Toronto Blue Jays Downplay Manny Ramirez Chances, Want A.J. Burnett Back

Around baseball, people keep wondering: Which teams might be interested in Manny Ramirez as a free agent?

Here's one: The Toronto Blue Jays.

Jays' general manager J.P. Ricciardi downplays his team's chances of landing Ramirez, but says the Jays' primary offseason goals are to re-sign right-hander A.J. Burnett and add a hitter.

Burnett, who is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent, could command between $15 million and $18 million per season.

If the Jays lost him, they almost certainly would not commit the same kind of money to another starting pitcher, giving them the payroll flexibility to possibly make a run at Ramirez.

"Manny is not priority No. 1. I can't even say he's priority No. 2," Ricciardi said Wednesday. "It would really be a long shot for us to bring him to Toronto. He's on our radar, but maybe not on our radar like some people will report.

"I don't see us getting involved in unbelievable, astronomical numbers. We would not go down that path."

Ramirez, 36, is expected to seek at least $25 million per season and his agent, Scott Boras, has recently indicated that he might pursue a six-year deal.

The Jays, like many clubs, would be concerned that Boras might prolong the negotiations, possibly preventing them from filling other needs.

However, the addition of Ramirez would transform the Blue Jays' offense and energize the team's fan base.

The Jays' current plan is to use Adam Lind and Travis Snider in the left field and DH spots. Ramirez could alternate at those positions with one of those players, perhaps enabling the Jays to trade the other.

Toronto, an international city where hockey is the No. 1 sport, seemingly would be a good fit for Ramirez, who has said he was unhappy with the suffocating environment in Boston, a passionate baseball town.

Even if the Jays retained Burnett, new club president Paul Beeston could persuade the team's ownership that the signing of Ramirez would further elevate the team in the intensely competitive American League East.

The Jays' Opening Day payroll of $97.8 million ranked 13th in the majors. It is unlikely that ownership would approve a significant enough increase for the team to sign both Burnett and Ramirez.

However, the charismatic Beeston holds more influence with ownership than the previous club president, Paul Godfrey.

Ricciardi said he is "not convinced" that the Jays will even need to spend heavily in the free-agent market. The team needs a shortstop and leadoff hitter, but Ricciardi said that he was happy with Marco Scutaro at short and would "really need to be knocked over" to replace him.

As for Burnett, retaining him will be a challenge for the Jays, who are expected to face competition from the Yankees, Red Sox, and other clubs if the pitcher hits the open market.

Burnett, 31, would be the second-most attractive free-agent starting pitcher behind CC Sabathia. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two children and might prefer to join a team that is closer to home.

The Jays, after leading the majors in ERA last season, likely would seek some type of replacement for Burnett, but the free-agent market is thin beyond Sabathia and Derek Lowe. Ricciardi said that three young left-handers—Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero and Brad Mills—are close to reaching the majors.

That leaves a hitter.

After Ramirez, the top free-agent sluggers are first baseman Mark Teixeira and outfielders Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and Adam Dunn.

Outfielder Raul Ibanez also is a free agent and the Jays attempted to acquire him from the Mariners last July.

The Dodgers are expected to make a strong bid to retain Ramirez, but instead might prefer to sign Sabathia.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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