Well, that was a fun two days of back and forth barbs from the Dodgers and Scott Boras. And so, as we approach Spring Training (pitchers and catchers report next weekend), as Tony Jackson of the Daily News so mildly put it about two hours ago: there's nothing new to report.
As I was preparing to sit down for dinner on Monday night (which comprised of roasted chicken with shell pasta in a light creamy white sauce for those of you nosey folks who are keeping score), we learned that the Dodgers had made what they called their third offer to lure Manny back to L.A. (Offer one: the two-year, $45MM offer made during the GM Meetings last November while the team still had exclusive negotiation rights with Manny; offer two: offering him arbitration in December, which would have arbitrarily made Manny a Dodger had he accepted it.) The initial reports suggested one-year, $25MM. Now that's a whole lotta cash if you ask me! The idea behind the offer was to give Manny the second highest annual salary in baseball history, and give him the opportunity to re-enter the market next year with a chance to to get the long-term deal he so covets in a potentially more stable economic environment, while he still has some years left in him.
Now, I'm not so sure what exactly Team Ned is trying to accomplish with Manny, but it came as no surprise to me that Manny rejected the deal not more than two hours later, as reports suggested once again. Some feel the Dodgers low-balled Manny. Some feel the offer was fair. I'm still on the fence as to which one it was, but one thing is still very clear to me: the Dodgers need Manny.
I have been reading from several baseball people online since Monday (and even before that from one or two others) that the Dodgers should just forget about Manny altogether, and move on to their Plan B. This apparently constitutes signing three guys instead of one: Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson and Randy Wolf instead of Manny. Well, let's break this down for a minute here.
The Dodgers were already negotiating with Wolf, anyway, and are so close to inking the veteran southpaw, you can almost smell it in the L.A. smog. Signing Orlando Hudson would have made sense had they not re-signed Casey Blake back in December. But if you sign O-Dog now, where does that leave Blake DeWitt? Not to mention, we heard him campaigning on the new MLB Network on Monday night hoping that one of the two New York teams could make room for him. So does that mean he really has no interest in L.A. at all, even though they're "talking"? And let's get one other thing straight here: Adam Dunn is no Manny Ramirez. Sure, Dunn can hit 40 homeruns a year, and he has an insane knack for getting on base, which is rather shocking considering he's about a .240 hitter. But there's more to hitting than just hitting 40 homeruns. Manny hits roughly 35 homeruns a year, with the same ability to get on base, but he's a .330 hitter. I just don't see how people can be content with the current version of Dave Kingman or Rob Deer instead of Manny Ramirez, or even make the comparisons. Frankly, Plan B, and C, and D, make no sense to me what-so-ever.
The Blue had an abysmal offense last year before Manny showed up. Sure, Raffy Furcal missed most of the season, and if he had been healthy, things might have been different. But they weren't. The Dodger pitching staff kept the team afloat in a very mediocre division until Manny arrived. And now, even if they do add Wolf to the mix, the rotation still isn't good enough to win the division without Manny. They don't have enough offense without Manny to overcome Arizona or San Francisco's pitching. That's just the reality of it. (Heck, even a miracle season by the $47MM man probably couldn't even help!)
Manny single-handedly changed the dynamics of the Dodger offense, the team, the clubhouse, even the city! He reminded the young players on this team that it's okay to have fun while playing, even during the down times. Manny brings so much more to the game than just his bat. He brough an excitement to the team that hasn't been seen really, since the days of Fernando-mania (sans "Game Over." if you want to include it). That's how much the team needs him in their lineup. Because without him, even if you add Dunn, Hudson and Wolf, the Guys are just another average team in an average division.
So back to the circus itself. Colletti & Co. and Manny's reps (and Wolf's) continue to talk, and will continue to chat. All I can say is, just get it done, Ned. Stop screwing around. I realize Manny's age (he'll be 37 next month) is an issue, especially in the senior circuit without the benefit of the extra hitter, and the fact Manny Being Manny comes with the package, so be smart about it, but get it done.
As I was preparing to sit down for dinner on Monday night (which comprised of roasted chicken with shell pasta in a light creamy white sauce for those of you nosey folks who are keeping score), we learned that the Dodgers had made what they called their third offer to lure Manny back to L.A. (Offer one: the two-year, $45MM offer made during the GM Meetings last November while the team still had exclusive negotiation rights with Manny; offer two: offering him arbitration in December, which would have arbitrarily made Manny a Dodger had he accepted it.) The initial reports suggested one-year, $25MM. Now that's a whole lotta cash if you ask me! The idea behind the offer was to give Manny the second highest annual salary in baseball history, and give him the opportunity to re-enter the market next year with a chance to to get the long-term deal he so covets in a potentially more stable economic environment, while he still has some years left in him.
Now, I'm not so sure what exactly Team Ned is trying to accomplish with Manny, but it came as no surprise to me that Manny rejected the deal not more than two hours later, as reports suggested once again. Some feel the Dodgers low-balled Manny. Some feel the offer was fair. I'm still on the fence as to which one it was, but one thing is still very clear to me: the Dodgers need Manny.
I have been reading from several baseball people online since Monday (and even before that from one or two others) that the Dodgers should just forget about Manny altogether, and move on to their Plan B. This apparently constitutes signing three guys instead of one: Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson and Randy Wolf instead of Manny. Well, let's break this down for a minute here.
The Dodgers were already negotiating with Wolf, anyway, and are so close to inking the veteran southpaw, you can almost smell it in the L.A. smog. Signing Orlando Hudson would have made sense had they not re-signed Casey Blake back in December. But if you sign O-Dog now, where does that leave Blake DeWitt? Not to mention, we heard him campaigning on the new MLB Network on Monday night hoping that one of the two New York teams could make room for him. So does that mean he really has no interest in L.A. at all, even though they're "talking"? And let's get one other thing straight here: Adam Dunn is no Manny Ramirez. Sure, Dunn can hit 40 homeruns a year, and he has an insane knack for getting on base, which is rather shocking considering he's about a .240 hitter. But there's more to hitting than just hitting 40 homeruns. Manny hits roughly 35 homeruns a year, with the same ability to get on base, but he's a .330 hitter. I just don't see how people can be content with the current version of Dave Kingman or Rob Deer instead of Manny Ramirez, or even make the comparisons. Frankly, Plan B, and C, and D, make no sense to me what-so-ever.
The Blue had an abysmal offense last year before Manny showed up. Sure, Raffy Furcal missed most of the season, and if he had been healthy, things might have been different. But they weren't. The Dodger pitching staff kept the team afloat in a very mediocre division until Manny arrived. And now, even if they do add Wolf to the mix, the rotation still isn't good enough to win the division without Manny. They don't have enough offense without Manny to overcome Arizona or San Francisco's pitching. That's just the reality of it. (Heck, even a miracle season by the $47MM man probably couldn't even help!)
Manny single-handedly changed the dynamics of the Dodger offense, the team, the clubhouse, even the city! He reminded the young players on this team that it's okay to have fun while playing, even during the down times. Manny brings so much more to the game than just his bat. He brough an excitement to the team that hasn't been seen really, since the days of Fernando-mania (sans "Game Over." if you want to include it). That's how much the team needs him in their lineup. Because without him, even if you add Dunn, Hudson and Wolf, the Guys are just another average team in an average division.
So back to the circus itself. Colletti & Co. and Manny's reps (and Wolf's) continue to talk, and will continue to chat. All I can say is, just get it done, Ned. Stop screwing around. I realize Manny's age (he'll be 37 next month) is an issue, especially in the senior circuit without the benefit of the extra hitter, and the fact Manny Being Manny comes with the package, so be smart about it, but get it done.
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