I must say I was quite impressed by the quality and tenor of John Farrell’s words when Alex Anthopoulos introduced him to the Toronto sports media on Monday.
For the most part, Farrell’s answers were well thought out, and only once did I feel any politico-speak make its way into the conversation. And based upon the post-conference responses on web sites and in the blogosphere, a very positive vibe came out of Anthopoulos’ most important hire to date.
But a funny thing happened while that media conference was going on. Upon learning of the Farrell hiring in Toronto, Manny Ramirez, a soon-to-be free agent, let it be known that he wouldn’t mind playing in Toronto under their new skipper.
Manny said all the right things: "Toronto has made a great acquisition."
"Farrell is a manager for whom I would like to play for."
"Toronto is a team I’ve liked since they had all those Dominican players in the ‘80s."
That got me to thinking: at 38 and with a forgettable season now behind him, is there any value in bringing Manny Ramirez to the Blue Jays? Or would they be better off keeping an eye on the David Ortiz situation in Boston (he has a $12.5 million option to be decided upon by the team three days after the World Series ends)?
Let’s start with Manny, whose career has been well documented. He came up through the Indians’ chain, spending parts of eight seasons in Cleveland, becoming the biggest offensive force in the game in 1999 when he drove in 165 runs, the highest total in baseball in the past 60 years. He went onto to the Red Sox through free agency and became ‘The Man’ in Fenway, adored by the ravenous Red Sox Nation and leading them to a pair of World Series titles in 2004 and 2007.
Unfortunately for Manny, he started to turn into a caricature in ’08, when "Manny being Manny" lost its lustre and he was dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. With his pride tweaked, Ramirez put his vast talent back on display, hitting .396 with 17 HR and 53 RBI in 53 games while turning Chavez Ravine into Manny-wood and carrying the Dodgers past Arizona to claim the N.L. West crown.
The 2009 season, however, was a different kettle of fish for. He appeared in only 104 games after being suspended for 50 games following a failed drug test and he hasn’t been able to rediscover his stroke since. He closed out the 2010 season hitting just a single home run in 24 games with White Sox as they fell out of the playoff race. Now, based upon what I have just recounted, you might wonder why anyone would want Ramirez, even on a discounted contract, on their roster.
Properly motivated, on an incentive-laden contract, Man-Ram could be a very dangerous hitter back in the A.L. East and playing Boston and New York in the glare of their media spotlights.
Then there is the equally interesting case of David (Big Papi) Ortiz.
Slow starts over the last two seasons have made many to think that the hulking slugger’s best days are in his rear view. But when they tallied up the numbers, Ortiz remains one of the most dangerous clutch hitters in the game, averaging 30 home runs and 100 RBI the last two seasons despite hitting just .196 with a single home run in April. If the Red Sox pass on Ortiz and he hits the market, snatching up a Papi with something to prove might be just what the Jays need to add to the middle of the lineup, hitting between Jose Bautista and Vernon Wells and playing for a manager who was on the Red Sox coaching staff and is familiar with Ortiz and his idiosyncrasies.
In my mind, Ortiz at three years younger is the more attractive of the two, but it all comes down to money.
With several players up for arbitration-eligible raises, Wells’ contract jumping up to (gulp) $26 million , and not currently knowing what home run champ Bautista will earn, monies might not be as readily available as we are currently led to believe. Plus the domino effect on Adam Lind (LF? 1B?) might not prove to be worth the gamble, but it’s worth debating the merits of bringing in hitters with such vast production resumes.
CAN RANGERS REBOUND?
Based upon that deplorable performance in Game 2, I’d have to say no. It was actually painful to watch manager Ron Washington vapour-locked and unable to stop the bleeding as relievers Derek Holland and Mark Lowe couldn’t throw the ball over the plate.
The Rangers head home to the Ballpark in Arlington, down not just 2-0, but having been thoroughly dominated. Everything that went right for them in the first two rounds of the postseason has all gone terribly wrong, so much so that they might have to consider starting Cliff Lee on short rest in Game 4 just to stay in the series.
The top three hitters in the lineup – Elvis Andrus, Michael Young and Josh Hamilton – have gone just 3-for-22 (.136) against the Giants after going 25-for-74 in the LCS win over the Yankees. But the bullpen has been brutal – 15 base runners in just 5.1 innings – and has left the American League champions in a fragile place and halfway to getting swept, something no one predicted.
