Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
March 01, 2009
Competitive Negotiations

Jon Weisman suggests the Dodgers negotiations with Manny Ramirez stalled over more than deferred money:

In any case, I think that the media's and the fans' continued focus on the deferred money issue obscures the real story. I understand completely why people think it matters, because it seems like a sign of instability. But I don't think it really matters. The real story is not about who can't afford what, but rather, how badly each party wants to win.

It just seems much more likely that we remain stuck in something as basic as trench warfare between McCourt and Boras. This war can have winners. It should have winners. All it takes is someone hitting a home run or making an error, all it takes is the success or failure of someone's will -- or god forbid, compromise.

But who knows how long it will take? This is baseball, after all. We don't play by the clock.

If the problem is just deferred money, that's a problem that's easily fixed. Negotiations tend not to fall apart over something like when a player gets paid. If this is personal, as Weisman suggests, there's no telling what will be needed to bring the two sides together. In that case, any little problem becomes a reason not to agree.


Posted by David Pinto at 01:06 PM | Free Agents | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Thanks for the link, David. I think it's a combination of personal and business for McCourt. He thinks he can get a better deal on Ramirez, and he now really, really wants to.

Posted by: Jon Weisman at March 1, 2009 01:53 PM

I've said this before: Dodgers' management in recent years has either been inspired or mind-numbingly stupid--with rather more of the latter. If they end up losing Manny over nickel and dime stuff--or a deep need to stick it to Boras--it will fall into the deeply stupid category. After they blew almost fifty million dollars to lock up the mighty Juan Pierre for five years, I really don't want to hear how giving Manny his money up front would be somehow unthinkable.

Posted by: M. Scott Eiland at March 1, 2009 02:47 PM

I thought the matter was pretty clear: Manny gets $45 million if he plays 2 years for the Dodgers. Another way to read it: Manny gets the second biggest paycheck in baseball if he plays 2 years for the Dodgers. Not to shabby. What's the "who wants it more" issue here...? I mean, did the Dodgers actually offer Manny the contract or not? If so, then the story is Manny wants more money. If not, then what the hell is this story?

Posted by: tas at March 1, 2009 04:08 PM

Eiland, your vast knowledge of Manny must go all the way back to Aug of 2008. To all LAD fans; if you really believe that what you saw of Manny for 2 months last year is in any way indicative of what he will reproduce with an extended contract, you're kidding yourselves.

Manny took months off on a contender! Not saying LAD is not, but do you have any idea how fast he will disappear if games become less meaningful?

After Schmidt, Pierre, Jones; with the terrible state of the LA economy, one would think the last thing a Dodger fan would want is for another questionable contract tying up the team's precious payroll.

Posted by: Dirty Water at March 1, 2009 04:59 PM

2 years is an extended contract? Unless anyone seriously thinks that Manny is heading for an Andruw Jones type implosion, it's hard to see the downside here. Setting aside the irrational hatred of Manny among the national sports media and Red Sox fans (yeah, that 136 OPS+ he was putting up in the first four months of 2008 was really wrecking the Sox), it's a two year contract for a thirty-six year old player. If he doesn't produce, it'll be his last one.

Posted by: M. Scott Eiland at March 1, 2009 05:52 PM

No, it will not be.

The impression Manny has left on this fan is that if he is "burdened" with a contract not of his liking (which 2 years $45m is not - because if it was he would still be in Boston. He reportedly wants 9 figures or a killer one year deal) he will cruise, dissatisfied, probably petulant, until, hopefully, something better develops. And then once it has, he will sit out games and months until LAD releases him.

Honestly, If I was McCourt my tact would be thus: Pay him what he wants or fagetaboutit.

So the question becomes, is Manny worth $100m over 4? Possibly. I kind of doubt it because of age and, of course, the present market, but he does keep himself in shape, and may still be the best RH bat in MLB when he's trying (I'm all for a Pujols-Manny cage match). I guess the question boils down to how happy playing in LA will make him.

This talk is all kinda moot though. He's going to the Yankees. That, I'm sure of.


Posted by: Dirty Water at March 1, 2009 08:10 PM
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