Tonight's Lineup Blows

So of course the Mets will probably score 10 runs.

Cora ss
Castillo 2b
Wright 3b
Church rf
Tatis lf
FMart cf
Evans 1b
Schneider c
Nieve p

Seriously, how many years has it been since we put such a feeble group of players out there?

One All-Star, a couple of journeymen, a pinch of scrap heap, a dash of mediocre regulars, a small spoonful of overmatched kids....and a whole lot of delicious.

Butch Huskey would bat cleanup with this bunch....and I'm talking 1998 Huskey.

Dodgers and Manny at a Standstill

It's interesting to see the Manny and Dodger dynamic play out.

At what point will one side blink?

What is the real number that Manny will sign for?

How do you value him?

Let's state the obvious up front--Manny had a great 2008:

2008 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	153	552	102	183	36	1	37	121	87	124	3	0	.332	.430	.601	1.031

BUT (there is always a but), in 2006 and 2007 he only played in 130 and 133 games, with a total of 55 HRs and 190 RBIs for those two seasons. His .881 OPS in 2007 is "good", but it sure isn't $20M+ good, and his latest trending 2006-2008 stats, not including his great 53 games with the Dodgers, doesn't approach $25M a year in value.

He also turns 37 in May--flag.

So in essence, there is a cognitive dissonance with Manny--fact vs fantasy.

Manny and Boras want to be paid for 2008 productivity, and GMs want to pay Manny for 2006-2008 productivity.

Our friends at FanGraphs put Manny's 2007 value at $5.0M a year, and his 2008 at $28.3M a year. Camp Manny wants him paid for 2008, but GMs are far smarter than they were a few years ago (not including Brian Cashman), and they know Manny is just not worth $25M a year, even for 1 year, hence ths standstill.

Tim Brown at Yahoo reports the following:

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti went a second day without talking to the agent for Manny Ramirez.

In a Friday night conference call arranged to announce the signing of left-hander Randy Wolf, questions ran about two to one in favor of Ramirez.

Colletti said he hadn’t spoken to Scott Boras since Wednesday and had no negotiations scheduled, now three days since Ramirez rejected a one-year, $25 million contract offer from the Dodgers.

“At some point in time we will come to a conclusion,” Colletti said. “We’re not there yet.”

Asked if the club would continue a dialogue beyond the day position players were due to arrive in camp, which for the Dodgers is Feb. 18, Colletti declined to answer.

“I’d be putting a deadline on it if I answered that question,” he said.

So how do the Mets fit in, or do they? There was some chatter last night from Tony Paige that the Mets are still a player in the Manny sweepstakes.

While the door may not be 100% shut, it's close. Unless Boras comes to the Mets with something right at $20M a season or less, there is zero chance he comes to Queens.

Manny to Dodgers: "No Thanks!"

In a flurry of Manny activity, we've seen an offer made, and offer quickly rejected.

According to the LA Times, Manny Ramirez wasted no time rejecting the Dodgers' latest offer, a one-year, $25-million proposal that was presented Sunday to his agent, Scott Boras.

The question is, "now what?"

I'd like to think it possible that the Mets could swoop in and snag the slugger for 2 years and $40-44M, but that seems unlikely given all the reports we've heard, like this one from the NY Post, that claim the Mets have all but taken themselves out of the running for his services.

Then again, we've seen this chess game before, and in year's past, it's been the owners that caved. This year may be different.

If so, is Manny truly willing to wait out the market by sitting out all or part of Spring Training?

Are the Mets going to make the offer that Tony Paige alluded to previously based on his source (a former Omar Minaya associate)?

Like everything involving Manny, this song and dance continues to keep Met fans on pins and needles, and without a formal declaration from the club of "No Mas", it will do so as long as there is even a glimmer of hope that he brings that Silver bat to Queens.

Dodgers Make Second Offer to Manny

According to Inside SoCal, the Dodgers have made another offer to Manny.

The deal is reported to be one year for $25M.

They report:

This according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Ned Colletti confirmed that the offer was made last night, but he wouldn't confirm the length or the amount. Got a message in to Boras, but you know how that goes. Until (and if) I hear back from him, there is no word on whether he and Manny are receptive to such a deal. But it certainly appears, from the outside looking in, that they are running out of options if he wants to make it somewhere by the start of spring training.

"We are still trying to sign Manny, and we hope that this will make him happy,'' Colletti said. The Dodgers' original offer to Manny, which was pulled off the table three months ago, was two years, $45 million with a club option for 2011. These are the only known offers to Ramirez by any major-league club since he filed for free agency last fall.

Remaining Free Agents and the Mets

We all know the names: Lowe, Garland, Dunn, Manny, Abreu, Wolf, Perez, Redding.

So who fits for the Mets, and who doesn't?

Our friend Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated just finished a piece handicapping the remaining free agents.

Jon racks and stacks them as follows:

1. Bobby Abreu, OF
2. Milton Bradley, OF/DH
3. Pat Burrell, OF/DH.
4. Orlando Cabrera, SS.
5. Joe Crede, 3B
6. Adam Dunn, OF
7. Jon Garland, SP.
8. Jason Giambi, DH/1B.
9. Orlando Hudson, 2B.
10. Derek Lowe, SP.
11. Oliver Perez, SP
12. Andy Pettitte, SP.
13. Manny Ramirez, OF.
14. Ben Sheets, SP
15. Jason Varitek, C.
16. Randy Wolf, SP.
17. Garret Anderson, OF
18. Freddy Garcia, SP
19. Cliff Floyd, DH
20. Tim Redding, SP.

It's an interesting list, and many of the names have been bandied about as possibilities for the Mets.

We rank the ones that could most help the Mets as follows:

1. Oliver Perez, SP: Very high on Ollie. Strikeout pitcher, hitting his prime, aces against the Phils lefty lineup, and wants the ball in tough spots. He's young, he's lefty, and he's nasty. $$$$
2. Derek Lowe, SP: Innings eater who throws ground balls. Seems like the perfect fit for this team, at this time. He's older, but has a great motion and body type for longevity. $$$$
3. Manny Ramirez, OF: Not gonna happen, but just think if it could. Manny in left field for 2 years would make this lineup as good as any in baseball, plus we'd all get to enjoy his fielding. $$$$$
4. Jon Garland, SP: Guaranteed to start 32+ games and throw 200 innings. Battler, pitches to contact, but gets the job done. Would slot well to the #4 in this rotation. $$$
5. Orlando Hudson, 2B: Worth the price of admission to see him and Reyes in the same infield. Very capable hitter who gets on base and makes things happen. If it weren't for Castillo, Hudson would already be a Met. $$$
6. Adam Dunn, OF: Has his flaws, but also his strengths. Big power with a keen eye. Not a great RBI man, but in a stacked lineup he could have the best year of his career. Average fielder. Omar is not a fan. $$$$
7. Ben Sheets, SP: Has great stuff, but the injury worry is there. Surprising lack of interest in this excellent pitcher. Someone is going to get a relative bargain. $$$$
8. Randy Wolf, SP: I'm not a fan. Had a very nice 2008, but before that had four consecutive years of 18 starts or less. $$$

I still believe Lowe will be a Met, but there's a good chance that more than one name from Heyman's list gets added in the next two weeks.

Mets Rumors Abound

Latest one I heard is Manny Ramirez and Jacoby Ellsbury to the Mets for Carlos Beltran.

My BS alarms is blaring very loudly. Crazy year.

Stay the course Omar, stay the course.