The Dodgers have essentially sat back and called the bluff of the San Francisco Giants and Scott Boras — you really want to go way over budget for Manny Ramirez? Then do it.
Maybe the reason they feel so comfortable is that next year’s profits can come from people who want to see the team play, and will pay to do it whether Manny is dropping balls in left field or not.
The Dodgers will meet or beat their season-ticket sales from last year even if they do not sign Ramirez, chief operating officer Dennis Mannion said.
The club projects to sell about 24,000 season tickets, the same as last year, he said. The sales pace is ahead of last year, he said, citing the Dodgers' first trip to the NL championship series in 20 years and the price freeze on season tickets.
"We've had plenty of 'Hope you sign Manny' but not 'You won't see a penny from me if you don't,' " Mannion said.
That is not to say the Dodgers couldn’t use Ramirez — they need a big bat outfielder and there is no bigger bat on the market than Manny. Plus, a few thousand more season seats likely would be sold with him in the fold.
But all the leverage in the negotiations remains with the Dodgers. While rumors fly about concerning Ramirez and the Giants, the beat reporters closest to the team continue to call it a long shot. Which means those sure-thing rumors are coming from somewhere else, although I’m sure no self-respecting agent would leak false information. Nope, that would never happen.
So the Dodgers continue to talk to Boras, and wait for Team Manny to realize that Los Angeles is the only real game in town.
