MLB Hot Stove 2008

[IJ Reilly]

I could see the Giants making him a sweet offer just to get under the Dodgers' skin.

I think the Giants would like to see the Dodgers pay more than he's worth, if that's what you mean. Still, the Giants haven't made him any offers, and I don't see them beating any that the Dodgers have already made. If nothing else the purpose of the $25 million one year offer was served. Anything else he might get offered will look smaller, at least on an annual basis. The only way holding out looks smart is if he gets the 4-5 years he wants, which you can be sure will not come from any NL team. Otherwise, he's probably looking at less for his trouble.

LOL it was obviously all an act to get the big contract. Any GM with half a brain would be able to see through it. Or are we to beleive that Manny Ramirez has turned into a noble antics-free saint over night? I'm sure the first team to give him a big contract is in for some headaches down the road, maybe not right away but somewhere down the road. But on the other hand they will be getting a HUGE lineup boost with astronomical run production and protection for other hitters, the guy can definitely hit there's no taking that away from him.

Not sure I get you. Colletti hasn't been fooled. Personality has been taken into account, not only by the Dodgers but evidently by the rest of baseball. The Dodgers and Joe Torre are obviously the best fit for Manny. The LA fans will tolerate some of his "antics" if his bat comes along with it. Management has made it clear that they aren't giving him more than two years plus an option. They might bump it up to three full years, but I'd have to guess that Colletti and Boras have already had that conversation to no effect.

 

[zioxide]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/07/alex-rodriguez-steroids/index.html?eref=T1

In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

 

[MacNut]

So where is this full list.

Because more than 5% of big leaguers had tested positive in 2003, baseball instituted a mandatory random-testing program,

I'm sure there are big names there.

 

[cycocelica]

So where is this full list.I'm sure there are big names there.

I am interested in seeing the rest of the list as well. There has got to be some players ******** themselves right now.

 

[DiamondMac]

ARod will never get close to winning over the fans

That guy seems to make one wrong step after another

 

[MacNut]

I want to see who else is on this list, you will see big names outed. Maybe some superstars.

Selig's worst nightmare might come true very soon.

If A-Rod comes out and admits something it will go a long way. Don't expect his name to be the only one that comes out.

Also remember MLB or the government can't go anything to players on this list. But it will be another black eye for the sport.

 

[macfan881]

Im Still trying to figure out how SI got hold of Info that was Supposed to be Anonymous and it also sounds a lil wierd to me after SI posts Joe Torres book two weeks earlier and the big thing that SI made a big ordeal about was the whole A-Fraud Comment. im not saying he didnt do it i dont care especially if it was in 2003 and supposedly has been clean since. I just hope SI proves this stuff is true or A-Rod should Sue the crap out of SI. I also agree he should follow andy pettite and Giambi and say he did it to and hopefully it would help his image.

 

[cycocelica]

What I am still waiting for is a public apology from the Selig and the MLB. How are they supposed to just sit back and not do anything, when private information was leaked?

 

[aloofman]

The players' union must be pissed. Their agreement on steroid testing was predicated on 2003 being the test year to see if testing would be necessary, and the fact that that year's results would stay confidential was a major part of that. And anyone would be pissed to find out that what they were told would be kept anonymous eventually wasn't. Not that I care what the union thinks, but this will just make them more intractable about steroids and other issues in the long term.

As for Rodriguez -- assuming it's true -- I'm not sure what he will do. While coming clean and 'fessing up to having tried them and then stopped using them would seem to make sense, PR has always been his biggest failing. And the perception is that he may have used during a time frame that scored him his first $250 million, similar to what Giambi did.

And one again, all of these are issues that would have been so much easier to deal with 15 years ago before it became such a problem. I've never been more convinced that Bud should give back his $18 million and go away forever.

 

[fotografica]

What a mess..Going to be interesting when this group is up for the HOF..

Where's the accountability?

Monday, February 9, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry

Baseball officials are mad at Gene Orza, Michael Schmidt writes.

The issue of who was directly responsible for disposing of the 2003 test results remains murky and not precisely defined for public consumption. But doesn't it stand to reason that that person, whoever it is, should be shoved out of the chain of command?

One of the most remarkable aspects of the whole steroids issue is that while a handful of players -- those named in the Mitchell report, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, now Alex Rodriguez, etc. -- have borne the brunt of the fallout for what was an industry-wide problem, those who held real power in the sport remain in place in the union leadership and in management, essentially untouched.

There has been change in the sport over the past six years, a move into testing. But there never has been any real accountability, other than for a small group of users, which is one of the great failings of the Mitchell report; other than a general statement about general complicity, there was very little in the report about what specific decisions by the sport's leaders helped to foster the rise in steroid use. Bonds probably will never get another job in baseball, and Clemens and McGwire are effectively persona non grata, but the people who made the decisions for the game in the '90s are in power

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blo.../blog/index?entryID=3893866&name=olney_buster


In regard to the Manny saga:

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Monday
By Tim Dierkes [February 9 at 10:41am CST]

Interesting note yesterday from ESPN's Peter Gammons, related to the Manny Ramirez negotiations:

Scott Boras has put the heat on Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and there has been no love lost. The L.A. scouting department has been told it will not draft Boras clients come June.

Gammons adds that the Giants "may well be seriously considering constructing a three-year package for Manny."

Ramirez recently spoke with Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, and the slugger described his situation this way:

"We're in the seventh inning and I'm waiting for my pitch."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3892618&name=gammons_peter

 

[rhsgolfer33]

As for Rodriguez -- assuming it's true -- I'm not sure what he will do. While coming clean and 'fessing up to having tried them and then stopped using them would seem to make sense, PR has always been his biggest failing. And the perception is that he may have used during a time frame that scored him his first $250 million, similar to what Giambi did.

He should definitely come clean about it. If A-rod pulls a Clemens and denies it, he will be slammed by the media and fans in the same way. On the other hand, if he does what Pettite did and admits to the use, says it was a mistake and that he's learned from that lesson and no longer uses steroids/testosterone/whatever, he'll probably come out of this pretty clean.

Edit: Well apparently he's admitted the use: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3894847

Good for him, hopefully the fans will go a little easier on him for owning up to his mistake. That being said, I still don't particularly like him, I never have, but owning up to his mistakes raises him a little in my eyes.

 

[fotografica]

Looks like he just did:

Updated: February 9, 2009, 2:35 PM ET
A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs
Comment Email Print
ESPN.com

His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001.

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. "Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

"I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3894847

 

[cycocelica]

I think it was his best move. Just denying it would only give him a worse light to the public.

Coming clean can help make him image better, admitting his mistakes will shed light on what he was going through.

It is still upsetting that he did it but I still think without steroids he is one of the best players of our time.

 

[fotografica]

It was A Rod's only move really. Had he stayed silent or gone in denial mode,it would have been worse. Gotta wonder if Griffey Jr. had stayed healthy most of his career how his numbers would be now.
The problem is now,if a guy has a breakout year,people will automatically wonder if he's juicing.

 

[IJ Reilly]

In regard to the Manny saga:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3892618&name=gammons_peter

Smoke and mirrors. The Dodgers have essentially already made him a three-year offer. It was two years plus an option. How much larger/longer than $45 million+ would it have to be for him to go to San Francisco?

Another part of this article was an implication that Boras would not allow the Dodgers to sign any of his clients in the draft in June if they didn't give Manny the deal he wants. True or not? Legal or not?

 

[fotografica]

Sabean doesn't sound all that interested in Manny,at least in the press

First, a rundown of the news from our briefing with GM Brian Sabean:

–He said he wasn’t interested in a Manny Ramirez as a “silver bullet to save the day” and made it clear he’d rather reload at the All-Star break. He expects an improved roster to stay close in the NL West long enough to warrant some significant reinforcements before the July 31 trade deadline, and the Giants would have the financial flexibility to bargain with distressed teams looking to shed payroll at that point.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrab...ks-from-fanfest-to-deliver-state-of-the-team/

 

[IJ Reilly]

Sabean doesn't sound all that interested in Manny,at least in the press

Then on the other hand, the rumor gets out that the Giants are considering extending him a three year offer. I can see the Giants trying to make the Dodgers pay more than they wanted, but I can't see the value in them helping Boras execute his squeeze play. Something has to give here.

 

[fotografica]

Then on the other hand, the rumor gets out that the Giants are considering extending him a three year offer. I can see the Giants trying to make the Dodgers pay more than they wanted, but I can't see the value in them helping Boras execute his squeeze play. Something has to give here.

Well if there are other offers for Manny out there,they're doing a damn good job of keeping them quiet..I can understand the Giants trying to drive up the price, esp considering their rival is in the bidding. Maybe teams are finally getting tired of having Boras force their hand all the time?

 

[IJ Reilly]

Well if there are other offers for Manny out there,they're doing a damn good job of keeping them quiet..I can understand the Giants trying to drive up the price, esp considering their rival is in the bidding. Maybe teams are finally getting tired of having Boras force their hand all the time?

The odd part is how willing the Giants seem to be help Boras play the game. The Dodgers and Giants are a serious rivalry like few others in baseball, but no owner wants to give this much power to someone like Scott Boras. Maybe they think it will give them an edge in dealing with him another time, but if that's the case, then really they ought to know better.

 

[fotografica]

Sabean isn't dancing around either:

"It's going to take a special set of circumstances," Sabean told the Chronicle. "It's not going to be a long-term contract. It's not going to be at the dollars being speculated. It's going to have to make business sense and it's going to have to make baseball sense with a player who certainly has a tremendous upside in the end and some warts that still leave him on the market because of what his lack of all-around play is and what his past has been in previous organizations."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=22&entry_id=35571

Special set of circumstances? Not long term and not at the dollars mentioned? Yet in the other report Sabean says he's not the Silver Bullet. Either a smoke screen or he's trying to beat him down on the length/dollars.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I've seen those remarks. Maybe they expect him to be beamed down from the Enterprise.

The longer this goes on, the less sense it makes.

 

[fotografica]

The longer this goes on, the less sense it makes.

Unless there's some team involved that nobody knows about,I can't figure it out.. Spring training starts soon..I would think they'd want this resolved by then...

 

[Silencio]

The Giants have reportedly offered Joe Crede a one year deal, though the financials were undisclosed. Despite this, Sabean said the Giants would go to Spring Training with the infielders they already have.

Feels like Sabean has recently attened the Steve Jobs School of Advance Publicity.

 

[macfan881]

I had just watched Gammons Interview with A-rod he did a great job i really think he is sorry for what he did and knows he made a mistake and i hope this stuff doesnt bother him durring the season im glad i can still call my self a A-rod fan.

 

[aloofman]

Another part of this article was an implication that Boras would not allow the Dodgers to sign any of his clients in the draft in June if they didn't give Manny the deal he wants. True or not? Legal or not?

That's not the way it reads to me. It sounds more like McCourt has told his people not to draft Boras' clients in the upcoming draft. Maybe I'm reading it wrong. If that's the case, I don't know that it would be unusual, as I think there are other teams that avoiding drafting his players just to avoid the crazy negotiations that go with that.

Unless there's some team involved that nobody knows about,I can't figure it out.. Spring training starts soon..I would think they'd want this resolved by then...

Again, we're talking about Manny Ramirez here. It wouldn't shock me if he held out until after the season started, signed with an unexpected team, then hit like gangbusters right from the start. The guy's an enigma.

The way I see Manny's situation is this: it's becoming clear that the Dodgers have made the best offer so far, even though it's far short of what Boras promised him. To sign with the Dodgers now would be a major loss of face. But without competing offers, what's the alternative? Sign for cheap with another team just to spite McCourt? That seems unlikely to me. It seems to me that the way forward is for Colletti to find some way to make an offer that doesn't seem like an insult to Manny, whatever that means. But who knows what will happen.

To me, the most logical team all along for Manny to sign with is the Angels. They could use another bat. They could move him between DH and outfield as needed. He'd provide protection for Guerrero in a lineup that desperately needs a run producer. But Moreno has disavowed interest in Manny, so there's no reason not to believe him.