Two Option Decisions, Martin Stays Put, And Furcal Might Go Free
Fire Ned Colletti Now —
No surprise here, but the Dodgers declined the option on Gary Bennett. "The Dodgers declined the 2009 option for backup catcher Gary Bennett, paying a $50,000 buyout instead of exercising a $900,000 option."Apparently this happened early yesterday but I just didn't notice because...it's Gary Bennett. More importantly though, the Dodgers also declined the option on Brad Penny. "The Dodgers parted ways with Brad Penny today, deciding to pay him $2 million to walk away instead of ...
Your Move, Manny Boras
Sons of Steve Garvey —
... expressed a desire to test the market.
"I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I," he said then.
Gas prices have gone down sharply since then, his agent, Scott Boras, joked Wednesday.
"I believe that was a prognostication that was of a 24-hour period," Boras said. "Manny's stock career was short-lived."
Ramirez is 36, and the length of the contract could become as issue. Boras is said to be seeking a lengthy deal.
And from the LA Times:
Boras has said at the general managers' meetings ...
Are the Dodgers Bidding Against Anyone for Manny?
The Big Lead —
... He’s 36. The best right handed hitter in the game right now; one of the greatest ever. He put fannies in the seats at Chavez Ravine, helped the Dodgers to the NL West crown, and to a sweep of the mighty Cubs in the first round of the postseason. Though his past is littered with displays of contemptuous behavior, perhaps he left it in Boston. He’s a bat everyone could use. But who else can possibly match the Dodgers’ initial offer of about 3-years for $75 million? At that salary, he’d be second to A-Rod. ...
Contract Offers To Manny And Furcal
Fire Ned Colletti Now —
... This is a reluctant post, because ever since the Dodgers officially made some sort of contract offer, people having been speculating like crazy about what it was. Basically, I didn't want to be posting like 50 different rumors in the span of 24 hours. Sure enough, that's exactly what I would have had to do, because Tony Jackson posted 3 blog entries about it in 24 hours, the local news and newspapers were going crazy, and Peter Gammons was shitting his drawers (more than usual). ...
Dumb GMs Get Burned By the Hot Stove
The Big Lead —
... free agency. In the 53 games, he morphed into the best hitter in baseball, hitting .396/.489/.743 with 17 home runs, leading Torre’s men to the playoffs. Is he going to be that player next season or the guy with the Red Sox who was hitting about .295/.390/.500 with 30 HR, while taking 30 games off? He will be 37-years-old next season and 40 or 41 at the end of that contract. He also comes with the unique pleasures of associating with Manny Ramirez. Do you want your team committing $75 million to him?
CC Sabathia: CC, like Manny, ...
Starting Pitchers: Sox have Full Pitching Staff
MetsBlog.com —
... In November, the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Several club officials have questioned the severity of the shoulder problems… and blamed his 6-9 record and 6.27 earned-run average on what they called a poor work ethic.” ...
