Choices, Choices, Choices
⊆ 2/03/2009 01:08:00 PM by Kyle Fisher | Los Angeles Dodgers , Manny Ramirez , MLB , NL West . | ˜ 1 comments »The NL West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers have been in the hunt for some talented players and have about $30 Million reasons why.
After signing 2 veteran pitchers in Claudio Vargas and Guillermo Mota, and also giving a minor league contract to Shawn Estes, the Dodgers were ready to fill holes in the field and take on Manny Ramirez again. After two failed attempts to sign the two-month juggernaut from last season (2 yrs. $45 million and arbitration were the previous offers), Manny was offered a 1 year, $25 million contract. After mulling over the options ( they seemed to forget that one of Manny's reasons for leaving Boston was due to the fact that there was only a one year contract offer on the table), they decided on this figure because they know of his passion to be on the games highest paid players and they also didn't want him to not play as hard as he did in those 2 memorable months last season. Obviouslythat was a big worry because they didn't want to lose his remarkable results (53 games, .369 avg., 17 HR's, 53 RBI) and due to what he did to the Red Sox because he couldn't get what he wanted from Boston.
After signing 2 veteran pitchers in Claudio Vargas and Guillermo Mota, and also giving a minor league contract to Shawn Estes, the Dodgers were ready to fill holes in the field and take on Manny Ramirez again. After two failed attempts to sign the two-month juggernaut from last season (2 yrs. $45 million and arbitration were the previous offers), Manny was offered a 1 year, $25 million contract. After mulling over the options ( they seemed to forget that one of Manny's reasons for leaving Boston was due to the fact that there was only a one year contract offer on the table), they decided on this figure because they know of his passion to be on the games highest paid players and they also didn't want him to not play as hard as he did in those 2 memorable months last season. Obviouslythat was a big worry because they didn't want to lose his remarkable results (53 games, .369 avg., 17 HR's, 53 RBI) and due to what he did to the Red Sox because he couldn't get what he wanted from Boston.
Manny Ramirez, I can only assume, is assuming that the slow free agent market can offer him more money than the Dodgers, especially while putting him in a position to win the division and possibly return to the World Series, because he has rejected their 3rd and most likely final offer to the Slugger. It appears as if the Dodgers are looking elsewhere to fulfill their needs for next season now. They have had ongoing talks with the agency that represesnts both Orlando Hudson and Adam Dunn about possibly aquiring the two of them. it will most likely be cheaper for two talented players than it would've been for the Dodgers to sign just Manny Ramirez. Adam Dunn has belted 40+ Home runs in the last 5 seasons and only once not putting up 100+ RBI in that same period of time. Hudson batted .301 in 107 games with Arizona last season adding 40 extra base hits in the process.
They would bolster a pretty good lineup and would be great fits to replace the stubborn ramirez and the recently retired Jeff Kent. Now that the Diamondbacks have signed Jon Garland, the Dodgers are interested in signing more veteran pitching and may even be interested in re-signing Randy Wolf who spent last season with the Astros (162 K's .430 ERA total, .357 ERA with the Astros). This would add wolf to a respectable rotation of Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jason Schmidt.
As always, whether Manny returns or their deal for Hudson and Dunn works out, it will be a wild, wild NL West.
