, Manny is unlikely, Marco Scutaro is the shortstop, and Ryan is probably staying put. If all of those things hold true, it may be difficult to improve in 2008. On the other hand, full seasons of Vernon Wells, Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, Travis Snider, and a free agent hitter could result in a decent offense.
Heyman’s Latest: Manny, Holliday, Peavy
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new rumor-packed article up.
- Heyman suggests the battle for the three elite free agents – Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and C.C. Sabathia – will mostly be fought by the New York and Los Angeles clubs. Heyman talked to one GM who believes the country’s economic situation will not affect the big names but could be bad for the lower-tier guys.
- Heyman’s potential Manny suitors: the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Phillies. The Phillies’ interest will depend on whether Pat Burrell stays. I’m not sure why the Orioles would be in the mix.
- The Rockies are "very likely" to trade Matt Holliday. The Rox would be willing to sign Holliday for five years and $100MM, but that won’t cut it. The team’s focus in a trade will be a young starter. Heyman echoes a Ken Rosenthal thought from a few months ago: surprising small-market teams may enter the Holliday bidding.
- Heyman has the Mets, Rangers, and Indians as teams looking at Brian Fuentes. The Mets are the favorite to sign him in the three-year, $36MM range.
- Jake Peavy has already turned down one American League team. Heyman believes hes particularly opposed to the Rangers and has mixed feelings about the Yankees. Peavy is reeling from the Padres’ decision to shop him.
- Heyman has unkind words for Luis Gonzalez, who may not be welcomed back to the D’Backs based on his "uneasy relationship" with Stephen Drew and Chris Young.
- Heyman does not think MLB has any evidence against Nationals GM Jim Bowden in the scout skimming scandal.
- Heyman gives Ruben Amaro a slight edge over Mike Arbuckle to replace Pat Gillick as Phillies GM.
- George W. Bush as baseball’s next commissioner? "Many have long believed" that Bush would like to be Bud Selig’s successor.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Manny, Peavy, Cubs
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- Sox and Pinstripes has eight questions the Red Sox must address this offseason including whether or not to re-sign Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield.
- Dodger Thoughts notes that there is not a lot of substance behind the rumors of the Dodgers offering Manny Ramirez a contract worth $60MM for two years.
- Fanhouse wonders if Ramirez could make more money in the long run if he signs a two-year deal with the Dodgers now.
- Gaslamp Ball wonders if the Padres are not getting the offers they expected for Jake Peavy and are starting to get "cold feet."
- Talking Chop notes that Frank Wren’s public posturing during the Peavy negotiations is in stark contrast to what Braves fans are accustomed.
- Bleed Cubbie Blue projects a Cubs ’09 roster, including Aubrey Huff at first base and Luke Scott in right field.
- The Sports Bank says the biggest need for the White Sox lineup is to add speed. They look at some potential moves and project an ’09 lineup that includes Rafael Furcal and Chone Figgins.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Davidoff’s Latest: Mussina, K-Rod, Manny
Ken Davidoff of Newsday has some new hot stove info in a blog post.
- Davidoff would be shocked if Mike Mussina does not retire. He expects a news conference after the World Series, and gives a 1% margin of error for his prediction. Bold prediction; Buster Olney felt differently in his blog a week ago. Yankees beat writer Peter Abraham agrees with Davidoff that Mussina will retire.
- The Mets apparently do not believe Francisco Rodriguez is worth his asking price. They’re also not intending to pursue Manny Ramirez. Not exciting news for fans, but Omar Minaya can’t acquire players based on media or fan pressure.
Odds and Ends: Schilling, Manny, Mateo
Links for Thursday…
- If Curt Schilling does a half-season next year, he apparently will not model it after Roger Clemens‘ approach.
- Drunk Jays Fans discusses Ken Rosenthal’s recent chat with J.P. Ricciardi.
- Richard Justice says some GMs complained privately that Ed Wade didn’t do a good job letting teams know Brad Lidge was available last year.
- The Adam Dunn trade pushed the D’Backs a little over budget. They don’t have much to spend this winter. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic elaborates on the topic.
- Dave Cameron looks at some free agent landmines, led by Manny Ramirez.
- The Giants voided their $625K contract with Dominican righty Luis Mateo after finding bone chips in his elbow.
Dodgers To Offer Shorter Term, Higher Salary To Manny?
SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to "people familiar with the Dodgers’ thinking" recently. One such person told Heyman the Dodgers may offer Manny Ramirez a short term with a very high annual salary, perhaps something like $55MM for two years. GM Ned Colletti has taken this approach in the past with free agents Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, and Andruw Jones.
Heyman’s sources say the Dodgers are "strongly disinclined" to give Manny five or six years. Colletti himself noted the Dodgers don’t have six-year contracts. However, "there are some who believe" Scott Boras won’t even sit down with a team offering four or fewer years. I can see Boras eventually finding a team willing to give four years.
Heyman lists six other potential suitors for Manny: the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Orioles, and Rangers. Some of those suggestions are questionable though.