Long negotiation process ends with $45 million contract
By Ken Gurnick and Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
PHOENIX -- The Dodgers have agreed in principle on a two-year, $45 million deal to re-sign free-agent left fielder Manny Ramirez, a baseball source said on Wednesday morning.
The deal was closed, pending a physical, at a meeting at the Malibu, Calif., home of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt that was attended among others by Ramirez, his agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore, general manager Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre, the latter duo both flying in from Spring Training camp on Tuesday night for the session.
Torre and Colletti arrived back in Phoenix just before the start of Wednesday's Cactus League game between the Dodgers and Giants at Camelback Ranch. And though the deal has yet to be formally announced, both men were ebullient about what transpired at the hastily arranged meeting, which began at 6 a.m. PT and lasted about 90 minutes.
"The meeting went well," Colletti said. "It was really designed to get the personality back into the picture rather than just a negotiation, which was more than four months in transpiring. I thought it went great. Manny seemed very happy and excited about the possibility. I thought it was very, very good."
Ramirez accepted the same deal the Dodgers offered at a meeting of the principals in his Dodger Stadium office this past Wednesday -- two years, $45 million ($25 million in 2009, $20 million in 2010) with a player option after the first year. Payment will be deferred over five years without interest, paid at $10 million each for the first four years and $5 million for the fifth.
Ramirez remained in Los Angeles to take his physical, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, was expected to be in camp on Thursday before the Dodgers play the White Sox at the Ranch.
Torre said he anticipated it would "take a week" to get Ramirez ready for game action.
"We have plenty of time left," Torre said. "I wasn't worried about the period of time he wasn't here because I know he takes his conditioning seriously."
Colletti, though, cautioned that there was still a little work to be done before the deal is announced.
"We're not quite there yet," Colletti said.
Torre was summoned back to Los Angeles along with Colletti for what turned out to be the final negotiating session in a 4 1/2-month effort to bring the free agent back to the Dodgers. Last year, he batted .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games, leading the Dodgers as far as the National League Championship Series, where they lost to the eventual World Series-winning Phillies.
The manager who has taken his teams into the playoffs 13 consecutive seasons (1996-2007 with the Yankees), laughed when it was suggested he was brought in as the closer, a la Mariano Rivera.
"I don't know about closing the deal," Torre said. "We all wanted the same thing. That seemed to be apparent to me. Manny was comfortable here. After last year and the time he spent with us, we knew we wanted him back. It was just a matter of trying to find that common ground. You talk on the phone and you talk through the different people, the thing was to get face-to-face, for all of us.
"And Manny, I couldn't have been more pleased with how excited he was and just the prospects of getting back out on the field again."
Boras met for six hours with McCourt on Tuesday, not so much to bridge the gap financially, but to bridge it philosophically.
After the details were essentially in place, both sides decided that the deal could not be completed until all primary parties met face-to-face in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Ramirez flew in from Florida on Tuesday night for that express purpose.
Ramirez, 37 in May, originally sought a contract length of six years at a salary in the Alex Rodriguez neighborhood ($27.5 million a year). The Dodgers initially offered two years at $45 million plus a $15 million third-year option. They also offered salary arbitration, then made a one-year offer of $25 million before presenting an offer last week loosely based on the original two-year, $45 million deal, dropping the option year and adding the player opt-out clause at the request of Boras.
The negotiations broke down Thursday when Boras evidently rejected the Dodgers' proposal. McCourt said at the time that when they resumed, they would have to "start from scratch." Boras made three proposals on behalf of Ramirez to bridge the gap between the two principal offers. The Dodgers wanted two years for $45 million with $25 million deferred without interest. Ramirez wanted two years for $45 million paid over two years.
On Saturday at the direction of Ramirez, Ramirez's agent made an offer that reduced the difference in the deferred compensation from $3 million to $1.5 million.
Ramirez would be 38 when the contract expires, so in the end the Dodgers satisfied their strategy not to commit into his 40s without having the designated hitter available for a transitional role. The Dodgers' outfield this season would again consist of Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, with Juan Pierre squeezed out of a starting role.
From Ramirez's point of a view, if he has another banner year, he can opt out of the contract and try free agency again next offseason, hoping that the economy stabilizes.
Ramirez captured the imagination of the Los Angeles area and its fans in 2008 like no Dodger since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. It's no wonder the Dodgers wanted him back. The meeting seemed to accomplish that quest.
"It was for everybody," Colletti said. "It wasn't for one individual or two individuals. We're really trying to build a team here. A team that sticks together, fights together and is built together. He was a very important member of the team. If we met for an hour and a half, there wasn't one uncomfortable moment in the whole thing."
Marlins focusing on defense this spring
Florida committed to improving its performance in the field
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
JUPITER, Fla. -- "Let's get an out."
That's the Marlins' defensive mantra this season, and the point is being driven home in Spring Training.
In order for Florida to seriously compete in the National League East, there needs to be improvement defensively.
"We realize our strength is our pitching," infield coach Andy Fox said. "If we're going to do anything in our division, we're going to have to catch the ball behind those guys. That's a special group that we have, and we've got to help them out. We set the tone last year, and we're still preaching it. We're doing our work, and we can't talk about situations and slowing the game down. Basically, our mantra is, 'Let's get an out.' We're looking to eliminate the unforced errors."
For months, Marlins management has stressed a renewed commitment to improving defensively.
Still, the question looms: Has enough been done to propel Florida's fielding numbers from near the bottom of the league to respectability?
Before Spring Training started, Larry Beinfest, the Marlins' president of baseball operations, told reporters that he didn't know.
"I hope we've done enough. I think it's a concern," Beinfest said. "I'll just shoot with you straight. It's a question we've asked ourselves: 'Have we done enough?' I think it's a process."
What's not a secret is the hard fact that the Marlins must protect the baseball better and not give up extra outs. Last year, they ranked 28th in errors, with 117. Only the Rangers (132) and Nationals (123) made more.
The goal is to return the Marlins to the days when they ranked among the leaders in fielding. Using the 2008 numbers as an example, they would have to trim their errors to about 91. That's how many the Angels made a year ago, when they finished 10th in the category.
"I would say that if the defense has not improved, we're going to have to stay on it and go to the next step," Beinfest said. "That's not a threat or a promise, but that's what we have to improve. We have what we feel is real good starting pitching, and a young 'pen with really good arms. They're going to have to defend behind them."
The reason the Marlins are so optimistic is their young rotation, which projects to include Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez and Andrew Miller. But poor defense is the quickest way to wear down quality pitching.
Special assistant Andre Dawson, a former Gold Glove-winning outfielder, is routinely working with the players in drills.
"You have to take pride in it," said Dawson, one of the most respected players of his generation. "You have to have the attitude, the mind-set; just like you can win a game with the swing of a bat, you can make a play late in the ballgame, or any time during the game, that can make a difference."
To improve in the field, Dawson contends, you have to show equal effort in practice. If not, the speed of the game will compound your problems.
"You've got to practice the way you perform; that way it becomes more secondary to you, more comfortable," he said. "Footwork has to become something that is second nature to you. You practice it, day in and day out. I don't believe you can take too many ground balls or too many fly balls."
The team has made several changes in hopes of improving in the field. The outfield now has speed and range with the addition of Cameron Maybin in center. Jeremy Hermida is switching from right field to left, and Cody Ross, who made just one error last year, will be in right field.
"That's probably the No. 1 thing we're going to focus on going into this year, defense," Ross said. "I think that's what is going to win championships. The team that gives up the least amount of free outs is going to be the team that ultimately wins in any given game."
Reminded of the 117 errors a year ago, Ross noted that it is a disturbing statistic.
"It's definitely not something you are going to be proud of," he said. "The way I look at it is, you can only get better. That's what we're going to strive for, to get better. Am I going to say we're only going to make 20 errors? Probably not, but we'd like to be in the top 10 in the league, at least, instead of last."
The middle infield still has Hanley Ramirez at shortstop and Dan Uggla at second base. Offensively, the tandem posts big numbers. In many ways, they compare offensively with Philadelphia's double-play combination of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. The Marlins are working toward Ramirez and Uggla getting better defensively.
"They are going into their fourth year, and they're maturing," Fox said. "You see them maturing. We see Utley and Rollins 18 times [head-to-head], and you see that what they do on the defensive side of the ball helped them win a championship. That's what we're trying to do. I think for [Ramirez and Uggla], they know the program, they know what we're about. I think you're going to start seeing a lot less unforced errors and things like that."
Mike Jacobs is no longer at first base, and the team is hopeful that whoever wins that job will improve the position.
Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison and John Lindsey are seeing time at first base, as is Dallas McPherson, who also is working at third base. Jorge Cantu is projected to start at third base, but he could swing to first if Sanchez isn't ready.
"In Gaby's situation, you tell him to relax and play," Fox said. "Everybody knows what he can do. This game is hard enough, let alone putting any undue pressure on yourself."
Another option is to start Wes Helms at either first base or third, depending on where Cantu is used.
If Helms is coming off the bench, he and the versatile Alfredo Amezaga are options to be defensive replacements in the late innings.
A challenge for management is balancing a strong offense with a solid defense.
"You can change things out only with the eye on defense, but you can't do that," Beinfest said. "You have to look at the total package."
