The GM Meetings are going on (General Managers, not General Motors) and while free agents can't sign with other teams yet, lots of fans are wringing their hands over which big star will go where etc.
I've already heard people wondering about Manny Ramirez...
Does he want to go back to LA because fans loved him there?
Does he want to go to the Yankees because he wants to get back at the Red Sox?
Does he want to go to Philadelphia to be reunited with Charlie Manuel?
Why are people doing that?
Manny made it very simple for all of us.
He said as he left LA following the NLCS "I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I."
Actually gas is coming down. It's finally under $3 a gallon at the Arco on Mission Street in South Pasadena. But I digress.
Manny will go to the highest bidder.
It's that simple.
He has the fame, he has the legacy and he has the rings.
He wants a gignormous Scrooge McDuck pile of money and someone will do it.
It has nothing to do with reuniting with old managers or love of a fan.
Quite frankly I find it kind of refreshing that someone just said it.
"Pay me and you got me!"
It sure beats Mike Hampton claiming he went to Colorado for the school system... as if for $11 million a year he couldn't afford a decent private school.
Sure he could go to the Yankees... and what better way to show your fans you've broken your habit of signing big priced veteran sluggers and obsessing about the 2004 Red Sox while sacrificing draft picks and the pitching staff than signing Manny Ramirez?
It could be the Mets who after 2 straight face plants in September (following a face plant in October 2006) need something, anything, to placate a fan base who also had to sit through images of a Philadelphia World Series parade.
It could be the Phillies who could bring in Manny to replace Burrell. Can you imagine the pitches Ryan Howard would see with Manny behind him?
It could be the Dodgers who loved being relevant again, but most importantly loved seeing the stadium full and the merchandise flying off of the racks.
It could be the Angels, who don't really have room for him but might find some if Teixera leaves. Besides, I'm sure Arte Moreno saw the stadium full and merchandise flying off the racks in Chavez Ravine and thought "Why not in Anaheim? I'm sorry... Los Angeles of Anaheim."
It could be the Giants who might take a long look at the NL and say "We have the pitching... if we add a big bat to this line up, and take that same bat away from the Dodgers, we might actually have a shot!" Besides, they have a history of left fielders who needed kid glove treatment.
It could be the Red Sox... actually no it couldn't.
And then there are the dark horses... and frankly I think he will wind up with a dark horse.
It could be the Rangers. They have money and no reason for anyone to show up to the ballpark. Why not pay for a big attraction?
It could be the Blue Jays, who actually have pitching and might be looking at the Rays and think "Hey! Maybe we can win this division after all!"
All you need is to pay up...
And the reason I think it will be one of those two dark horse teams is that those teams are desperate to jumpstart a dead fan base. (Sorry Blue Jays and Rangers fans who read this... you are good solid fans, but let's face it... good seats tend to be available.)
Some owner will push the chips to the center of the table and offer 5 years (!!!)
Some owner will bend to every Boras whim thinking "Well, if his last 3 years stink, at least we got those first 2 years."
And it won't matter to Manny or Boras.
Hell if the independent Bridgeport Blue Fish offer the highest bid, guess what?
Manny will be a Blue Fish and busting homers at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard!
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