Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers Reach a Deal Finally

Manny Ramirez is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the news coming out of Orlando, Florida according to ESPN, and notes that Ramirez is on a return flight to Los Angeles, California to possibly finally sign a contract with the team. This is the news after Ramirez and the Dodgers had failed for months to agree on a new contract for the 2009 season. It also should end speculation that Ramirez was being courted by other teams that may or may not have been willing to meet his contract demands.

The details of the contract are still murky at this point, but at the heart of the deal is Manny Ramirez getting $45 million over the next two years, again making him one of the highest paid players in baseball. Last season Ramirez was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers after he left management disgruntled with his style and attitude. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Ramirez went on a tear, hitting close to .400 and helping the Dodgers glide right into the post-season. It left fans in L.A. loving him, and calling for him to be re-signed to the club.

Status of the talks had been up in the air again recently, as it was reported that Ramirez had turned down another contract offer from the Dodgers. That offer had been a one-year deal of $25 million for 2009, and a player contract option for $20 million in 2010. It is not clear what the differences between this new deal and the one that he declined will turn out to be, but it must have changed his mind in recent weeks, as the 2009 MLB season gets close to starting. Now Ramirez will again return to the outfield for the Dodgers, and hopefully for them, lead them back into the playoffs.

The Dodgers are in spring training in Arizona right now, and had been trying hard to work on a deal with Ramirez for some time. The need to have his power and hitting ability in the line-up was a popular notion in the free agent talks, and unfortunately for them, this was also brought to the attention of Manny Ramirez. It forced them to give up a bit of the bargaining ability they might have hoped for, and though Ramirez wanted somewhere in the neighborhood of $75 million over 3 years, this contract is still going to cost the Dodgers a lot of money in the short term. With only a two year contract though, this will either pay dividends right away, or be written off as a bust. The Dodgers are certainly hoping for the former.

Source: ESPN