Ned Colletti and the Dodgers made public that they were starting to consider life after Manny, and while that may be the most transparent ploy in the history of man to get Uber-Agent Scott Boras to pick up the phone, it worked.
Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez, said he contacted the Dodgers Tuesday, one day after General Manager Ned Colletti told The Times that Ramirez remained "our first choice." The Times also reported the Dodgers had begun exploring possible alternatives in Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn.
Boras said he expected the market for Ramirez to start taking shape soon, with the end of the holiday season and the signing of Mark Teixeira, the most coveted hitter among free agents, by the New York Yankees.
I hate to break this to Boras, but the market for Manny has already been set. The Dodgers offered two years, $45 million (a deal that is now off the table). Nobody else has made an offer. That’s not so much the holidays as a lack of interest. Maybe the Dodgers could be talked into a third year that is vested (meaning Ramirez would have to hit benchmarks in year two to get year three). But that's a maybe.
There is no four-year, $100 million deal to be had. Sorry about that Manny, but you made this bed. Time to stop posturing, sit down and talk “Let’s Make A Deal.”
