Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Wednesday that he didn’t know of any development in his club’s negotiations with Manny Ramirez that would prompt the player’s agent to say he expected the All-Star outfielder to be signed by the start of spring training.
“Nothing I’m aware of,” Colletti said.
Agent Scott Boras said late Tuesday night that he has started to negotiate with teams other than the Dodgers.
“I can’t put a timetable on this, but I know that spring training is a long time away,” Boras said. “At this pace, I anticipate that we would have something done by then. Things are progressing for Manny.”
Players will start to report to spring training on Feb. 14.
Told of Boras’ comments, Colletti said, “Well, if that’s accurate that’s encouraging because there appears to be some resolution in the near future.
“We’re still hopeful we can come to an agreement with him. We realize how popular he was here and how good he was for the team.”
The Dodgers seem to think that other teams won’t better the two-year, $45-million contract they offered to Ramirez in November that has since expired. Boras seems to think otherwise.
“The train has left the station,” he said.
Boras, who didn’t provide any details about Ramirez’s other suitors, said he continued his talks with the Dodgers on Tuesday. Boras acknowledged that he didn’t speak to Colletti, who said their last conversation took place more than a week ago. Colletti said that owner Frank McCourt and manager Joe Torre didn’t speak to Boras on Tuesday, either.
Colletti said he has been waiting for Boras to make a counter offer since the Dodgers made their initial proposal in November. The Dodgers won’t consider improving their offer until they get an indication that Ramirez would scale back his demands for a four- or five-year deal.
Boras said that Colletti has “a very clear understanding of what it would take to sign Manny.”
Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa said signing Ramirez is key.
“Without Manny in the lineup, I won’t say we can’t score runs but we’ll be like we were at the beginning of last year,” Bowa said, referring to a period when the Dodgers struggled offensively. “Manny is sort of that constant in that lineup. With the kids, you don’t know what you’re going to get.”
Bowa is also hopeful a deal can be done before the start of camp.
“I think it’s important, especially if he’s a key player,” Bowa said. “Just being around, getting that rapport, it helps out.”
If Ramirez is a free agent when camp opens, Bowa added, it could be a distraction for the team.
“Everyone’s going to be talking about it,” Bowa said. “If we had an all-veteran team, it’d be a non-issue. But we don’t have a veteran team.”
Bowa also expressed concern about the inexperience of the starting rotation, which lost No. 1 starter Derek Lowe.
“Like (Clayton) Kershaw,” he said. “Can he win 15-20 games? No question. Does he have the talent? No question. But you don’t know.
“With Johan Santana, before the season starts, you can put down 15 wins. With Derek Lowe, you can put down more than 200 innings pitched.”
Figuring that resolving the issues to re-sign Ramirez could take time, the Dodgers are currently focused on adding a starting pitcher.
Former Angels pitcher Jon Garland, one potential target, reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to the Arizona Republic. The Dodgers remain in talks with Randy Wolf and Braden Looper, but don’t appear close to a deal.
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