Looks like the Dodgers are tired of playing the waiting game with Manny Ramirez. Sources say that the Dodgers have made an offer to Adam Dunn, which leads me to believe that if Dunn signs they aren't goign to shell out the 45 mil over 2 seasons that they originally offered.
The interesting thing is that the teams who have the cash to spend on Manny, have either spent it on other players (Phillies - Ibanez | Yankees - Texeria) or simply have no interest in Manny (Cubs, Mets, Red Sox [now that would be comical]).
Will Manny have to settle for a one year deal, and really just shut up and play this year?
Manny was quoted just after the season as saying something along the lines of 'gas is going up and so am I'. Well Manny, unless you haven't noticed gas prices have dropped and yours will have to as well.
Monday, December 29
Time To Pack Manny
Monday, November 3
Manny Being Manny
"I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I." ~Manny Ramirez from an October 16, 2008 LA Times interview
I haven't decided how badly I want the Mets to make a play for Manny. I guess if it happens, I wouldn't turn my nose up...but I'm not gonna break out a party hat either.
-boogie
Thursday, October 16
Phillies clinch, but who cares?
The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL Pennant last night, knocking off the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5. The Phillies are going to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. Baseball fans everywhere except Philly could care less.
::YAWN::
Once the Phillies knocked off the Dodgers, only one question started running through all our minds: Where will Manny Ramirez end up next year?? That's what we all really want to know at this point, right?
I'm so incredibly uninterested in the NL right now, its not even funny. Who cares, really! As if it makes a difference who the Tampa Bay Rays play in the World Series. No one's stopping them this season, and I mean no one!
Tampa Bay: Do this New Yorker a favor, will ya? Finish off the Sox tonight so you can skip ahead to crushing the Phillies in the Fall Classic. The longer they stay in it, the more shit I have to listen to them talk next season. As if the division wasn't enough, now I have to put up with their "National League Champions" t-shirts? This has gone on long enough. Handle your business. Thanks.
-boogie
Saturday, August 9
The Future Is In Good Hands
Growing up just a hop, skip and a jump from Hoboken, NJ (where the first baseball game in U.S. history took place), you can be damn sure that's a big part of the reason I consider myself a bit of a baseball purist. This is why I hate the American League and their piece of garbage DH rule. This is why I would like to bitchslap Barry Bonds and why bat corking is tantamount to felony to me. While I am not as extreme as some (let's get Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame, for God's sake!), it is why today I am so happy to be a fan of a little franchise called the New York Mets.
With the trading deadline just having passed, it is easy for all of us armchair general managers to reflect on what we would have done. The Mets this year let the deadline pass with zero fanfare. Not only did they not make a trade, but they were nearly absent from the preceding rumor mill. Instead, the Mets ballclub has made the decision to pull from the seemingly exceptional talent within their minor league system. And I couldn't be prouder.
Some teams elected to make some big trades, most notably the Yankees acquiring Pudge Rodriguez and the Dodgers acquisition of Manny "Just Being Manny" Ramirez. While both these dudes are phenomenal assets to any team, one has to wonder the real logic within this. Sure, these guys are filling holes within their brand spanking new teams and have already upped the bar for the level of play on each of their teams.
But at what cost? The Dodgers are paying out something like $20 million dollars a year to get Manny on the field. Manny, having a 14 year career already BEHIND him, has what, maybe 4 years left on the playing field? Great, so if 80 million dollars later, the Dodgers haven't won a Series, they are then left with nothing. The clock is ticking on Ramirez. Now I couldn't find exactly what Mets unstoppable rookie Dan Murphy is bringing in, but it can't be more than $322K a year, which is what my beloved D Dubs made his first year. That is literally less than 1/60th of what Ramirez is raking in.
Now let's look at some numbers. While these statistics are going to skew a tiny bit unfairly as Ramirez has played in more games as a Dodger than Dan has as a Met, they are pretty damn close. Little Murphy, after 5 games, is batting .500 for the New York Mets. Manny is batting .458 since joining the Dodgers, with 4 homeruns. Fucking ridiculous stat? Yes. But I will take Murph at 1/60th the cost with a higher batting average any day of the week. And not only that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Mets will employ the services of the phenom from Jacksonville for the next 15-20 years. Who got the better bargain? Give me a damn break.
Long story made even longer, use your minor league systems. That's what they're there for. Trading be damned, I would rather see a team utilize all their resources and build a club that's going to look damn good for the next 20 years rather than blowing my load on a guy like Manny who will be a distant memory just as a guy like Murphy hits his stride.
Oh, and the Dodgers? 4-3 since Manny joining the team and if they were in the Mets division, they would still be 3 games back and 20 million more in debt. Enjoy your purchase.
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