Comments on Reflections of Blue: Value being redefined?

Taken from Buster Olney, ESPN.com:.....But so far,...

2008-12-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

Taken from Buster Olney, ESPN.com:

.....But so far, Ramirez is drifting through his free agency with no big-money shore in sight. The Dodgers made an offer of two years and $45 million, and after Boras did not respond, they withdrew the offer. They don't seem particularly inclined to dangle a bigger deal, especially because the market for corner outfielders appears depressed.

The Angels say they are out of the bidding, the Mets have indicated they are out and the Yankees are out. The Blue Jays appear to be inclined to reduce payroll rather than add, and they join the Padres, Rockies, Diamondbacks and other clubs in making cutbacks. The Brewers already have a productive left fielder in Ryan Braun. The Cubs have maxed out their spending for the winter and in any event couldn't consider an outfield of Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano. The Tigers are bloated and couldn't possibly think about an expensive addition such as Manny. The White Sox are trying to get younger. Oakland won't spend $20 million to $25 million on any one player, nor will the Indians, Twins, Rays, Royals, Pirates, etc., etc. The Cardinals are so flush with outfielders that they have considered trading one for a pitcher. Atlanta is flush with outfield prospects, and in any event, its greater concern is pitching. The Phillies are set, having landed Raul Ibanez.

One team has lots of money and a need. That team would be perfect for Manny: the Red Sox. But they will not be bidding.

The Nationals apparently have money to spend, and in theory, if they were to sign Ramirez, it could be an interesting play. He would be a lure for fans and would give a reason for folks to tune in to watch the Nationals, something that very few people did last season. But here's the quandary: For that gambit to pay off, Ramirez would have to play hard for the duration of his contract.

Would you be willing to bet $100 million on that?

Or even $40 million? Because as some general managers have said privately, a great concern they have about Ramirez is that if you give him a deal of two or more years that is worth far less than he thinks he deserves, you run the risk of having a very unhappy Manny. As the Red Sox can attest, that didn't work out so well in the end. Thus, it's almost a new year, and one of the greatest hitters of our lifetime who's coming off one of the greatest showings of our lifetime is unemployed.

It didn't have to be that way, of course. Ramirez has only himself to blame.

BTW, this site was mentioned on dodgerthoughts.com...

2008-12-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

BTW, this site was mentioned on dodgerthoughts.com (it's at the bottom:

Sit Wit' DeWitt
2008-12-28 21:53 by Jon Weisman
Dodger Thoughts reader Terry Austin passes along this four-part interview by Richard McGill with Dodger second baseman Blake DeWitt.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

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Don Newcombe, Tommy Lasorda, Mike Scioscia and Sparky Anderson are among those participating in a fundraiser January 10 for the Toberman Neighborhood Center in San Pedro. Capacity is being limited to 300 people, at $250 per ticket. Bill Sharman's wife, Joyce, is one of the organizers. For more information, call (310) 832-1145 x102.

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New Dodger blog to check out: Reflections of Blue ...

Doc, it shoulda been last year.

2008-12-28T00:42:00.000-08:00

Doc, it shoulda been last year.

Logan White and the guys in charge of player devel...

2008-12-28T00:37:00.000-08:00

Logan White and the guys in charge of player development and scouting are the backbone behind this team.

Logan should be the next GM of the Dodgers, whenever that it is.

Yeah, I've been a big supporter of keeping our dra...

2008-12-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I've been a big supporter of keeping our draft picks and rebuiding from within and filling small holes occassionally with players (ex: Randy Johnson) that wont cost us draft picks. Unfortuanltely Ned hasn't helped us with international signings. I still think he has been the worst GM in all of baseball the lst 2 years. Guys like Bavasi have been bad because of his signings and draft work. Luckily we have Logan!

From Fire Ned Colletti Now:"If you think about it,...

2008-12-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

From Fire Ned Colletti Now:

"If you think about it, in the past 3 years, the minor league system has produced Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney, Blake DeWitt, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Russell Martin, Jonathan Broxton, Hong Chih Kuo, Cory Wade, and James McDonald. It is completely unreasonable to think that the Dodgers can repeat a class like that every 3 years. As it is, this team has has basically been completely constructed over the last few years by Logan White and Kim Ng, with little to no help from Ned Colletti's free agent deals."

1st round draft picks are definitely needed to replenish the farm system. We'll get a few from Lowe for sure.