He’s 36. The best right handed hitter in the game right now; one of the greatest ever. He put fannies in the seats at Chavez Ravine, helped the Dodgers to the NL West crown, and to a sweep of the mighty Cubs in the first round of the postseason. Though his past is littered with displays of contemptuous behavior, perhaps he left it in Boston. He’s a bat everyone could use. But who else can possibly match the Dodgers’ initial offer of about 3-years for $75 million? [Update: Looks like the offer was 2-years, $45 million.] At that salary, he’d be second to A-Rod.

Anyone else get the feeling that’s the best he’s going to get? Well, allow us to amend that – the Dodgers shouldn’t offer a penny more, because there isn’t another team in baseball that’s going to top it, but because Manny is a Boras client … maybe Ramriez will get a fourth year. We typed that with gritted teeth.

Of the three biggest spenders in baseball, two (Yankees and Mets) need pitching, and the other is the Red Sox. The NY Post took a peek at the second tier of high rollers: the Tigers are trying to shed payroll, the White Sox and Boras don’t mix, the Angels focus is on Tex, the Rangers already got used by Boras once (A-Rod), the Cubs need pitching, and $25 million a year is probably too rich for Toronto’s blood.

There’s nothing more grotesque than watching a team bidding against itself. Here’s hoping the Dodgers don’t.