Manny doing himself disservice by balking at Dodgers

Manny Ramirez turned down another Dodgers' offer. Why? He's not going to get another year or a sudden drastic increase in money from his only suitor.

It is almost March and Manny Ramirez is without a job. He has received multiple offers from his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, but none from any other. Teams aren’t lining up at Ramirez’s door to sign a sure-fire Hall of Famer and one of the best ever? At first, I found this inexcusable, primarily because of his offensive outburst (to say the least) during the second half of last season. Yet, once I came to my senses, I realized how every “Manny being Manny saga,” as well as his ugly departure from Boston, affected his already-tarnished reputation. There is no doubt that he will end up with the Dodgers, (unless the San Francisco Giants swoop in), but he, as well as his agent, Scott Boras, are currently satisfied in playing a prolonged game of cat-and-mouse.

Los Angeles offered Ramirez a 2-year, $45 million dollar deal at the beginning of the off-season, and now, in the midst of spring training, have done so again. This offer certainly should have been enticing, but Ramirez and Boras were underwhelmed. Boras reportedly wanted the obscene for his client, meaning a four-year contract for $100 million dollars. No one, not even the disgustingly rich New York Yankees, would be willing to dole out his amount of cash. So, they intelligently lowered their standards.

These standards, however, were still too high. Boras wanted too much, while Ramirez was content in watching the Dodgers brass sweat. Los Angeles stuck to their offer, unable to guarantee a third year, and extended it one more time. Once again, the duo rejected it, as Boras wanted $5 million dollars more per year for Ramirez. Unfairly, the Dodgers will have to answer Boras and Ramirez’s demands.

A majority of the time, Boras gets his wish. Before this inevitably happens, he makes his clients appear greedy and egotistical. Many already possess these traits, but Boras has a way of making them public. Now, in Ramirez’s case, his antics, poor demeanor, and commitment issues were common knowledge prior to his entrance into free agency. Yet, in spite of these attributes, Ramirez would have plenty of suitors if not for his manipulative behavior towards the Red Sox. His revitalization with Los Angeles clearly hurt rather than helped his already battered image.

Unlike other contending teams, the Dodgers need his production badly. They have no choice but to ante up, especially because their other options, sluggers Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu, have signed elsewhere. Yet, since Ramirez is supposedly offended the $23 million dollar’s he would make annually, Los Angeles may get tired of his cold shoulder and give up. Though they would be depleted if they did so, I wouldn’t blame them.

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