MLB Rumors: New York Yankees Set To Land Manny Ramirez?

In an effort to bolster what was a disappointing lineup in 2008, the Yankees are reportedly on the verge of signing Manny Ramirez to a three-year, $75 million deal, according to Dominican Newspaper Impacto Deportivo.

The Yankees have been reportedly monitoring the market for Manny for a while now. There were reports yesterday saying Manny told friends he expected the Yankees to make a three-year offer soon.

Still, it’s possible these reports aren’t true. Original reports said a deal would be in the way of $66 million over three years. There is also Mark Teixeira to think about, who could significantly lower Manny's asking price by agreeing to a deal with Boston.

MLB Trade Rumors has a pretty good rundown on the Dominican newspaper’s past accuracy. The most notable accurate reports included Luis Castillo and Damaso Marte. The paper incorrectly reported that Bartolo Colon signed with the White Sox in 2008.

The signing would make sense in a couple of ways, should the report prove to be accurate.  The Yankees have lost Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi this offseason and so far have only picked up Nick Swisher to replace them. This may be why reports have linked them to both Manny and Teixeira.

They can also lose Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Xavier Nady to free agency next season. Manny would give them a second outfield option in 2010, in addition to Swisher, and it would give them the flexibility of slotting him in at DH.

The biggest problem that would come up if this report turns out to be true would be the glut of corner outfielders the Yankees would have in 2009.

There would be two scenarios they could pull off: play Damon in center, Manny in left, and Nady in right. That is a pretty poor defensive outfield, though, so they could try trading Matsui and using Damon in left while DH-ing Manny.

Another potential problem could be clashes between Manny and manager Joe Girardi. A guy who banned candy bars probably wouldn’t like Manny being Manny.

He might put aside personal issues in exchange for a lineup that featured Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez in the middle.