Even if the Dodgers are unable to re-sign Manny Ramirez, no one will be able to accuse GM Ned Colletti of not trying.
The Dodgers on Tuesday night offered Ramirez a contract with the highest average salary in Dodgers history, and the second-highest average salary among current players, Colletti told reporters Wednesday.Alex Rodriguez owns the highest average salary in major league history. His current deal with the Yankees, signed last offseason, is a 10-year, $275 milllion pact, putting the average salary at $27.5 million. The Mets' Johan Santana has a six-year, $137.5 million contract, an average of just over $22.9 million. That means that the average salary offered to Ramirez was somewhere between $22.9 million and $27.5 million per year.
Most likely, the Dodgers offered Ramirez a two-year contract worth just over $50 million. Colletti said the Dodgers also offered an option year, but declined to specify the exact length of contract.
The Dodgers acquired Ramirez in a deadline-day deal from Boston on July 31. In his two months with L.A., Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs. He was even better in the postseason, batting .520 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in eight games.
