Jobless in Spring Training

News broke last night that Manny Ramirez has turned down his latest offer from the Dodgers (1 year, $25 million). It personally brought a smile to my face because the orginial offer was 2 years, $45 million and the Dodgers have come to the conclusion that no other team is interested if they were willing to drop their orginial offer that was rejected. What offer does Boras think will come? It is obvious his dreams of 4 years and $100 million are long gone in this economy. I applaud the owners and GM's for taking a stand on a guy who quit on his team last year.

With teams reporting to Spring Training in less than 2 weeks, there are still plenty of very good players available in free agency. The economy is terrible, but how can this many guys still be unsigned. A couple of owners will get real lucky and can make a big difference on their squads if they open up the checkbooks because they will get some steals. Lets look at some of the guys out there.

Manny Ramirez - Even though he hit .332/.430/.601 with 37 HR and 121 RBI no one is willing to come close to his demands. He will probably still end up with the Dodgers, but his pride will be severely damaged.

Adam Dunn - Even stranger that a 29 year old that has hit 40 HR the last 5 seasons isn't signed. While his defense and batting average leave a lot to be desired, he still has a career .381 OBP. He is the backfall for some teams that have dreams of Manny, but he should end up in the AL where he can DH some.

Bobby Abreu - While his numbers have started to decline a little, he still posted a more than respectable line of .296/.371/.471 to go along with 20 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R, 39 2B, and 22 SB. He is still a good player that should have some value to someone. He might not be able to play RF anymore, but LF shouldnt be a problem. A great value for someone that gets him on the cheap.

Orlando Hudson - He has some injuries concerns (only played 142+ games in 1 out of his 6 full season) but he is one of the best second baseman in the league. He is a legitimate gold glover on defense and a line of .305/.367/.450 is very good for his position. A perfect 2 hole hitter that brings some leadership skills. Again someone will get a bargain.

Orlando Cabrera - Another guy who age might be catching up to him a little bit, but he is still an above average shortshop. He did play in 161 games last year for the White Sox and had a line of .281/.334./.371 with 8 HR, 57 RBI, and 19 SB. He probably fits in the AL at the bottom of the order, but again is a guy who competes and brings energy every day.

Ben Sheets - Again injury concerns have held him back from his big pay day. When he is healthy he is one of the best RHP in the game. He started the All-Star game last year for the NL showing that when healthy he can be dominant. He was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA while pitching 198.1 innings while striking out 158 batters in 31 starts. If someone gets him for a one or two year deal, they will have a chance to really strike gold.