It's Official: Manny Ramirez Signs Two Year Deal with Dodgers

Well, it's finally official. After all the hullaballooooo...Manny Ramirez signed the deal that the Dodgers wanted him to sign last year. But wasn't it fun?

The contract is apparently signed for a two year deal with the Dodgers worth $45 million guaranteed. The Dodgers will need to do a roster move to get Manny in camp, which will probably happen today.

One wonders if Manny is loving Scott Boras about now.

Ken Griffey Jr. Selects Legacy over Convenience

In one of the uplifting news items coming from the Hot Stove League this year, Ken Griffey Jr. is going back to the Seattle Mariners. Griffey is signing a one year, $2 million plus incentives deal with the Mariners to be an OF/DH for the team. Griffey had debated about going to the Atlanta Braves, since the Braves' home is so convenient for Griffey to fly back to his family in Orlando, but ultimately (apparently after a call from Willie Mays), Griffey chose to create a legacy bookend to his career instead. When Griffey goes to the Hall, with one of the best swings in baseball, he will easily wear a Mariners cap.

Ken Griffey, Jr. | A Mariner or a Brave?

Ken Griffey Jr., formerly with the Chicago White Sox after a trading deadline deal with the Cincinnati Reds, is reportedly deciding between the Atlanta Braves as his new team, or a return to the glory days in Seattle with the Mariners. There were rumors that Griffey had decided on Atlanta due to its proximity to his family in Orlando, but Griffey specifically went out on the airwaves to dispel that rumor. It seems as though Atlanta would be a great fit for Junior, as they need the OF help, but with Seattle Jr. could play a little DH and get the hero's return. Griffey, in either case, is not the sought after player he once was due to age and injury, but he still could be a productive bat in the lineup in a supporting role. Griffey is a lifetime .288 batter with 611 HR, and last season hit a combined .249 and 18 HR in almost 500 AB.

Cliff Floyd Signs with San Diego Padres

Cliff Floyd, the oft-injured, but effective veteran presence last year on the Tampa Bay Rays, reportedly has reached an agreement with the San Diego Padres. The Padres were in need of a left handed bat, but it is a little surprising Floyd, a decent DH candidate, went to a national league team. The club, who was also interested in Luis Gonzales, apparently decided Floyd had enough left in the tank to still play a little outfield. Floyd hit .268 with 11 HR in 80 games last year with the Rays.

Manny Ramirez Turns Down $25 Million

With Boras now looking to be backed in a corner, Manny Ramirez has reportedly rejected a one year, $25 million offer from his previous team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Speculation is that the Guiants and the Mets have interest, but it is looking doubtful that ManRam will get more than the two year guarantee originally contracted by the Red Sox...stay tuned...

Twins, Jason Kubel Avoid Arbitration

The Twins avoided arbitration with DH/OF Jason Kubel yesterday, signing him to a two-year contract that media sources claim is for about $7 million and contains a team option for 2011 that is worth $5 million. Kubel batted .272 with 20 HR in 141 games last year.

Royals Find Their Utility Man in Willie Bloomquist

Willie Bloomquist, the utility man who played seven years for the Seattle Mariners, is reported to be signing with the Kansas City Royals in a two year deal worth $3 million total. Bloomquist, who nearly played every position for the Mariners, is more speed than power, and hit .279 last year in 71 games without a home run, but had 14 stolen bases in those 71 games.

Jason Giambi to Sign with Oakland Athletics

The A's reunion with Jason Giambi is merely a physical away from completion, according to MLB.com. The deal for the (ahem) 1B and more likely DH is reportedly a guaranteed one year deal worth $3.5 million with a club option for 2010 for $5 million with a $1 million buyout. This is probably a win win...the A's basically get a decent bat in the lineup for relatively cheap $3.5 million, and Giambi goes back to a team before that whole steroids thing made Giambi a bad name. Giambi, of course, was not offered arbitration by the New York Yankees (which freed up some necessary payroll), and hit .247 with 32 HR's last year after an injury plagued 2007. This offer from the A's is just a little less than the $23 million he made last year.

Andruw Jones and Dodgers Part Ways...

In a move largely seen as a way to free up payroll for the offer to Manny Ramirez, Andruw Jones and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to defer portions of Jones' remaining contract amounts and Jones agreed to waive his no trade clause. The Players Association agreed to the deal because Jones would still be paid his entire contract amount, it will just be spread out over several years. It is likely no coincidence that Jones and Ramirez have the same agent, Scott Boras.

Rich Get Richer III: Mark Teixeira Goes to NY Yankees

And it is done. Mark Teixeira has agreed to an 8 year, $180 million contract to be the first baseman for the New York Yankees. Obviously this does not mean that the Yankees will win the World Series, of course, but they certainly made a few Yankee fans happy. But as I read somewhere, being a Yankee fan, unless you grew up in NYC, is a little like cheering for Brad Pitt to get the girl at the end of the movie. Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett were the girls, and Brad Pitt got them all.

Frankly, I'm wondering if other MLB owners aren't a little excited about the spending spree, given the luxury tax money going to the other clubs. If I were an owner of a small ballclub in this market and economy, I might hope NY continues to spend, spend, spend.

Anyway, there will be rumbling, but essentially the problem is with the ownership structure and lack of salary cap in baseball. I think a system like the NBA makes sense, with the allowance for guaranteed money and "Larry Bird" exceptions. But I don't foresee Boston and NY agreeing to that anytime soon.

So for now, Yankees and Red Sox will build through free agency, smaller clubs will build through signing their young talent to long term deals before they know how good they are, and that will be baseball.

Manny Ramirez to Retire?

Newsday is reporting that Manny Ramirez is so upset with the lack of suitors for his services that he is considering retiring if no suitable offer shows up soon. I guess I'll believe it when I see it.

And the news starts to fly...

The Astros, clearly determining that Mike Scott and Charlie Kerfeld are busy, signed Mike Hampton to a 1 year deal (pending physical)... Rumors also that former Astros Andy Pettite and Bobby Abreu, in addition to Jason Giambi, were not offered arbitration by the Yankees. As expected, Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia were offered arbitration, but Kerry Wood, the former Astro-killer, was not offered arbitration. Many teams were going to announce their arbitration decisions on Tuesday, December 2.