Thursday, December 04, 2003
MANNY FOR ALEX?
It's a possibility, according to the Dallas Morning News (quoted on ESPN.com). And yes, their article database requires your email address. They've got mine, and so now you've got the article. Read on...
Sources: Boston looking at A-Rod
Deal involving slugger Ramirez would face big monetary hurdles
11:18 PM CST on Thursday, December 4, 2003
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON – Forget listening to trade offers for Alex Rodriguez. The Rangers are willing to act.
That is, if the Boston Red Sox come up with a financial incentive package that saves the Rangers considerable money.
According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, the Rangers would send Rodriguez to Boston for moody but productive slugging outfielder Manny Ramirez, under two conditions:
-- First, Boston would have to take the remaining seven years of Rodriguez's $252 million contract. About $180 million remains on the deal.
-- Second, the Red Sox would have to ante up a significant portion of Ramirez's average annual $20 million salary for the remaining five years of his contract.
"My position on all trades is that I'm not going to comment one way or another," Rangers general manager John Hart said Thursday evening.
Boston GM Theo Epstein could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
Rangers management, however, has continually said it would be happy to have Rodriguez back and feels no obligation to actively seek a deal. Manager Buck Showalter expects Rodriguez to be part of the team when spring training convenes in March.
That's because the "significant" amount of money the Rangers need in return constitutes a huge hurdle.
For the savings to be significant enough for the Rangers, they aren't likely to accept less than $3 million to $4 million per year in return. For the Red Sox, it would be difficult, even under the best circumstances, to hand out any more than that. To date, major league sources have indicated the Red Sox are unwilling to give back any money.
The circumstances surrounding this situation, however, evolve daily. Rodriguez's unhappiness in Texas continues to get more and more public, even after he ended a six-week silent treatment of Rangers management. According to a major league source, Rodriguez has made it clear to acquaintances in Boston that he would like to join the Red Sox. According to a source close to Rodriguez, he desperately wants to leave the Rangers.
During a conversation at season's end, Rangers owner Tom Hicks asked Rodriguez if he was on board with the team's rebuilding plan or, if not, to submit a list of teams to which he'd accept a deal. Rodriguez, who has not publicly demanded a trade, did submit Boston and the New York Yankees.
Asked directly if Rodriguez told him during the conversation he'd prefer to be traded, Hicks declined to comment in a Wednesday phone conversation.
The other circumstance involved is Boston's ongoing battle of one-upmanship with its archrivals, the New York Yankees. Since Boston acquired pitcher Curt Schilling, the Yankees have gone on an acquisition spree, adding reliever Paul Quantrill, re-signing reliever Felix Heredia and, on Thursday, trading for Montreal starter Javier Vazquez. The Yankees are also deep into negotiations with free-agent outfielder Gary Sheffield.
Since acquiring Schilling, the Red Sox have focused on trying to sign reliever Keith Foulke but have not completed the deal. The Red Sox did, however, finalize their managerial situation Thursday, naming former Rangers bench coach Terry Francona. Francona was well-liked within the Rangers clubhouse.
Adding Rodriguez to that mix would potentially trump the Yankees' recent spate of moves. To get a deal done, however, requires a complicated set of dominoes falling.
This is what it would involve:
-- The Rangers would want to save at least $10 million per year to part with Rodriguez. They would save $5 million per year – and shorten the terms of the contract – simply by swapping Rodriguez for Ramirez straight up. The rest of the savings would come from Boston paying a portion of Ramirez's salary. By completing such a deal, the Rangers could save as much as $100 million on Rodriguez's contract.
-- If the Red Sox did that, it would mean they were essentially paying an average of $25 million to $30 million for Rodriguez for each of the next five years. They are paying Ramirez and shortstop Nomar Garciaparra a total of $31 million. Garciaparra can be a free agent after the 2004 season, and the Red Sox would have to look at either giving him a raise or finding another shortstop.
-- The Red Sox would have to deal Garciaparra, perhaps to Anaheim or Los Angeles. That could still leave them with a minimal savings if they replaced Ramirez and Garciaparra with Rodriguez. The Red Sox could trade Garciaparra to Anaheim for more relief help. Los Angeles is in the market for a shortstop.
For now, though, it remains a waiting game.
Only this time, it's the Rangers who are waiting, not other teams waiting to hear from Texas.
Sources: Boston looking at A-Rod
Deal involving slugger Ramirez would face big monetary hurdles
11:18 PM CST on Thursday, December 4, 2003
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON – Forget listening to trade offers for Alex Rodriguez. The Rangers are willing to act.
That is, if the Boston Red Sox come up with a financial incentive package that saves the Rangers considerable money.
According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, the Rangers would send Rodriguez to Boston for moody but productive slugging outfielder Manny Ramirez, under two conditions:
-- First, Boston would have to take the remaining seven years of Rodriguez's $252 million contract. About $180 million remains on the deal.
-- Second, the Red Sox would have to ante up a significant portion of Ramirez's average annual $20 million salary for the remaining five years of his contract.
"My position on all trades is that I'm not going to comment one way or another," Rangers general manager John Hart said Thursday evening.
Boston GM Theo Epstein could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
Rangers management, however, has continually said it would be happy to have Rodriguez back and feels no obligation to actively seek a deal. Manager Buck Showalter expects Rodriguez to be part of the team when spring training convenes in March.
That's because the "significant" amount of money the Rangers need in return constitutes a huge hurdle.
For the savings to be significant enough for the Rangers, they aren't likely to accept less than $3 million to $4 million per year in return. For the Red Sox, it would be difficult, even under the best circumstances, to hand out any more than that. To date, major league sources have indicated the Red Sox are unwilling to give back any money.
The circumstances surrounding this situation, however, evolve daily. Rodriguez's unhappiness in Texas continues to get more and more public, even after he ended a six-week silent treatment of Rangers management. According to a major league source, Rodriguez has made it clear to acquaintances in Boston that he would like to join the Red Sox. According to a source close to Rodriguez, he desperately wants to leave the Rangers.
During a conversation at season's end, Rangers owner Tom Hicks asked Rodriguez if he was on board with the team's rebuilding plan or, if not, to submit a list of teams to which he'd accept a deal. Rodriguez, who has not publicly demanded a trade, did submit Boston and the New York Yankees.
Asked directly if Rodriguez told him during the conversation he'd prefer to be traded, Hicks declined to comment in a Wednesday phone conversation.
The other circumstance involved is Boston's ongoing battle of one-upmanship with its archrivals, the New York Yankees. Since Boston acquired pitcher Curt Schilling, the Yankees have gone on an acquisition spree, adding reliever Paul Quantrill, re-signing reliever Felix Heredia and, on Thursday, trading for Montreal starter Javier Vazquez. The Yankees are also deep into negotiations with free-agent outfielder Gary Sheffield.
Since acquiring Schilling, the Red Sox have focused on trying to sign reliever Keith Foulke but have not completed the deal. The Red Sox did, however, finalize their managerial situation Thursday, naming former Rangers bench coach Terry Francona. Francona was well-liked within the Rangers clubhouse.
Adding Rodriguez to that mix would potentially trump the Yankees' recent spate of moves. To get a deal done, however, requires a complicated set of dominoes falling.
This is what it would involve:
-- The Rangers would want to save at least $10 million per year to part with Rodriguez. They would save $5 million per year – and shorten the terms of the contract – simply by swapping Rodriguez for Ramirez straight up. The rest of the savings would come from Boston paying a portion of Ramirez's salary. By completing such a deal, the Rangers could save as much as $100 million on Rodriguez's contract.
-- If the Red Sox did that, it would mean they were essentially paying an average of $25 million to $30 million for Rodriguez for each of the next five years. They are paying Ramirez and shortstop Nomar Garciaparra a total of $31 million. Garciaparra can be a free agent after the 2004 season, and the Red Sox would have to look at either giving him a raise or finding another shortstop.
-- The Red Sox would have to deal Garciaparra, perhaps to Anaheim or Los Angeles. That could still leave them with a minimal savings if they replaced Ramirez and Garciaparra with Rodriguez. The Red Sox could trade Garciaparra to Anaheim for more relief help. Los Angeles is in the market for a shortstop.
For now, though, it remains a waiting game.
Only this time, it's the Rangers who are waiting, not other teams waiting to hear from Texas.
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