The day after Manny Ramirez golfed an ankle-high pitch halfway up the bleachers in Wrigley Field in the National League Division Series, Dodgers manager Joe Torre chatted with reporters about the slugger. Torre said that after Ramirez was traded to L.A., he showed the younger players on the Dodgers "that they can combine the 'Let's have fun playing this game' and the work ethic.
"That's the one thing I think that gets lost in Manny. … He's a hell of a player. I don't know what went on in Boston. Obviously, both parties needed to split up."
It could have been different. Consider the alternative ending, if Ramirez had been devoted to playing for the Red Sox the way he had been for the Dodgers.
| Olney's news and notes |
• Padres willing to hear offers for Peavy
• Unit ready for fresh start with Giants
• Taveras happy to play for Dusty
• Rays scouting all around the world
• Twins have big bills coming due in 2010
Around the majors with Buster Olney 
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It's Oct. 19, and the Red Sox are preparing for Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in Fenway Park. Carlos Pena, the Rays' first baseman, crosses behind the batting cage as the Rays come out to stretch and taps a former teammate on the back. "Hey, take it easy on us today," he says with a smile, and Manny Ramirez turns and grins.
In a season during which
David Ortiz has labored to come back from a wrist injury, and at a time when
Mike Lowell has been sidelined by a hip problem, Ramirez has hoisted the Red Sox onto his shoulders. Playing at full speed in the final two months of the season, Ramirez batted .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in Boston's final 53 games.
"He's been an inspiration," Boston manager
Terry Francona says. "Look, we all knew that he was a great hitter, but the fact that he shows up early every day for extra work in the cage and prepares himself to play, that means so much to a club. He shows the young players on this team that they can combine the 'Let's have fun playing this game' and the work ethic."
Ramirez is hitting .520 in the postseason with four homers and 10 RBIs in nine games. "We obviously haven't found a way to pitch to him," Tampa Bay manager
Joe Maddon says.
Theoretically, Ramirez could be a free agent at the end of the year, with Boston holding $20 million options for 2009 and 2010. But Ramirez addressed that situation only briefly after Game 6. "That will take care of itself," he said. "We've had a lot of success in Boston, and I've got great teammates, a manager who is a good guy; it's a great situation."
Red Sox general manager
Theo Epstein laughs when asked about what the Red Sox plan for the option years on Ramirez's contract. "What, do you think I'm stupid?" he asks. "The guy is a future Hall of Famer, he does everything the right way and he has earned the right to continue being the highest-paid outfielder in the game, with his preparation and his performance. When the season is over, we'll talk with Manny about all that, but of course we want nothing more than to have Manny finish his career with us."
(Fast-forward two months, to Dec. 23 …)
The Red Sox, World Series champions in three of the past five years, have been outbid by the Yankees in the
Mark Teixeira sweepstakes. But Epstein remains upbeat. "Our lineup is pretty damn good," he says. "
Dustin Pedroia's an MVP,
Kevin Youkilis contends for the batting title every year,
J.D. Drew does a great job of taking advantage of all the baserunners that get on in front of him. And, of course, we've got Manny. What was his OPS last year -- a thousand and thirty-one? Sure, we would've liked Teixeira, he's a great player. But we like our lineup."
Epstein won't address a published report that the Red Sox have begun talks on a long-term deal with Ramirez, a proposal that would fold his $20 million options for 2009 and 2010 into a four-year, $90 million contract. "We'll deal with that at the proper time," Epstein says. "I've said all along that we want Manny to finish his career with the Red Sox. He showed again last season that he's one of the elite hitters in baseball.
"And his effort level … well, nobody can question that."
Of course, that alternative ending has nothing to do with reality. All the Red Sox wanted out of Ramirez was to thrive and provide consistent effort, but his effort was constantly in question -- by teammates and the Boston staff -- to the point that teammates told the Red Sox management that Ramirez had to go. His teammates were convinced that Ramirez's intention was to sabotage the season unless the Red Sox would let him get his way and get out of the last two years of his contract. As Torre said, the two sides needed to split up; that was the only way for each party to get what it wanted. For the Red Sox, that was a full-bore pursuit of championships; for Ramirez, that was a full-bore pursuit of a nine-figure contract.
The Red Sox lost in the ALCS and lost in the Teixeira bidding. Because Ramirez didn't want to honor the last two years of his contract, they have a lineup that could be good or a problem. As currently constituted, the team must get solid production from Ortiz and Drew.
The suggestion made in the aftermath of the Ramirez trade, that somehow the Red Sox had clandestinely generated some sort of Manny mess to force him out of town, might be the single silliest conspiracy theory of 2008. The team had no motive to drive him out of town. No, the ideal situation for the Red Sox would have been for Ramirez to hit the way that they have known he can hit, to play hard and remain emotionally invested. That's the way they wanted it: When Manny thrives, the team succeeds. It was that simple. They dumped him when they determined, in concurrence with the sentiment of the Boston clubhouse, that he was so hell-bent on getting out of his contract that he was willing to sit out games without cause.
Ramirez got his way with his contract, but he may have lost out as well. Thanks to his ugly finish in Boston, he has placed himself in a less-than-ideal situation. He generated a historic performance in his last two months of the regular season and followed that up by hitting .520 in the postseason. But he's telling friends that he's concerned about the lack of big-money interest.
It is evident that during a winter when many teams have clamped down and watched their dollars more carefully, executives with many teams have decided they cannot trust Ramirez on a multiyear deal.
Imagine, for a moment, if Ramirez had played with as much intensity in his whole career as he did in those 10 weeks with the Dodgers. Imagine if he had demonstrated as much competitive integrity throughout his days in Boston as
CC Sabathia had in his three months with the Brewers -- a devotion to winning, contract status be damned.
Imagine what a player with that kind of reputation, coupled with his ability as a player, could make in free agency.
Maybe
Scott Boras, his agent, will find some team that can provide Ramirez with the financial island he seeks. Maybe some team will grow concerned about its season-ticket sales and jump at the chance to sign a future Hall of Famer who remains capable of hitting .350 with 130 RBIs.
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.
Around the majors with Buster Olney
Buster Olney
