Dodger fans, enjoy your last season of Mannywood:Manny Ramirez appeared in the Dodgers' clubhouse for the first time on Monday morning and promptly conceded this would be his final spring training with the club."I won't be here next year, so I just want to enjoy myself," Ramirez said. "I don't know [if I'll play next year]. I just know I'm not going to be here. When the season is over, I will see where I'm at."
Makes sense. Even though Manny is still a draw and one of the most popular players in baseball, his value at this point is solely at the plate and he remains a liability in the field. It's in Manny's best interests to get out of the National League and into the American League in 2011 where he can be a full time DH and not have to worry about the pounding his body will take from playing defense.
If Manny does decide to play in 2011, it will be interesting to see what kind of salary he will make. Obviously he will not command the $20 million he is receiving from the Dodgers in 2010, but assuming that Manny puts up solid numbers this season and stays healthy, is it unrealistic to think that Manny will command at least $10 million annually.
Even better question is this: would Manny play for anything less than $10 million annually? I don't think so.
