Dodgers could file Tampering Charge....
Posted: December 8, 2006 5:23 pm
Report: Dodgers could file tampering charge
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FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago
The Boston Red Sox might still view the New York Yankees as the Evil Empire. But other Major League Baseball people apparently think of the Red Sox as a team that can operate outside of the rules, according to a report in The New York Times.
One unnamed general manager told the newspaper that several people at the recently completed winter meetings urged the Los Angeles Dodgers to file a tampering charge against the Red Sox after veteran J.D. Drew signed with them.
"We haven't reached a decision yet," Ned Colletti, the Dodgers' general manager, told The Times before leaving the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla.
Drew opted out of his Dodgers contract with three seasons left on it before agreeing to a five-year, $70 million deal with Boston on Dec. 5.
The Red Sox's GM Theo Epstein tried unsuccessfully to sign Drew two seasons ago, but denied that he tampered with Drew before finally landing him.
"That's not true," Epstein reportedly told The Times by telephone on Thursday. "There's nothing to that."
Epstein reportedly told the newspaper that he had no conversations with Drew's agent, Scott Boras, before the veteran outfielder became a free agent. That happened when Drew elected to opt out of his Dodgers contract on Nov. 10.
However, The Times says skeptics are suggesting that the Red Sox let Drew know that if he exercised his right to opt out his Dodgers contract, he could get a richer contract from them.
Drew had not shown any interest in leaving the Dodgers. He even told the Orange County (Calif.) Register near the end of the season: "At some point, you make those commitments and you stick to them."
But then he walked away from L.A. with three seasons and $33 million still left on his contract.
Why did Drew duck out?
Boras said Drew made the decision after the agent told him what the market was for a player of his caliber.
"I did my due diligence," Boras reportedly told The Times in a telephone interview. "There were a number of teams that need a 3, 4 or 5 hitter, and J.D. was the only center fielder. I went to the Dodgers a week before the opt-out date and had lunch with Colletti. I had not yet met with J.D. I said if you want to talk about it, we are prepared to talk because J.D. has enjoyed his time in L.A."
The Dodgers apparently were not ready to extend Drew's contract, so he decided to become a free agent, Boras reportedly said.
Boras also reportedly said he had no discussion with the Red Sox about Drew before Nov. 10.
While Boras claims to have played by the rules on the Drew front, baseball club executives and baseball officials are also reportedly watching the Red Sox's negotiations with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Remember, the Sox paid a whopping $51.1 million just for the right to talk to him
Story Tools:
Print Email Blog This
FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago
The Boston Red Sox might still view the New York Yankees as the Evil Empire. But other Major League Baseball people apparently think of the Red Sox as a team that can operate outside of the rules, according to a report in The New York Times.
One unnamed general manager told the newspaper that several people at the recently completed winter meetings urged the Los Angeles Dodgers to file a tampering charge against the Red Sox after veteran J.D. Drew signed with them.
"We haven't reached a decision yet," Ned Colletti, the Dodgers' general manager, told The Times before leaving the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla.
Drew opted out of his Dodgers contract with three seasons left on it before agreeing to a five-year, $70 million deal with Boston on Dec. 5.
The Red Sox's GM Theo Epstein tried unsuccessfully to sign Drew two seasons ago, but denied that he tampered with Drew before finally landing him.
"That's not true," Epstein reportedly told The Times by telephone on Thursday. "There's nothing to that."
Epstein reportedly told the newspaper that he had no conversations with Drew's agent, Scott Boras, before the veteran outfielder became a free agent. That happened when Drew elected to opt out of his Dodgers contract on Nov. 10.
However, The Times says skeptics are suggesting that the Red Sox let Drew know that if he exercised his right to opt out his Dodgers contract, he could get a richer contract from them.
Drew had not shown any interest in leaving the Dodgers. He even told the Orange County (Calif.) Register near the end of the season: "At some point, you make those commitments and you stick to them."
But then he walked away from L.A. with three seasons and $33 million still left on his contract.
Why did Drew duck out?
Boras said Drew made the decision after the agent told him what the market was for a player of his caliber.
"I did my due diligence," Boras reportedly told The Times in a telephone interview. "There were a number of teams that need a 3, 4 or 5 hitter, and J.D. was the only center fielder. I went to the Dodgers a week before the opt-out date and had lunch with Colletti. I had not yet met with J.D. I said if you want to talk about it, we are prepared to talk because J.D. has enjoyed his time in L.A."
The Dodgers apparently were not ready to extend Drew's contract, so he decided to become a free agent, Boras reportedly said.
Boras also reportedly said he had no discussion with the Red Sox about Drew before Nov. 10.
While Boras claims to have played by the rules on the Drew front, baseball club executives and baseball officials are also reportedly watching the Red Sox's negotiations with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Remember, the Sox paid a whopping $51.1 million just for the right to talk to him
, but I am also not sure if the Sox signing Drew is a good thing or not due to his injuries.
