Isn't Manny a big waste of $$$?

by chillicothe20 on Jan 30, 2012 2:05 AM PST

I have read several articles regarding our interest in signing Manny Ramirez to DH this year. His obvious temperamental downside set aside, why would we waste our money? The team is in a rebuilding phase. Most projections seem to expect 70-75 wins for us. Why should a team with a losing record waste money on an aging player, when he won't make us even near-contenders? Let's say for argument he adds 10 wins (crazy, but just for argument's sake). 80-85 wins is barely or just below .500. We aren't in the NL Central where the division was won with 86 wins a few years ago. Texas will get 90 wins most likely. Even if we could win a division with 85 wins, we would never advance in the playoffs. One might argue he could teach the young guys, but I don't really feel like Manny is the mentoring type.

I am not 100% sure how baseball money works, but if we don't pay for Manny, is there not more money for later years, to sign better players when we are also getting better? Please clarify for me if there is some loophole puts us in a position to use or lose some cash, and this move is better than losing said money outright.

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Is Manny a big waste of money?

You have to ask if his extraordinary talent (hitting) is worth him possibly quitting on us at an inopportune time during the season (not that I realistically believe we are contenders). To me, it seems to be a pathetic attempt to sell tickets to a dwindling fan base. The potential upside to signing Manny outweighs the negatives. So to answer the question before us, I will say that Manny is not a waste of money.

by player20 on Jan 30, 2012 4:19 AM PST via mobile reply actions

THIS

If you can sign Manny for less than $1MM, you’ve got a deal. A’s are going to have one of the lowest payrolls in MLB and to avoid harassment by the MLBPA, they’ll add a bunch of unsigned veterans to fill out the roster. This does two things: adds money to the MLBPA coffers and gives the union value in the eyes of aging vets that their union dues are being well spent.

Manny will have to sit for 50 games, so he won’t be taking away an opportunity from any rookie. He would fill in or DH. His value to the club is to sell tickets, give the team a minor PR boost and a shot in the dark that Manny can still hit and provide a power surge to a team that currently has none.

A’s have plenty of money to spend. They’re not investing in aging vets (i.e. multi-year contracts) they’re buying a couple of lottery tickets while focusing on their 9-5.

It's just more exciting with Billy Beane running the team.

by ru155 on Jan 30, 2012 5:43 AM PST up reply actions

Big waste of money isn't a big waste of money

When we are not talking about big money. We’re talking about a couple million tops.

by OnlybuyBeaneJerseys on Jan 30, 2012 5:37 AM PST reply actions

worst case:

you get minimal production for minimal money

Best case: you get 6 weeks of great production for minimal money and then you get a B level prospect back for trading him.

Don’t sound too terible to me.

by RayJEdd on Jan 30, 2012 6:41 AM PST reply actions

If we sign Manny; we're not trading him...

After his 50 game PED suspension we’ll expect him to produce heavily because;

THE A’s ARE GOING TO WIN THE DIVISION, CULMINATING WITH A WORLD SERIES VICTORY IN 2012!

GO A’s!!!

Every man for himself...

by MMunoz33 on Jan 30, 2012 6:55 AM PST up reply actions

I have us winning the division

but losing to the San Jose Earthquakes in the World Cup

A Kouzmanoff for the rest of us!

by OptimistPrime on Jan 30, 2012 11:16 AM PST up reply actions

No way.

The A’s will lose to Bugs Bunny playing all nine positions.

"Hello and welcome to another wonderful and frightening night of A's baseball." - Gaijin_Suketto

by EddieVegas_NRAF on Jan 31, 2012 2:22 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I have the A's taking the Northern Conference wild card spot

but losing in the Alfalfa Bowl on New Year’s Eve Day.

by paris7 on Feb 1, 2012 8:26 PM PST up reply actions

OMIGOD ARE YOU A MIND READER???

I predicted the exact same thing! And to think people laughed at me.

-Cindi

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Feb 4, 2012 8:24 AM PST up reply actions

Not a mind reader, but I do know your bookie!

And he was laughing when I put down my money on the Alfalfa Bowl, saying (the bookie that is), “I knew this girl, once…”!

by paris7 on Feb 4, 2012 9:14 PM PST up reply actions

whatever the cost

it’s a waste, whether it’s big or small. he won’t bring anything back, and we may as well just rotate DH with allen, carter, and ka’aiahue, give them each a chance and see who sticks

Snoochies

by guessatomo on Jan 30, 2012 8:57 AM PST reply actions

100% for it

why the hell not do it at this point… if we can give bartolo 2 mil we can do anything.

Beane's World!! Excellent!!! Rock On, Beane! Rock On, Geren!

by Satchmo22 on Jan 30, 2012 9:24 AM PST reply actions

because

we already have three dh’s on our roster. might as well throw them out there while we’re not contending, and if one of them really performs, wonderful!.

if we’re gonna look for a 1 year deal, look for a 1 year starting pitcher who makes it so gray/peacock/parker (who all have little kinks to work out) keep developing in AAA for at least a few more months

Snoochies

by guessatomo on Jan 30, 2012 10:02 AM PST up reply actions

this

by Rio on Jan 30, 2012 11:17 AM PST up reply actions

i'm not a fan

of bringing up young players to be DH’s

Beane's World!! Excellent!!! Rock On, Beane! Rock On, Geren!

by Satchmo22 on Jan 30, 2012 2:26 PM PST up reply actions

problem is

carter and kila may be young, but they’re not good defensively, plus we have allen and barton who are MUCH better at first. that means they’re pretty much confined to dh

Snoochies

by guessatomo on Jan 30, 2012 2:56 PM PST up reply actions

Which makes them worth, um, something less than squat?

As far as I understand the numbers, you have to hit really well as a DH to generate WAR, and I’d rather let more guys rest from the field and still get their swings in. With satchmo, I think bringing up a guy to be DH seems pretty lousy unless they can truly murder the ball. And if they are really that good, they can’t earn to play 1B or CO? Is there a disability thing going on here?

by paris7 on Feb 1, 2012 8:30 PM PST up reply actions

I agree, if someone is a really excellent hitter, just play them at 1B.

The game is full of great first basemen that are poor fielders. The Tigers have 2 of them!

by Billy Frijoles on Feb 2, 2012 9:59 AM PST up reply actions

A Big Waste

in MLB is committing multiple years for umpteen millions, a la Chavez. Throwing away $10M on one year of Ben Sheets – qualifies as big waste. But Manny for $1M??

Should Carter/Kila/Allen hydra turn up game, become serious lineup threat, then Ramirez becomes irrelevant and, indeed, a waste.

However, bringing in Ramirez to work out with team in ST, see if can shed bad-boy image and resurrect awesome hitting skills – or not – would be low risk fun. If he fails, so be it. But $1M would not qualify as big waste.

by Slip n Slide on Jan 30, 2012 9:27 AM PST reply actions

Right it is not a big waste

cause it will come cheap and might even pay for themselves through revenue increase.

But what does it help us? He isnt Manny 09 or so. He sucked until his suspension last year and will not get younger. Even if he is better than Allen/Carter/Gomes it is not by much.

Better to throw a million or two at another rotation filler, cause there is not a lot of depth.

by Rio on Jan 30, 2012 11:22 AM PST up reply actions

Don't forget that we HAVE to spend money on free agents

its part of taking revenue sharing. We can just pocket it and say we are rebuilding. Seems every year people forget this and decry signing old guys. A. We have to B. No one else will come here except pitchers and aging sluggers no one else wants.

A Kouzmanoff for the rest of us!

by OptimistPrime on Jan 30, 2012 11:15 AM PST reply actions

It can only be under a million. Maybe even a minor deal.

So Manny will not really help with that. And if more money has to be spend than better add a starter or a reliever. There is thin depth, not at DH.

by Rio on Jan 30, 2012 11:26 AM PST up reply actions

This is why I asked

I was not sure if we HAD to spend a certain amount. I will say it seems better to put that $ toward pitching given the glut of DHs, but if it sells some tix and gets us a few more mentions on ESPN, maybe it is not that bad.

by chillicothe20 on Jan 30, 2012 1:58 PM PST up reply actions

I just read through a chat with

Melissa Lockard, who reports for Scout.com on the A’s farm system. I’m a big fan of her work. Anyway, she had this to say in response to a question about the possibility of the A’s signing Manny:

Well, for the storylines, I’m sure it would be interesting. But for the on-the-field aspect, I’m not a huge fan of the idea. Manny didn’t look great during his last stint with the White Sox, is nearly two years older now and will come with all sorts of distractions. Plus, if you take away the DH slot, there is no chance for young guys like Carter to get at-bats with this current roster, which seems like a waste of a development year.

by OaklandSi on Jan 30, 2012 1:36 PM PST reply actions

i too am a fan of melissa lockard

she seems to be the most active writer on that whole family of baseball websites. no joke when i say, my one christmas wish was a subscription to that website haha totally worth it.

her season in review write ups were awesome and the top 50 prospects (although i disagree with a bunch of the placements) were still very intriguing

Snoochies

by guessatomo on Jan 30, 2012 5:19 PM PST up reply actions