I am sure everyone has heard about the Manny Ramirez soap opera that is currently being carried on. I feel like Judge Judy in that I need to reprimand both sides. Overall, I have no idea in hell why a player would hire Scott Boras. As I have said many times he gets his clients good money, but many of his clients are the best players in the league, so they deserve the big money anyway. Not only that, only five teams are going to sign his players, signing as a client with him limits your own options as a player. I am also not sure if the Dodgers are actually attempting to win the NL West or not this year. If so, they need to sign the vastly underrated Manny Ramirez (cough, cough) and quit dicking around trying to win a public relations battle.
The biggest obstacles to Manny Ramirez's being a Dodger are the two guys trying to make him a Dodger.
It is physically impossible for Frank McCourt and Scott Boras to draw up a contract with their hands on each other's necks.
McCourt had asked Boras for a final "yes" or "no" answer to a two-year, $45-million deal that was about $45 million above any other real offer elsewhere . . . and Boras responded with a $55-million proposal.
(Frank Wren) "We are willing to offer Derek Lowe 3 years at $39 million. We know the Mets don't really want to give him a fourth year and are not willing to go any higher in salary. They are our only competition."
(Frank Wren) "Deal."
After spending three months with zero leverage, is it really that productive to counter your opponent's most fair and generous offer with something $10 million higher?
When $45 million is spread over five years with no interest, it's not really $45 million, is it?
Not disclosing the exact nature of a deferred contract, particularly in these tough economic times that the Dodgers discuss so much, smacks of being a bit of a public scam.
Seriously though, I can understand why the deferred money is turned down by Boras, I thought that was kind of a bitch move by the Dodgers, but maybe because of the tough economic times the Dodgers can't pay that now. I guess you could look at it that way. Either way, I am sure they can work this out sooner rather than later.
And the only truth that matters is that Ramirez needs to play at least one more season for the Dodgers, as nobody else wants him and the Dodgers desperately need him.
I think Plaschke is a little incorrect here thinking both guys are acting childish. The Dodgers gave a bullshit offer and Boras is asking for bullshit amounts of money for a player who has no other suitors. Both are just doing what they should be doing in this situation. I think this is riveting. Who will bend? I think the Dodgers will.
But yet Plaschke is saying McCourt is acting childish. I guess it is his job to be childish.
Seems like? You are negotiating against yourself. Here is how you know McCourt is partially incompetent as a General Manager. He has allowed the numbers and the demands of Manny to become public information. Now a team like (just an example) the Giants can say, "he wants 2 years and no deferred money, we may be able to do that." Boras is using the public negotiations to let other teams know exactly what he will accept.
C'mon fellas. Break it up. Figure it out. It's easy.
Give Ramirez a one-year deal worth $22.5 million with no deferred payments.
I still say offer 2 years $42 million or even $43 million, it is a kind of meet in the middle scenario. I would not give Manny a one year contract because you will be going through the same thing one year from now.
We all know Boras is going to win this. He always does, I don't know how he has teams bid against themselves so successfully, but he does. I think the secret is to represent the best players in baseball and then those player's statistics present a good case in themselves and all you have to do is call the 5 teams still willing to deal with you and see if they are interested. If I wasn't so dedicated to knowing absolutely nothing about anything, I would try to be a sports agent.
4 comments:
Apparently from what I'm reading and hearing out here, the Dodgers were 2-40, and then Borras started talking about deferred money to increase the overall value of the deal. The Dodgers countered with an offer that was mostly deferred, and the two sides obviously have no clue where the middle of all this is. The total value is only about 3 million in difference, so both sides being so pissy is just mind blowing. Of course McCourt is a moron and that doesn't help things any.
Yeah, I know, I don't get it at all. Both sides need each other, so you would think this makes sense. I am assuming Manny is in baseball shape. I hope that is not too much of an assumption.
What I don't get is that if Boras wanted deferred money and he got deferred money, what is he upset about? It will get done.
Boras is like that hot passive- aggressinve chick you dated for two weeks, or watched a friend date, and dropped because they never ever made up their mind. Anytime you made a choice though, it was also not what they wanted. That to me is Boras.
Scott Boras does drive me crazy like your proverbial passive-aggressive hot chick. I could write about him for probably 1,000,000 words. I still would not sign with him if I were a baseball player, no matter how much money he promises he can make me.
Post a Comment