At first glance, it looked like you could ask this question: Why on earth would anyone turn down $45MM over two years? Sounds simple enough, right? Because that's exactly how it looked last night when it was learned that Scott Boras had rejected the latest offer for Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers.
Dodger owner Frank McCourt responded harshly by saying they weren't going to be bullied into negotiating against themselves, and gave Boras an ultimatum: Find the other 'serious offers' you so bluntly talked about in November, and we'll re-open negotiations with you.
Then this morning, we find out that the Dodgers wanted to defer much of their Wednesday offer for both the guaranteed first year, and the player-option second year. Ramirez was never going to get all $25MM in the first year of that contract, in the first year.
Boras responded with a letter to the media saying Ramirez was all set to accept the offer until they realized most of it would be deferred. The team was given a noon PT deadline to respond. That deadline has since come and gone, and we haven't heard anything, which leads me to believe they are still trying to iron out some kinks in the deal. Colletti said he's tried several times to reach Boras, to no avail, so what gives?
Well, here's what I don't get. What's the purpose of deferring the money? It's one thing if the situation was something like the Andruw Jones deal, where the team was just looking to get out from the contract and get rid of the player. But to ask a player you're trying to sign who could be the difference between a trip to the World Series and finishing around .500 to defer $15MM of a possible $25MM, makes no sense to me. The Dodgers claim the deferred money was always part of this, going back to the original two-year offer in November. But was it really? Seems kind of odd when this all just came to surface today.
Maybe it was McCourt's way of telling the fans should he wind up somewhere else, "Hey look, we tried very hard to sign the player." But as Tony Jackson said this morning, 'No Frank, you really didn't.'
Boras still claims there are other teams involved in the process. We know the Giants have publicly said they are monitoring the situation. But every other team that was rumored to have any interest in Manny shot down those rumors weeks ago. The Angels have already signed Bobby Abreu. The Mets supposedly have internal differences on whether they can actually make him an offer (GM Omar Minaya loves Manny, but ownership won't let it happen). The Yankees? Well they have a surplus of corner outfielders as it is, and plenty of options at DH. So who are the other teams?
I really think Boras is blowing smoke on this front, and I applaud the Dodgers for not taking the bait and bidding against themselves. But I also don't understand the purpose of asking Manny to defer so much money (unless you really can't afford to pay him $25MM all in one year).
I've said this before, and I'll say it again. One side or the other, or both, has to give up something, and right now, the most logical way to get this deal done is to compromise. It sounds to me like both sides are willing to do that, so let's get it done, and move on to more important things, like playing baseball.
Dodger owner Frank McCourt responded harshly by saying they weren't going to be bullied into negotiating against themselves, and gave Boras an ultimatum: Find the other 'serious offers' you so bluntly talked about in November, and we'll re-open negotiations with you.
Then this morning, we find out that the Dodgers wanted to defer much of their Wednesday offer for both the guaranteed first year, and the player-option second year. Ramirez was never going to get all $25MM in the first year of that contract, in the first year.
Boras responded with a letter to the media saying Ramirez was all set to accept the offer until they realized most of it would be deferred. The team was given a noon PT deadline to respond. That deadline has since come and gone, and we haven't heard anything, which leads me to believe they are still trying to iron out some kinks in the deal. Colletti said he's tried several times to reach Boras, to no avail, so what gives?
Well, here's what I don't get. What's the purpose of deferring the money? It's one thing if the situation was something like the Andruw Jones deal, where the team was just looking to get out from the contract and get rid of the player. But to ask a player you're trying to sign who could be the difference between a trip to the World Series and finishing around .500 to defer $15MM of a possible $25MM, makes no sense to me. The Dodgers claim the deferred money was always part of this, going back to the original two-year offer in November. But was it really? Seems kind of odd when this all just came to surface today.
Maybe it was McCourt's way of telling the fans should he wind up somewhere else, "Hey look, we tried very hard to sign the player." But as Tony Jackson said this morning, 'No Frank, you really didn't.'
Boras still claims there are other teams involved in the process. We know the Giants have publicly said they are monitoring the situation. But every other team that was rumored to have any interest in Manny shot down those rumors weeks ago. The Angels have already signed Bobby Abreu. The Mets supposedly have internal differences on whether they can actually make him an offer (GM Omar Minaya loves Manny, but ownership won't let it happen). The Yankees? Well they have a surplus of corner outfielders as it is, and plenty of options at DH. So who are the other teams?
I really think Boras is blowing smoke on this front, and I applaud the Dodgers for not taking the bait and bidding against themselves. But I also don't understand the purpose of asking Manny to defer so much money (unless you really can't afford to pay him $25MM all in one year).
I've said this before, and I'll say it again. One side or the other, or both, has to give up something, and right now, the most logical way to get this deal done is to compromise. It sounds to me like both sides are willing to do that, so let's get it done, and move on to more important things, like playing baseball.
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