Time for Teams To Move On from Manny Ramirez

Manny continues to be Manny.

The slugger turned down the Los Angeles Dodger’s fourth offer Thursday night, this time refusing a two-year, $45 million deal with an option for Ramirez to decline the contract after the 2009 season.

The $25 million he would have earned in 2009 would have made him the second highest paid player this season.

Despite being two days into Spring Training already, Ramirez is still without a team.

The only other team actively pursuing Ramirez is the San Francisco Giants, who have reopened discussion with Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, after talks faded over the past week.

Ramirez’s behavior that he showed in Boston is already kicking in after a half season in Los Angeles. No matter how good of a player he is, teams and fans alike are starting to realize the type of distraction he could be in the clubhouse.

Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs in 53 games for the Dodgers after being traded from the Red Sox midseason.

He played well there. The fans loved him. So what’s making him hesitate before signing?

The Dodgers obviously want him. Even with the struggling economy, they have increased their offers to accommodate Boras’ negotiations.

But now the fans in L.A. are starting to get upset. They’re starting to see why Boston was so eager to get rid of him. To me, it doesn’t matter how good he may be, I wouldn’t want him on my team.

Yes, he’s a phenomenal baseball player—but only when he chooses to be. Only when he chooses to run out a hit or attempt to make a catch in the gap. Only when he chooses to play.

Does he just not want to return to L.A.? Is it greed? Does he just want attention?

It doesn’t matter what it is. He’s a distraction to the clubhouse and his latest offer decline shows that he’s not committed to start preparing with a team. It’s not fair to the rest of the ballplayers who left their homes several weeks ago to begin preparing for the upcoming season.

It’s time for teams to stop pursuing him and show that they won’t take his antics anymore. They need to show him that they have moved on from him. Otherwise, he will continue to manipulate them, squeezing every penny out of Ned Colletti and the rest of MLB’s general managers and owners’ pockets.

It doesn’t matter what type of player he is. Manny will always do things his way.

Manny will always be Manny.