MITCHELL BLATT

Manny Ramirez has expressed publicly what JSB was reporting last summer–that Ramirez wants to return to the Cleveland Indians.

Ramirez told the USA Today:

“I would like to play for Cleveland one more time, to go back where I started. … I think to go back where you started is everyone’s dream.”

I reported last summer that Ramirez wanted to go back to Cleveland, but the Indians didn’t end up wanting to spend money on him.

However, his desire to return to Cleveland may not be rooted so much in wanting to return to where he started his career as it is in making sure he doesn’t get inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Red Sock, says one of my sources.

The MLB HOF people decide which team a player represents when they are inducted, and Ramirez played 8 years with both the Indians and Red Sox (getting traded during his eighth season in Boston).

He put up similar stats on both teams, though for his first two years with Cleveland, he hadn’t risen to stardom.

If he were to be inducted today, my source thinks he would be a Red Sock, but if he plays just a few more years in Cleveland, he’ll be an Indian. Because he hates the Red Sox so much, he doesn’t want to be a Red Sock.

Just some speculation…

Giants, Yankees, Sabathia, and Ramirez Caught in Four Way Love Triangle (Or Square?)

He said that Sabathia wants to return to his hometown in San Fransisco or at least play somewhere on the West Coast. The Giants, however, are more interested in Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira. Teixeira is said to be leaning toward the Red Sox, but Ramirez is still up in the air. Regardless, the Giants probably won’t make an offer for Sabathia if Teixeira and Ramirez are still available. The Yankees really want Sabathia, and they are supposed to make their final offer to him tomorrow.

As for Ramirez, Scott Boras is supposed to be meeting with the Dodgers tomorrow. Ramirez entered the free agent period saying, “The price of gas is high, and so is the price of Manny,” and so far, his value is still just as high as the price of gas.

UPDATE: CC Signed With the Yankees.

Ken Griffey, Jr, Jason Giambi, Delmon Young All to Tampa Bay

The Devil Rays are interested in Griffey and Giambi as designated hitters. Giambi is also receiving interest from Oakland. The Rays are also thinking about getting Young back. My source said, “Delmon Young isn’t very good. He’s overrated. He wouldn’t be a starter anymore if he weren’t a number one pick.”

Indians Sign Kerry Wood, and More:

Kerry Wood is signing with the Indians for what has been quoted as two years and $18 million. If healthy, he adds to an elite staff including Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona.

AJ Burnett Banking on the Yankees

If the Yankees don’t sign Sabathia tomorrow, their next option will be AJ Burnett. If they begin to court him, his value should rise to over $80 million. The Braves, Red Sox, and Cardinals are also interested.

White Sox Dealing Jermaine Die; Trade With the Reds Scrapped

The White Sox are trying to trade Die, and they had an offer from the Reds yesterday of Homer Bailey for Die, but the Sox want more.

-Ben Sheets will go for two years and $30 million or three years and $45 million to the Brewers or the Yankees.

Angels are Front Runner for Teixeira

The Angels are set to offer Teixeira $160 million over eight years, my source says. The Red Sox are the other contender, also willing to offer $160 million or more, but would Teixeira want to leave Los Angeles?

Teixiera may be on the Yankees radar as well as a backup in case they don’t sign Sabathia, but with the Angels and Sox getting serious about him, chances are he will be already signed by the time the Yankees get done dealing with Sabathia. That may be why they put a deadline on his offer.

That said, my source doesn’t expect Sabathia to sign with the Yankees, so here we go with…

C.C. Sabathia

Probable destination? The San Francisco Giants.

Despite the Yankees offering him $20 million more, Sabathia will take $110 million over five years with the Giants to go back to his hometown.

The Dodgers may also be interested if they fail to resign Ramirez.

The Players’ Union may pressure him to sign with the Yankees because it would increase the market value of everyone else, and they do have lots of sway over players, so he still could sign with the Yankees, but chances are he won’t. If they Yankees don’t sign Sabathia or Teixeira, A.J. Burnett is supposed to be their next target.

Ramirez’s Value Down; Dodgers May Be Favorite

Despite early indicators suggesting some team would go crazy and vastly overspend for Ramirez, the market has been surprisingly unfavorable to him.

He’s not expected to get over $100 million, and the best he might have to settle for is $70 million for three years with the Dodgers.

Other Odds and Ends

-Edgar Renteria said to be signing with the A’s or Cardinals.

-My source on the Coco Crisp for Rimon Ramirez (Royals to Red Sox) trade: It’s a bad trade for the Royals because they need relief help, and Crisp just isn’t all that good. He’s a good outfielder, but he overpreformed in Cleveland two years ago, his only year of batting .300. That said, playing in a large market and suffering from bad injuries did hurt him in Boston, so he Kansas City should be a better fit.

Below is my original report from early this afternoon:

ORIGINAL REPORT: It’s the day of the trade, my friends. With the deadline coming up on Thursday night, my source says Teixeira will be traded today. At first, the Angels weren’t expected to trade Casey Kotchman, but they may be coming around to it.

Though the Braves do want pitching, Kotchman (.287, 12 HR, 54 RBI) is good enough that he could probably get Teixeira straight away. If not, the Angels would be very reluctant to trade pitching.

Brandon Woods has also been pondered by some, but my source hasn’t heard any mention of him. He’s not being considered.

The Diamondbacks, who were originally thought to be the top contender, do not want to part with either 1B Connor Jackson or P Jarrod Parker. While the trade could go down without Jackson, it would probably have to feature Parker.

I’ll keep you posted on Teixeira as I learn more.

More Tidbits

-Dodgers trading for Michael Young? Not happening, my source says. The Dodgers don’t want to give up young pitching. Young might get traded somewhere in the offseason, though.

-Will the Marlins get a catcher or reliever? Probably not; they’re too cheap.

-Manny trade talk: This deal isn’t completely dead. Mets GM Omar Minaya is still interested, but ownership isn’t as much.

-The Jarrod Washburn-to-New York deal is dead, though.

The players the Diamondbacks would have to give up include pitcher Jarrod Parker and first baseman Chad Tracy. Pitcher Max Scherzer has also been mentioned in some rumors, but he is not likely to be a part of this deal.

The Diamondbacks (53-51) are just one game up on the Dodgers in the NL West, and the Braves (49-55) are seven games back and in forth place in the NL East. Teixeira becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

The Red Sox, Rays, and Angels are believed to be interested in Teixeira as well, but the Diamondbacks are most likely. The Angels won’t trade Casey Kotchman, and the Red Sox wouldn’t want to trade Kevin Youkilis or have to bench him in place of Teixeira.

Players mentioned:
Arizona:
Chad Tracy, 1B
5th year in the majors, .303 avg, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 145 AB (At Right)

Jarrod Parker, SP
#9 pick 2007 draft, Single A South Bend Silver Hawks, 9-5, 4.04 ERA

Max Scherzer, SP/RP
#11 pick 2006 draft, 0-2, 10 games, 2.90 ERA this season in majors

Atlanta:
Mark Teixeira, 1B
.280, 20 HR, 77 RBI, .505 slugging

The Sox couldn’t trade him in his prime, so they won’t be able to trade him now. He has been on the decline the past few years, failing to hit 40 home runs since 2005 or 100 RBIs since 2006. This season, he has 19 home runs and 63 RBIs.

The few teams that could trade for him are the Diamondbacks, Mets, and Phillies, but even if he doesn’t get dealt, he will be a free agent at the end of the year because the Red Sox have no plans to extend his option.

This would present an interesting option for Manny’s original team, the Cleveland Indians. My inside sources tell me the Indians might be interested in signing him.

Indians owner Larry Dolan has taken heat from Indians fans for not spending enough, but my source noted that Dolan has had a track record of spending big money on good young players. Dolan did spend $57 million over four years on Travis Hafner in his 2007 renegotiation.

At the end of this season, with the contracts of C.C. Sabathia, Casey Blake, Paul Byrd, and Jason Michaels off the books, the Indians will have about $20 million available to spend. With the Indian’s disappointment this year and their lack of offensive production, the front office is feeling pressure to do something.

If they can sign Ramirez for two years for $15-16 million a year, they might go for it.

While Ramirez is a big name, don’t expect too much fanfare to be made about him in free agency. There’s a lot of teams that wouldn’t want him, my source said, and he’s not as good as was a few years ago, anyway.

That said, the Yankees seem to be interested in everybody, and wouldn’t that be a good place for Manny to go to stick it to the Red Sox?

Stay tuned.

After weeks of following Sabathia’s future, my source called me last night to say he was surprised to find out about A’s right-hander Rich Harden traded to the Cubs in a six player deal.

Cubs GM Rich Hendry claimed to ESPN that it wasn’t a reaction to the Sabathia trade. “We would have gladly had Rich two or three weeks ago,” he said.

My source, however, claims the trade was only being talked about this past week. “I knew [the Cubs] were going to trade for someone,” he said, “I’m just surprised it happened this quickly.”

Harden, who has a 5-1 record and 2.34 ERA this season, with his well-documented injury-tendencies, is a great replacement for Mark Prior on the Cubs staff. He was only able to pitch 9 and 7 games respectively, over the past two seasons, but this year he has already pitched 13.

Arroyo Not Leaving Cincy Anytime Soon.

Another trade rumor my source knows a lot about is Bronson Arroyo, the Reds’ $11 million dollar man. Precisely because he is paid $11 million a year in 2009, he probably isn’t going to be moving. No one is going to pay $11 million a year for a 6-7 starter with a 5.82 ERA, and a mullet that looks like this:

“I haven’t heard anything about it,” source said, “If anything was happening, I would have heard it around the office.”

He said there was always the possibility someone desperate for pitchers could make a move right at the deadline, possibly the Cardinals, but Arroyo isn’t on the top of anyone’s list right now.