After a sub-par 2007 (.296/.388/.493) in Boston, he was having another less than Manny year this year (.299/.398/.529) but then he went to L.A. and for 53 games hit a ridiculous .396/.489/.743. He has also played a very solid left field since going to the Dodgers. He finished the 2008 regular season hitting .332/.430/.601, with 37 HR and 121 RBI, and he's carried that hot hitting into the postseason.
At first I didn't want the Yanks to sign him, but now after watching how good the guy can still be if he's happy (I know that's a big 'if') I'm starting to change my mind. The idea of having A-Rod and Manny hitting 3-4 in a lineup is almost too good to pass up.
Signing him could create some problems, though. The Yankees would have Matsui, Damon, Nady and Manny fighting for playing time at three positions - DH, LF, and RF. The Yankees could trade Matsui, or they could just have one of these four on the bench every night, which would make the bench that much better. So maybe it's not a problem after all; those great Yankee teams of the late 90's had superb benches, and I remember many nights when guys like Daryl Strawberry would pinch-hit and hit a huge homer or drive in the game winning run.
Another problem - and probably the biggest one - will be the contract that Manny will want, remember, his agent is now Scott "Satan" Boras. The Yankees do have a ton of money, and will only make more with the new stadium opening up, so money shouldn't be an issue, but I've heard he may want a 4-year deal, and that's probably too long.
The Yankees want, and need Mark Teixeira, he should be their main offensive target this off-season. Could they sign him and Manny? I don't know, it would be a lot of money, but being that they're probably not going to sign any of the big pitching free agents it might be possible, and boy would that lineup be insane.
Then there's the issue of Manny being
I'm still a little torn on this, the last thing I want the Yankees to do is bring in Manny and have him be a distraction, but if he came in and performed, I don't think we'd have to worry about the offensive problems the '08 team faced. I'm very interested to see what you guys think. If you were Brian Cashman, would you go after Manny this off-season, and why or why not?
24 Comments:
Yes sign him.
Why?
Because he's Manny Ramirez.
Hahaha, fair enough.
Why the hell not? The guy can flat out rake the ball and he's clutch, unlike some Yankees. He may cost 20 million a year but he's one of the few hitters out there who is actually worth it. I also think the Yanks can sign both Teixeira and Manny. Unless they sign CC, which would mean one of those two won't be signed, probably Manny because as you said they really need Tex.
We dont need Teix and his big contract, he is no better than Giambi was when he was a FA and look what happened. The Yanks can plug somebody at first, even Matsui if we have Manny and still be a good team. The only reason why people are so high on Teix is because theres no other power hitter available that get on base and field. If players like Howard, Fielder and Pujols be FA this year nobody I mean NO ONE would say bring Teix here for the amount he is going to ask. He is going to be a mistake and I hope we just stay away from him.
i say fuck it - why not? he will have to shave his face and cut that nappy ass hair so maybe his brain will be a little less cluttered.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1065000/images/_1069675_manny300.jpg
yes, i've said it all along. he's still has a h.o.f bat.i also have my eyes on acouple of other dodgers; casey blake for first(3rd if we trade arod), and of course matt kemp for cf. if d.lowe has a really good postseason i may consider him, i didnt know his numbers this year were that good, in the nl, i know. back to arod, i know we prob cant trade him, but if we can i would sign tex and blake.
Eliezer,
First of all Giambi cheated and his body broke down because of the steroids. Had he stayed healthy signing him would have been a good move.
Second, Teixeira is a gold glove first baseman, something Giambi could never dream of being. A better comparison would be to Tino when we traded for him. And I don't think anyone would say acquiring Tino was a bad move.
Teixeira does two things Fielder and Howard don't; he plays defense well, and he hits above .300. He's one of the best overall first baseman in the game.
But anyway, what about Manny? Because that's what this post is about.
Greg I see you are in love with Teix he is not even a .300 career hitter. I'm not saying hes a bad player but the only reason why all of you are so in love with the guy is because he is the only good and young hitter out there this year and if we sign him to a 5+ year deal we will regret it, we could sign a good defensive 1B less spensive than him.
I would sign Manny, he is by far the best FA bat available and as clutch as it comes, the type of hitter that strikes fear into any pitcher and the Yankees need that type of bat to protect the middle of the order.
Eliezer,
You mentioned Prince Fielder before as someone we all would be jumping at instead of Teixeira if he was available.
Well besides being younger, what is he better at than Teixeira? Tex's career OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is .919.Prince Fielder's is .903. Teixeira is a great defensive first baseman, Fielder is terrible defensively.
I don't think you realize how good Teixeira is.
I agree with what you said about Manny, though.
tex has looked pretty damned good for the angels the last two games, too bad noone else really has. i cant believe the red sox are going to win another world series. i think this will get ol' hank and whats left of george so angry it will cause them to go in a huge spending spree this offseason.
Yea, he's 5-for-7, with a RBI and 3 runs scored.
You might be right Dan. Although I just hope they spend it on the right things, and not things like injury-prone pitchers.
Nah
He said he couldn't stand Boston because of all the scrutiny. How many newspapers have beat writers following the Yankees?
Too bad. It just wouldn't be a good fit. But, I do agree that he's one of the greatest hitters ever. I wish he wasn't such a goof.
John,
Was that media scrutiny, or scrutiny within the organization, or both?
I've also heard the Boston is a tougher place to play than New York, because EVERYONE in Boston is a Red Sox fan. Where in New York you have Yankees fans and Mets fans.
You could be right, and you're certainly right about him being a goof.
No. Why? Because he's Manny.
The biggest impediment to signing Manny is probably the remaining year on Damon and Matsui's contracts.
Some people often argue that money doesn't matter to the Yankees, but obviously it does.
If they could dump Matsui and/or Damon, I would offer Manny 3 years @ $25 million per. If that isn't enough, pass.
congrats to joe! the manny and joe show moves on. we may see manny's revenge vs boston this year, in the world series.
This goes against every rational instinct i have but fuck it. We all know Boras masterminded the final melt down in Boston just to create this very scenario, but I the Yankee fan in me wants to see Boston fans cringe every clutch at bat ala Wade Bogs. Bring him back to the AL just to haunt the Red Sox. You can't deny the man delivers which puts him above Giambi and Arod despite the other nonsense.
I say pass. He's a pain in the ass.
BB
If manny would accept a contract of 2 years with club options id sign him in a heart beat.
Maybe I just see things differently. But when I was growing up, you didn't want to see a rival player on your team at any time under any cost. I have hated Manny for so long (and for so many good reasons) that I wouldn't take him for free at this point. And it really astounds me that so many Yankees fans would pick up a guy that epitomizes everything that we've despised over the last decade. I never want to see Manny in pinstripes. Even if that means a few less home runs next season.
That said, let's go sign Tex. Then let's actively pursue some pitching. And finally, let's give some of our field prospects like Brett Gardner get a true shot to prove themselves. The Yankees need to get younger and the only way that's going to happen is by giving some of our unknowns a true shot.
Mateo,
I know what you're saying about rival players, and I definitely understand why you hate Manny so much. But did you feel the same way about Boggs and Clemens?
I agree with everything else you said regarding Tex and Gardner.
Boggs didn't bother me that much. Really can't say why but he didn't. Clemens though I had a hard time with. Even when he was having his best Yankee years, I just never felt like he belonged in pinstripes. Give me David Wells or Pettitte over Roger Clemens any day.
All of that said, I don't want to come across as saying I wouldn't want any Red Sox player ever. I never really had a problem with Damon. And I still don't have a problem with Ortiz. But certain guys I despise because they embody what I hate about the Sox. Guys like Pap, Varitek, Manny, Schilling, and Beckett. Pedro was another prime example. I just can't bring myself to do an about face and pull for them.
I know what you're saying Mateo, and it's very valid. Manny has been easy to hate for a long time, but he's such a good hitter, so part of me is willing to give him a pass.
I think having Manny would be...fun. Sure, make a play.
I like Tex, too.
Mike
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