Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers are all over the news. The problem is that we still don’t really know what’s going on. It all depends on who you talk to. Enrique Rojas reported that Manny Ramirez had signed a 2 year, $45 million contract but another reporter from the very same network contested the report. When contacted in regards to the alleged deal, here’s what agent Scott Boras had to say:
“We are in discussions and we have no deal in place.” –Jerry Crasnick from ESPN.com
First of all, you have to take everything Boras says with a grain of salt. Boras might be the worst of the lot, but you can never trust what an agent says. But at this point, he could be trying to squeeze the last few concessions out of the Dodgers. Whatever the motives for his most recent comment, it’s not something that I’d trust as gospel.
After checking out all of the available reports that are floating around, it’s safe to say that the two sides are closer than they have been all winter. Tony Jackson of the Daily News has the best run-down of the current situation:
“Manny IS on his way to Los Angeles tonight, just as Enrique Rojas reported on ESPN. Manny IS willing to accept some form of what the Dodgers offered him last Wednesday, a two-year, $45 million deal with $25 million the first year, $20 million the second year and an opt-out. That offer IS back on the table, even though it has been taken off the table last week. But there is no actual agreement in place YET, because Dodgers officials want to meet with Manny face to face, presumably tomorrow morning, before making this thing happen. Given this player’s history and the fact he didn’t get anything close to what he thought he was going to get on the open market this winter, I believe they simply want to gauge how he is dealing with that fact emotionally. Once that happens, if everybody likes what they hear, this deal will get done.” –Tony Jackson (Inside the Dodgers)
Who knows if there's a deal or not
All of the fans in Los Angeles should be happy to hear that this mess looks like it’s finally coming to a conclusion. But more than just blindly signing Ramirez, I love that they’re bringing him in to see him face to face before they finalize the deal. The biggest question with Manny Ramirez isn’t his talent or ability to hit a baseball—its whether he’s going to be there mentally for his team. Jackson nailed the most important part of this story at this point: Ramirez isn’t getting the money he expected to get with this contract. With his recent past in Boston, it’s important to know which Manny Ramirez is signing on the dotted line. Is it going to be the motivated Manny that was a monster for the last 2 months of the season in Los Angeles? Or is it going to be the player that was shoving traveling secretaries and wanted out of Boston?
As these negotiations have increasingly become nastier and more public, the biggest concern has been the effect it would have on Ramirez. Ned Colletti and Frank McCourt should get their answer during their face-to-face meeting before they contract is sign. For all of us, hopefully this is finally coming to a merciful ending. After an offseason of steroids and contract negotiations, maybe we can finally focus on baseball!
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
