Dodgers: Ramirez talks must now start from scratch

[March 02, 2009]  PHOENIX (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have pulled their $45 million, two-year offer to Manny Ramirez, and owner Frank McCourt said Sunday that negotiations will have to start again from scratch.

The Dodgers announced last week that Ramirez had declined the team's latest offer, a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. McCourt said no talks with Ramirez's representatives were scheduled for Sunday.

"We're in what I call a transition phase," McCourt said before the Dodgers lost 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox in their first game at their new spring training facility at Camelback Ranch. "We had an almost four-month negotiation which terminated on Thursday. Now we're in a quiet period. At some point we'll pick up negotiations, but with a fresh start."

The issue separating the two sides appears to be how much the contract is worth in present-day dollars.

General manager Ned Colletti and the Dodgers wanted to defer payment of $10 million until 2011, $10 million more to 2012 and $5 million to 2013

.

Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, said Sunday in an e-mail to reporters that his most recent offer Saturday was for two years with "some deferred compensation" for a "net present value" of $43.5 million, a compromise that Ramirez requested.

"We have continued to work with Ned and the Dodgers to do away with the artificial barriers and attempt (to) get a deal completed," Boras said. "There is no issue with deferral money being part of any contract; just want to make sure the value is stated accurately and appropriately."

According to Boras, the team's last offer had a net present value of $42 million. Boras' previous proposal was for $45 million without any deferred money. So he said he met the Dodgers at the midpoint of those offers because that's what Ramirez directed him to do.

"However, we have yet to hear from them on our last three offers," Boras said.

Also in the e-mail was a quote from Ramirez saying that he's been included throughout the process.

"I would not allow negotiations to take place without being involved and talk to Scott nearly every day," Ramirez was quoted as saying. "I have given Scott offers that he has given to the Dodgers and he has given me all offers from the team."

McCourt said Boras' proposal of $45 million for two years with no deferred payments only came after Boras responded to the team's $45 million offer with a proposal of $55 million for two years. He said the Dodgers rejected that proposal.

"You can't get a no and then when the other side says, 'OK, we're going to start fresh,' you say, 'I meant yes,'" McCourt said. "That's not how it works. It's too little, too late. It wasn't multiple choice."

The owner also said Boras had encouraged deferred money to be part of the offers from the beginning.

Despite the sometimes acrimonious exchanges between the two camps, McCourt said he expects negotiations to resume soon.

"We want to see Manny a Dodger this year," he said.

Los Angeles carried a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning against Chicago but Gordon Beckham led off with a long home run off Victor Garate. The White Sox then loaded the bases, and Brandon Allen and Michael Restovich each drove in a run with a fielder's choice.

Hiroki Kuroda, Eric Milton and Claudio Vargas threw two scoreless innings apiece for Los Angeles. Mark Loretta and Blake DeWitt had RBI singles.

Mark Buehrle worked two scoreless innings for the White Sox. He struck out two, walked one and allowed one hit.

Notes: Dodgers manager Joe Torre said there was nothing physically wrong with reliever Ramon Trancoso "unless he's hiding something from us." Toncosco, who has a 13.50 ERA this spring, walked two of the three batters he faced Sunday.

[Associated Press]

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