So THAT’S How They Make Them Do Sprints

February 24, 2009 at 12:13 pm | Posted in bad photoshopping, Manny Ramirez | 4 Comments

* Stats blog Driveline Mechanics ponders the question: Do the Dodgers now have the best double-play combo in the NL? As you know, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Hudson signing, so I’ll be predictably tenative on that question. Right off the top of my head, I’m assuming that there’s no way that our boys are beating the fantastic Utley/Rollins combo in Philly or the huge bats of Uggla/Ramirez in Florida. And the survey says… middle of the pack. That sounds about right.

* Another step in MSTI’s inevitable takeover of the web: I answered some Dodger preview questions for Cardinals blog C70 At the Bat. This did take place before Torre said that Casey Blake would not be moving to the oufield, but I think I ended up talking way more about Juan Pierre than I’d ever really care to.

* Jon Heyman vs. Buster Olney on Manny: Fight!

Heyman:

The Dodgers probably know that their offers of $45 million over two years or $25 million over one year aren’t going to get it done, either.

Olney:

The free-agent market collapsed after the signings of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, to the point that productive veterans like Bobby Abreu and Orlando Hudson have been forced to accept a salary for about 20-25 percent of what they had hoped for when the winter began.

And yet by the end of this week, the Dodgers might wind up signing Manny Ramirez to a multiyear deal far above market value. A really, really good contract for a 36-year-old star outfielder in the current market is for $15 million or $16 million a year — and yet the Dodgers might be poised to offer Ramirez $20 million to $25 million for a couple of years.

[snip]

That’s a little nuts. No, that’s really nuts.

* Finally, maybe we shouldn’t underestimate Scott Boras, because though the ever-brilliant The Onion is clearly joking about getting Manny $20 billion (with a “b”) in stimulus money… you could almost see it happening, couldn’t you?

4 Comments »

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i don’t know why everyone keeps saying it’s nuts to sign manny for $20-25mm per season for 3 years. i can think of two really good reasons why he’d be a bargain at the rumored rates:
he’s a stud hitter – probably one of the top 5 hitters in the entire league – totally changes the dodger lineup with him in there. turns them from tame to scary instantly. and he will ops anywhere between 900 and 1100.
he’s at 527 hrs. it’s entirely possible he will hit #600 in a dodger uniform in august/sept 2010 – just think of the marketing around that.

Comment by woo song— February 24, 2009 #

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Middle-of-the-pack sounds about right for the Furcal-Hudson combo. Honestly, I’m so down on both of these signings, I don’t even expect either one of them to make it through the season without a stint on the DL.

Comment by Bluboy— February 24, 2009 #

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Middle of the pack my ass. You know I love your website but you are clouded by your own previous analysis of this signing. This is a top tier 2nd and short combo and the fact you could only name 2 better and one combo is suspect at defense and the other is as injury prone as furcal and hudson. This was a great signing get over yourself. If hudson plays well and gets extended or recoups a draft pick.

Comment by Matt— February 24, 2009 #

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3 – Did you click the link? I didn’t come up with “middle of the pack” – the site I linked to did.
Our duo is also one of the older combos in the league, which isn’t a good sign when each are coming off serious injury.

Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— February 25, 2009 #

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