The Dodgers announced Thursday night the star outfielder's agent, Scott Boras, had declined a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. It was the club's fourth offer to Ramirez this offseason.
But Boras said he did not reject the Dodgers' offer, according to the Los Angeles Times. "They asked me to respond to them and I gave them a counterproposal within the framework of the structure we had agreed upon," Boras said.
At any rate, Ramirez remains unsigned.
"We want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement. "When his agent finds those 'serious offers' from other clubs, we'll be happy to restart the negotiations."
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An apparent sticking point in the negotiations is whether Ramirez will accept part of his salary as deferred payments, the Times reported, citing an unnamed source. The newspaper had previously reported that the team's latest proposal included deferred money.
Under the terms of the contract that Ramirez was offered by the Dodgers on Wednesday, he would receive $10 million in 2009 and another $10 million in 2010, if he exercised the option for a second season, the Times reported.
Ramirez then would be paid the remaining $25 million over the next three years, without any added interest -- $10 million each in 2011 and 2012, and $5 million in 2013, according to the Times' report.
When making his counteroffer, Boras requested that none of the money be deferred, according to the report.
Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch declined to comment on Thursday when asked how much of Ramirez's salary would be deferred under the Dodgers' proposal, saying McCourt's statement would be the only comments the team would make about Ramirez.
"We are continuing to work within the scope of the parameters established during our discussion Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, which included a two-year term and ability for the player to void the contract after the first year, " Boras said, according to the Times. "Per that face-to-face meeting, we agreed to continue to have discussions until Friday at noon, which included our two proposals today, our most recent at two years, $45 million. We are waiting to hear their response."
The offer is similar to the two-year, $45 million deal with a buyout or club option that the Dodgers put on the table in November. Ramirez refused the offer and the Dodgers withdrew their proposal. The team came back with a one-year, $25 million offer, but Ramirez turned that down as well. Ramirez also turned down salary arbitration.
"So now, we start from scratch."
Colletti said there was not necessarily a hard deadline, and that Ramirez was not yet needed in spring training.
"With the season starting a week later, it's a little bit more flexible than it might have been a year ago," Colletti said.
The Dodgers open the regular season April 6 at San Diego.
Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in 53 games with the Dodgers last season while leading them to the National League West title after he was acquired from Boston at the July 31 trade deadline.
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