Boras didn't discuss specifics but said history documents that Teixeira will qualify for a contract similar to any "top-tier player in his 20s," and that "Manny is akin to where Barry Bonds was" at a comparable age, adding "an argument can be made that Manny continues to get better."
Boras represented Bonds in 2002 when he signed a five-year, $90-million contract with the San Francisco Giants. He is expected to seek at least five years for the younger Ramirez, who will be coming off an eight-year, $160-million contract, and could draw interest from several American League clubs who view the left fielder more as a DH.
There will be a battle royal for Teixeira between the New York Yankees and his hometown Baltimore Orioles, among others. He may not get the 10-year, $250-million deal that Boras got from the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez when he was 26, but six- to eight-year deals have become common for "top-tier" sluggers in their 20s, and he will step up from his $12 million this year to at least $18 million or more.
Boras doesn't believe in hometown discounts, but there is some hope among the Dodgers and Angels that he might not get quite what he wants elsewhere and will come back to the local teams for a little less. Ramirez has already compared Hollywood to heaven, and why not? He has not been forced to shed his dreadlocks, and the Dodgers have been drawing more celebrities than ever.
Make no mistake: The McCourts and Angels owner Arte Moreno are rolling in dough from consistent sellouts, increased sponsorships and merchandise sales, and whopping contributions from baseball's central fund. Each could elevate their $120-million payrolls, although they hope to keep them in that vicinity. Moreno knows what he wants and gets it, acting on one phone call to nail down Guerrero and then committing $140 million in consecutive winters to a pair of center fielders: Matthews and Torii Hunter. The question is: Do the McCourts realize what they got for free in Ramirez and are now willing to pay a market price to keep him?
"There was a lot of skepticism when the McCourts bought the Dodgers," said David Carter, chairman of the USC Sports Business Institute. "Were they committed to winning or were they going to parlay the Dodgers into other businesses?
