Saturday, December 27, 2008

Just throwing it out there

So the Yankees have signed C.C., A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira for roughly 12 billion dollars. I don't really care about how much they spent (and the Yanks actually cut payroll this offseason) but if the Yankees have a limit, they're getting close to it.

Which brings me to Manny Ramirez. Manny can't go back to the Red Sox, the Yankees may be done spending for now, the Angels have said no, the Mets don't want him and if was going to be a Dodger, it probably would've happened by now.

So my questions is this: why shouldn't the Tribe throw a lot of cash at him?

Even if they gave him $20 million a year for the next 3-4 years, would it really kill them that much?

First of all, imagine how much excitement the signing would generate and how that buzz could translate into ticket sales/merchandise etc. Bringing Manny back would be a PR bonanza (we're playing to win now).

Secondly, the Tribe has needed a right handed power bat for years now and well, Manny fits that bill too. Plus, he's playoff tested, comes through in the clutch and takes up a corner outfield spot (which has also been needed for awhile).

Finally, he's familiar here. Ramirez actually liked Cleveland (what can I say, Manny is weird) and if no one else scoops him up, it's possible he could be pursueded to come back to his first franchise, no?

Wouldn't he be a good fit here? The fans know him, he'd be good PR, he'd be great baseball-wise and clubhouse-wise (winner, big game player, doesn't feel the pressure).

Am I dreaming?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, you are dreaming. But yes, signing Manny would be a ridiculously good move.

If signing Kerry Wood for two years and $10 million per constitutes a colossal financial commitment on the part of the Indians, the idea of signing Manny is inconcievable.

But he'd be worth it. The evidence compiled by the Indians' computer brain strongly discourages the signing of over-30 players to big money contracts. But Manny is one of the best RH run producers in history, he's just about always been durable, and he's a highly-underrated student of hitting. There is a great chance that he'll still be a top-level RBI man at age 40.

Manny is one of the few players where you throw out the general trends and similar-at-same-age comparisons. He's in a league of his own.

Alas, I think what will ultimately happen is he'll re-sign with the Dodgers once all other avenues have reached a dead end.

Ben said...

I thinking about Manny the other night, wondering where he might end up. There were all these teams dropping out and then I was like, hey, the TRIBE could really use that guy. He has history here, he'd bring in a ton of revenue and he fits a gaping hole in the lineup.

Lord knows it won't happen (I'd say less than 5%), but damn, it'd be a HUGE boost to this franchise.

Ben said...

also, I never hated the guy for leaving. The funny thing is, if the Tribe had presented him with their same final offer during spring training, he would've never left in the first place.

LargeBill said...

I've been arguing since the Red Sox placed him on waivers a few years ago that Manny would basically pay for himself. Ticket sales has been weak due to a lack of excitement. You sign Manny and people will be excited enough to go to a few more games each year. Manny could equal 10-15 thousand more fans a night. Multiply that by $25 and then by 81 home games. Manny hitting behind Hafner (or vice versa) equals pitchers having to be more careful about walking guys in front of them. Pitchers worrying about walking guys ed up leaving pitches in the fat part of the plate every so often.

Sadly the other commenters are right. The current management would be too scared of seeing the deal go bad to take a big risk.

Ben said...

I mean, look how everyone pee'd their pants when Kenny Lofton came back. You don't think the Tribe would see a huge influx of cash if they signed Manny?

Plus, if they made the playoffs, they'd make even more money. And if you provided a bat for this lineup, there's no reason they shouldn't make the postseason.

At the very least I'd like them to sniff Manny out, just see what his demands are. What can it hurt? And

Anonymous said...

Manny is a cancer...

Ben said...

Cancer? Maybe. But his teams tend to win, no?