The Dodgers once again made a very fair offer to Manny Ramirez, and once again, despite no one else bidding on him, Ramirez and his agent Scott Boras turned it down.

Why? Deferred payments.

The first time that the Dodgers offered Manny a deal in the neighborhood of 2-years, $45 million, it was turned down because it wasn’t a long enough deal, and not worth enough money.

Then, when no one else made offers, the Dodgers offered him a deal for the same money, but with an option to get out after a 1-year, $25 million contract. This time, Boras and Manny passed on it because the $25 million had some deferred money in the contract.

Ramirez would have only received about $10 million this year and the rest next year as part of his contract, terms that Boras was not in agreement with.

At this point, it’s crystal clear that once again, Boras misjudged the free agent market. After looking for mammoth numbers for Alex Rodriguez in 2008, Boras had to sit on the sidelines while A-Rod negotiated his own deal with the Yankees just to have a job.

This year, Spring Training is underway, and Manny Ramirez does not have a uniform. With only one potential suitor, Ramirez and Boras are still calling the shots.

The Dodgers, however, are ready to call their bluff.

“We want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves,” said Dodgers owner Frank McCourt in a statement. “When his agent finds those ’serious offers’ from other clubs, we’ll be happy to restart the negotiations.”

While I can’t say that I necessarily disagree with Boras on this particular issue, when it’s the only offer you have, and it is still for a ridiculous amount of money, for a client that is already filthy rich, I say you just take the deal. You’re not going to get a better deal than what the Dodgers are currently offering.

Boras said that he will continue to exchange offers based on the monetary parameters that were set in midweek meetings, and is hopeful a deal will still be worked out.

At this point, I think it may just be a matter of Manny not wanting to play any Spring Training games. Watch for a contract to be signed about a week before the first game so he can just show up and play.

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