Call me crazy, but I would offer more than $800K for Manny Ramirez - MLB

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos was asked about the possibility of the team going after Manny Ramirez the other day. Specifically, he was asked about Ramirez’s reputation as a pain in the butt. Anthopoulos’ response: “You have to weigh each case by itself. If it’s the right player, the right fit, the right talent at the right price, you’ve got to be open to it.”

This makes perfect sense to me, as does the notion that Ramirez would be a good fit in Toronto. What has me scratching my head a bit is the sentiment out there that has Manny only being worth a nothin’ contract with tons of incentives. This morning Buster Olney said “if he is willing to accept an $800,000 base salary with a lot of incentive clauses,” teams would maybe think about signing him.

Really? Heck, if he’d take $800K I’d consider him for my everyday left field slot. No, he’s not what he was, but last year he was injured a lot. When he did play, his rate stats were .298/.409/.460. That ain’t bad. And if I were a betting man I’d wager that if he plays DH someplace next year he’ll outperform Vlad Guerrero’s 2010.

$800,000? I’d offer the guy a few million.

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”