Projo Sports Blog

By Kat O'Brien
Newsday

The idea of Manny Ramirez playing for the Yankees always seemed a long shot, given his age, likely contract demands and not-so-buttoned-up personality. But multiple Yankees officials have said in recent days that they will take a look at signing Ramirez.

Co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said that on the record Friday, telling The Associated Press in Tampa: "There's nothing we are not looking at. And personally, I like Manny. He's one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. He's a free spirit for sure, but he knows how to win. We like some of the other guys, too. We just don't know yet."

Steinbrenner has not been actively involved in day-to-day Yankees business, unlike his brother and fellow co-chairman Hal. But that could change at any time.

Ramirez is one of the top righthanded hitters in history. The 36-year-old has a career .314 batting average and 1.004 on-base plus slugging percentage, with 527 home runs and 1,725 RBIs. This year, he batted a combined .332 with a 1.031 OPS and 121 RBIs for the Red Sox and Dodgers.

The Dodgers will try hard to re-sign him, as he became somewhat of a cult hero by leading them to the NLCS. But some will be wary of giving him too much money or too long a contract, given how badly things ended for him in Boston. There were questions about how hard he was trying as he sought a trade.

Ramirez said after the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs: "I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I."

Steinbrenner also commented on the Yankees' top target, ace lefty CC Sabathia. "Every team in baseball wants Sabathia," he said. "That's the bottom line. It's not a real secret. Pitching is in the forefront for everybody, not just us. That's why starting pitching is at a premium."

 Tags  Manny Ramirez New York Yankees

1 Comments

Frank said:

It would be great to see Manny help destroy what is left of the Yankees with that great attitude. With 30 million in his pocket, do you think he'll hustle?

Link | November 3, 2008 11:33 AM
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