From a winter meetings update from FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal:
The Red Sox and Dodgers were scheduled to meet at midnight Eastern on Sunday to talk about Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez, according to a major league source....
The Red Sox almost certainly would want right-hander Jonathan Broxton, a future closer, in a Ramirez package. The Dodgers, however, value Broxton for his late-inning potential....
A package of Penny, third baseman Andy LaRoche and first baseman James Loney might entice the Red Sox. Penny, 28, is signed for $7.5 million next season and $8.5 million in 2008, with an $8.75 million club option for '09.
The result of that meeting? An excerpt from the the L.A. Times' online "Dodgers Q&A" column by Steve Henson:
Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti met with his Red Sox counterpart, Theo Epstein, late Sunday night after arriving in Orlando to discuss Ramirez, but the teams are not close to a deal.
The Red Sox want three of the top six Dodgers prospects, including outfielder Matt Kemp and potential closer Jonathan Broxton. The names of James Loney, Andy LaRoche, Chad Billingsley and Scott Elbert also came up.
That price is too steep for the enigmatic Ramirez, a certain Hall of Famer who still has a few productive seasons left and would fill the Dodgers' need for a power-hitting corner outfielder....
Colletti plans to meet with several other teams and the agents for several free agents today while putting the Ramirez talks on the back burner.
2 comments:
Ooooooooh, a midnight meeting. Sounds so secretive!
If they want Kemp, Broxton, AND another prospect for Manny, I hope Colletti stands his ground (or gets Matsuzaka as well as Ramirez). Kemp and Broxton alone though, I'm open to it.
Rumor mill from Foxsports.com highlights the same point, that the Red Sox' demands for Manny are prohibitive:
The Dodgers have interest in Manny Ramirez but have been turned off by what they consider the outrageous price tag. The Red Sox want three players, including power-hitting outfielder prospect Matt Kemp and budding closer Jonathan Broxton. And they also want the Dodgers to pay Ramirez's entire salary of $38 million the next two years. The demands might drop as the season approaches. Or they might not. It depends on how badly the Red Sox want to dump a slugger who consistently bats over .300 with more than 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in. The Dodgers would part with prospects if the Red Sox eat some of Ramirez's salary, or they would pay the full salary if only one premium prospect is included in a package. But for now, they don't do both. There might be something of a tug-of-war in the Dodgers hierarchy. The scouting and player development officials don't want to trade Kemp or Broxton, while Little is warm to the idea of acquiring Ramirez.
Two prospects plus Ramirez's full salary? Like the Red Sox don't have a lot of money to spend (see Matsuzaka, Daisuke). Nice try. (I hope.)
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