Jan 2, 2009 5:00 pm US/Central
Giants Reportedly Offer Manny Ramirez 4-Year Deal
L.A. Dodgers Withdrew 2-Year Offer To Ramirez
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ―
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Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (File)
Jonathan Moore/Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants are pursuing free-agent slugger Manny Ramirez and have offered him a four-year deal, a well-connected source told CBS station KPIX-TV in San Francisco.
Financial terms of the contract offer were not immediately known. The deal was said by the source to contain incentives for the third year of the contract and a club option for the fourth.
In addition, the Denver Post newspaper quoted a Major League Baseball insider as saying the Giants were "quietly making an aggressive play" for Ramirez.
The chances of the Giants signing Ramirez, a 36-year-old left fielder, were unclear. A team spokesperson told KPIX, "it's not happening."
The Los Angeles Dodgers recently withdrew a two-year, $45 million offer they presented to keep Ramirez, who helped lift them into postseason play with an NL West title this past season.
Dodger officials said the team took their deal off the bargaining table after not hearing back from Ramirez's camp.
Calls by KPIX to Ramirez's agent, who is known for trying to pit teams against each other in a bidding war, were not returned and his publicist had no knowledge of any negotiations with the Giants.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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