Manny Ramirez close to signing with Dodgers?

Got a call around noon, from a source saying that Manny Ramirez (pictured at right) and the Dodgers were close to agreement on a new contract. This wasn't the usual "tip," from some guy who heard this from his neighbor, who knows the guy who lives next to the guy who runs the Little League to which Manny once donated batting gloves.

This source warranted our attention, in part because we believed he might actually know and in part because of the specifics of his information. He said the contract would be for two guaranteed years, with a third-year vesting option -- that is, the third year would become guaranteed if Ramirez reached a specific number of games played or plate appearances in the first two years.

However, since the source did not have the last name of McCourt, Colletti, Boras or Ramirez, we set out to try to confirm the information. Dylan Hernandez, on site at the Dodgers' spring camp in Arizona, and I made a round of calls.

Long story short: It all makes sense, but no confirmation.

Here's what Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez, told Hernandez: "I'm not going to address that."

Here's what Ned Colletti, the Dodgers' general manager, told Hernandez: "I think you'd be foolish" to print the unverified information.

Still, it is not unreasonable to believe the negotiations are approaching the end game.

The Dodgers open Cactus League play Wednesday; Boras previously told The Times he expected Ramirez to be signed in time for spring training. "When I talk about spring training, I talk about when the games begin," Boras said.

Colletti said Saturday that his talks with Boras had gotten "more frequent and longer" in recent days.

No team besides the Dodgers has acknowledged making an offer to Ramirez. The Giants are the only other team even to acknowledge interest, and San Francisco General Manager Brian Sabean said Monday that Ramirez is on the "back burner" there, according to CBS Sports.

In recent days, Boras has focused his comments less on the possibility that Ramirez would sign elsewhere and more on a public warning that the Dodgers would not win without him (see here and here.) At the same time, however, Dodgers Manager Joe Torre has maintained regular contact with Ramirez, and the Ramirez camp has been mindful of not saying anything that would alienate the Dodgers entirely.

Perhaps more importantly: With Garret Anderson and Joe Crede signing in the past few days and Ivan Rodriguez indicating his desire to defer contract talks until after the World Baseball Classic, Ramirez is the only major Boras client still unsigned.

The rumored latest offer is said to be similar to the Dodgers' first offer, back in November: two guaranteed years at $45 million, with a third-year option for another $15 million.

Boras rejected that bid and said he would solicit "serious offers," with Ramirez seeking a deal of four to six years and an annual salary similar to that of the game's highest-paid player -- Alex Rodriguez, at $27.5 million.

In December, Ramirez rejected the Dodgers' offer for a one-year contract with a salary determined by arbitration. He also rejected a one-year, $25-million offer from the Dodgers at the start of this month.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Lisa]

Manny is NOT the guy to save the Dodgers. We need pitching, not a sloppy left-fielder! Juan Pierre can do the job better in the field and run the bases to boot. I'm putting my money on Loney, Kemp and Eithier to hit the long ball, and Juan to be on base and get his butt home... I'll be soooo sad if that lazy sack, Manny, takes Juan's job away again this season. Wake up people! The only way the Dodgers should take this man, who only wants to further his personal records, and doesn't give a fig about helping the 'team,' is if he signs on for ONE dollar a year, and is given a $5 million bonus if he gets us to the NLDS, another $8 million or so if he leads us to the NLCS , and $12 - 15 million if he takes the team to the World Series. What say ye, people? I'm sick of seeing that off-the-wall crap in left field. He's 37 and he' s NOT A-Rod.

[justin jordan]

The thing about the proposed deal that does not make sense is the value of the third year. It seems odd that Manny would work hard to reach certain incentives in order to take a $7.5 million pay cut.

[Daniel]

The Dodgers need Manny because they need to win now!! It has been way to long since 1988, It was awesome to see the Blue Crew get to the NLCS last year but if they don't sign Manny they will finish 3rd or 4th in the division. Yes they need pitching but there isn't much out there right now so let's get the offense and stay close until the trade deadline to try and get a pitcher. I'm sorry I love Ethier, Loney, Kemp, and Martin but they are not going to get the Dodgers over the hump!! Pierre, well I would rather have 40 home runs in the middle of the lineup.

[LAFan95]

Lisa: That was a beautiful bit of satire there (I hope). Juan Pierre more valuable than Manny Ramirez? Wow. I don't even know where to begin.

Juan Pierre had the worst OPS for a NL LF last year. Care to guess who had the best? You act as if Juan will win a gold glove next year. He is average, at best. He takes terrible jumps at balls but can sometimes make up for it with his speed.

Yeah, Juan can run the bases, but what good does that do if he can't get on base to begin with. He had one of the worst OBP of any "leadoff hitter" I have ever seen. And you think that Loney, Kemp, Ethier, etc, will do an adequate job driving in runs but no one is there to score them? Hudson and Furcal can do what you want Pierre to do and do it better. Quite frankly, those two make Pierre obsolete.

I do share your concern for the pitching staff, however.

[LAFan95]

Lisa: That was a beautiful bit of satire there (I hope). Juan Pierre more valuable than Manny Ramirez? Wow. I don't even know where to begin.

Juan Pierre had the worst OPS for a NL LF last year. Care to guess who had the best? You act as if Juan will win a gold glove next year. He is average, at best. He takes terrible jumps at balls but can sometimes make up for it with his speed.

Yeah, Juan can run the bases, but what good does that do if he can't get on base to begin with. He had one of the worst OBP of any "leadoff hitter" I have ever seen. And you think that Loney, Kemp, Ethier, etc, will do an adequate job driving in runs but no one is there to score them? Hudson and Furcal can do what you want Pierre to do and do it better. Quite frankly, those two make Pierre obsolete.

I do share your concern for the pitching staff, however.

[DC]

Manny has proven to be very durable over the years, so hitting the incentives to trigger a third year is quite plausible. However, by age 40 he will be the highest paid .250 hitter in baseball. Dodgers should make the incentives based on milestones in addition to games played: HR, RBI, extra base hits. I would expect 60 HR and 200 RBI over 2 years (well within his career averages) in order to justify the value of a third year. Otherwise, he could be in sharp decline but still playing every day. One garbage year at the end of the contract is quite enough.

[Mark Jaffe]

Los Angeles loves Manny Ramirez. He has won our hearts and we hope to have won his.

[Kid]

You're right! He isn't A-Roid... He is all natural and is spectacular in the clutch... and on top of that, has 2... that's TWO World Series rings... all of which, A-Fraud does not have. Lazy... get you're facts straight... He is known around the league as one of the hardest workers of his craft!!! Are you really a Dodger fan? Or did you just miss what he did last year for Los Angeles...? The likes of which us Angelinos have not scene since Michael Jacksons heyday. I dunno about you, but I wanna win... That would be with Manny!

[Tony]

Lisa,

Please wake up from whatever dream world you have been living in. I live in Denver and have had the misfortune of watching Pierre play for the Rockies and now the Dodgers who are my team (I actually got to go to one of the 77 world series games as a young kid). Juan Pierre is soooooo overpayed and is such a liability in the outfield and can't hit for power to save his life and is such a huge whiner that it just makes me want to scream when people actually say things like you have posted. Juan did nothing but whine last season when he sat (he only missed 40+ games) and then this off-season he had the nerve to complain and ask for a trade saying that he "didn't feel he contributed". Poor baby! He has the weakest arm of any of the outfielders, (I can throw farther than he can), and when he played consistently in center 2 years ago, the Dodgers lost games because he allowed so many runs to score since opposing baserunners knew he couldn't make the long throws. He will be better in left since the throws are shorter, but he doesn't bring the desparately needed power hitting. Manny more than makes up for his defensive problems (which are way overblown - look at his fantasy ratings) with his offense. This lineup with Manny in it will scare people and will put up runs, plus the younger guys will get another season of learning from him, which pays for his salary by itself. I fully understand Manny's psyche/motivation problems and I do believe he is selfish as exemplified by his comments this offseason about wanting to get to 3000 hits and 700 homeruns but said nothing about a championship. Nevertheless, the Dodgers are way better with him in the lineup. And if the rumors are close to being true, at the salary he will have, the Dodgers will legitimately have an option to trade him next offseason if he is causing clubhouse problems, which I sincerely believe he will not. Finally, if Pierre is so great, why did the Dodgers sign Hudson? That signing, even without Manny, more than likely pushes Pierre out of a starting position. And Lisa, Manny is the best right-handed hitter of this generation. He will finish in the top 10 of almost every major hitting record in league history. He is worth the money and is better than A-Rod because Manny delivers in the post-season whereas A-Rod chokes more than a hypochondriac.

[dude]

"Manny is NOT the guy to save the Dodgers. We need pitching, not a sloppy left-fielder! Juan Pierre can do the job better in the field and run the bases to boot."

This is easily the silliest thing I have ever read. Juan Pierre is terrible.

[Dodger Dude]

Believe it when I see it. Sounds encouraging. I would believe the remaining negotiations would be the price of that third year option for Manny and where the incentives are. Don't sign him because of his fielding, ha ha, that's a good one.

[Ronnie]

I am a Boston native and a Red Sox but please listen. Manny cares about nobody. He's a joke. Let me be clear though he is a great hitter. My problem is he only cares about Manny. Boston fans loved him and even found a way to like him through all the stupid things he did. I can't remember another player the fans let slide on foolish behavior. LA fans let him go because with all the respect we gave him as fans and I include the red sox organization, he will let you all down someday. Just go backbon history and see what he said about the Boston fans.

He is supposed to be a roll model, but he is far from it. To bad we can't deport him.

[Norm]

Can't agree w/you Lisa. As a guy who went to about 1/2 the Dodgers home games down the stretch, and all the postseason home games, I saw a guy with great power and an amazing eye who's very tough to pitch around (save for intentionally walking him), that earns his paycheck. Of course, as a ticket buyer, I don't look forward to paying more either, especially now, so the Dodgers still have to keep their offer reasonable. But assuming Boras is willing to be reasonable (which we unfortunately canNOT assume), the Dodgers need to get this deal done. Go Blue!!!

[Aaron]

Because that pays him $20,000,000 per year not including any bonuses.

[Ken Hancock]

Let manny go!! He cares only about himself as he showed when he gave up in Boston.

Acted like a baby and I'm shocked any team would want him!

[doughdoc]

Manny signs and Mannywood begins again (a positive). Spring training ticket sales (who wouldn't want to see Manny bat up close), Dodger sponsers, talk show hype, everything the Dodgers need right now. He makes everyone better around him. With Joe as his manager he stays level (level for Manny) and what happenned in Boston won't happen again; Boston writers overstate everything anyway and they probably drove hime away. The sooner he's signed, the better. The Dodgers will make their money back, no problem, and probably in no time.

[anthony]

This is very simple for any true DODGER Fan you keep Manny and the chances of going to the big dance are better then ever. So lets get it done and put us true fans at ease.

[justthefactsplease]

Manny is no sloppy left fielder . . . as one of the posts stated here. Go to stats and look at Willy Mays and you will see Manny has less errors!!!

I have followed Ramirez from the day he started in MLB. He is no doubt Hall of Fame bound and he can frustrate the best day from the best pitchers in the league forcing them to throw 9 to 14 pitches and then blasting a homer or a base hit thereby turning the game around . . . Aside from being "the" RBI KIng of the Majors, holding so many MLB all time records including grand slams and post season homers, and a career batting average that is beyond words, not to mention home runs, Manny comes in every day, plays hard and enjoys baseball in a very humble fashion. Only recent years have gotten the Manny will be Manny thing going etc. The fact is he had trouble with English for years and always avoided the press. They should leave him alone and just watch him play.

Another Fact: Manny loves LA and LA loves Manny, In no way did the press in Cleveland or Boston EVER give Manny that amount of support and love, AND MANNY NEEDS THAT. Manny will always be a "kid." G-D bless him, but hopefully he will give in a bit now on the negotiations because he has found a home in LA and one that likes his hair too!!! Manny, pin stripes in the Bronx . . . be careful what you wish for . . . I would rather see you come home to the Marlins, but for now and maybe the rest of your MLB days, based upon your stellar peformance last year, STAY WITH LA, and tell Boras to come down some . . . Money is NOT everything, and you of all people know that so well. Enjoy the season . . . it is only a game and you play is so so so well! We love you Manny.

P.S. The only player ever that has achieved your batting stance and swing - my son, who will be starting high school next year and we expect he will one day be in the MLB or NFL! You set a great example of how talent must include HARD WORK AND CONSISTENT EFFORT. THANK YOU MANNY.

[Ryan]

First let's remember that the Dodgers are in probably the most docile division in baseball. Colorado caught fire at the end of the season 2 years ago because of the poor play of every other team in the west. The Dodgers wouldn't have even been in the playoffs had it not been for Arizona's in ability to put the Dodgers away when they were under .500 up until late July. The division is terrible.

That being said, Billingsley is getting better each year and would have more wins had it not been for the lack of offense by the dodgers prior to Manny. There is no one available on the market with that kind of offensive ability. He has a fantastic OPS, and also provides the intangibles for the lineup. He gives protection to the hitters in front of him and can make the pitcher struggle in finding ways to keep guys off the bases when he is in the lineup. Defense in the field is completely overrated and rarely effects the outcome of a game. Errors seldom lead to runs or game changing events in the MLB, and while his range is not fantastic it is good enough to protect against guys taking 2nd on a single, something that often happens on Juan Pierre.

Manny may not be A-Rod, but he puts the meat in the seats at Dodger Stadium and that could help come the Trade Deadline. If the dodgers can find a way to get more pitching at the deadline, while playing slightly above .500 ball then they could run away with the division in the 2nd half again. All roads lead to signing Mann-Ram, he's the best player still on the market.

[jt]

Manny being manny ha. That means more HR RBI and more seats sold at dodgers stadium . Get it through your head mannys worth every penny. If I was the owner, ill give him 5 years 20 mils a peace. Man I woul love to catch mannys 600 HR at Dodgers stadium.

[Gulliver]

I would prefer that people who want Pierre to start not be Dodgers fans. He was the worst hitter in the majors in LF for players with 300+ ABs.

[eagleball]

If the Dodgers don't sign Manny, who is going to be the cut-off man for balls hit into the gap in l/cfield?

[eagleball]

for Ronnie the chowd;

"LA fans let him go because with all the respect we gave him as fans and I include the red sox organization, he will let you all down someday. Just go backbon history and see what he said about the Boston fans."

turn the freaking page!

[sjaycapone]

I feel bad for you Dodger Fans. If I was a fan of your team (loved the Strawberry Days) I would hope the the ownership goes in a different direction. I'm a diehard Sox fan and was crushed when Manny was sent packing. It was not till these contract negotiations have I changed my feelings. The deals he has been turning down is an insult to your Franchise. They could invest the money he wants into 3-5 players. All that you'll have to worry about if he gets what he wants is if he'll give up on your team like he did the Sox. He had it made in Boston just not the guarantee money. If your owners are smart they'll stop the offers and if anything is presented in his price range it should be year to year. Anyway thanks for taking our problem. Love Jason Bay, maybe if you don't sign Manny you can get a couple players like him? Checkout what New England thinks about Manny www.izzopac.blogspot.com

[goodvbns]

From Red Sox Nation...watching the Manny show with a keen interest. It won't be long b4 it gets to be like Beverly Hillbilly reruns. Manny is not from this Galaxy so do not try to understand him. Great hitter :power and avg. He willl not steal bases. Occasional baserunning error Fielding...sometimes it is a comedy of errors. Avg arm at best.Great if you don't care if the Dodgers win the game. Don't know what all the money isfor when he only hits. He ani't no Willie Mays. Say hey Manny.

Larry in N.H.