DALLAS -- He stood there in the shadows of a darkened hotel lobby, a clipboard under his arm, a cell phone clenched in his left hand.
But in the other hand, Jeff Moorad held more than just the fate of his client, Manny Ramirez. He held the fate of two star-crossed franchises -- the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians.
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| 2000 SEASON STATISTICS |
| G |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| 118 |
38 |
122 |
.351 |
.457 |
.697 |
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This was the surreal scene Sunday night in the massive lobby of the Wyndham Anatole Hotel, site of the baseball winter meetings.
The question of the night was: Where was Manny going?
The answer was buried beneath the cryptic answers and mysterious body language of a trio of high-powered baseball men.
One was Moorad, who jetted in from California on Sunday for meetings with the Indians, the Red Sox and the merely curious Mets.
One was Indians GM John Hart, who has kept a measured distance from the Ramirez negotiations for weeks, after his man Manny rejected a seven-year, $119-million "final" offer.
The third was Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, a guy who seemed so determined to sign Ramirez that he found a way to meet with Moorad in three cities in three time zones in the same week.
What was known Monday night was this:
Duquette postponed his flight back to Boston until later in the evening. Then, before departing, he scheduled a last-minute meeting with Moorad to discuss adjustments to Boston's eight-year, $144-million offer -- with triggers that could expand the package to a staggering 10 years, $200 million. Red Sox officials were distinctly more upbeat Monday than they had been the night before -- a possible indication Ramirez is now leaning toward accepting their offer. Moorad had said Sunday that Ramirez is still open-minded to going to Boston, but said that "what has been proposed does not work."
Meanwhile, Hart left the meetings in mid-afternoon Monday, sounding as skeptical as ever that Ramirez wanted to stay. But late Sunday night, he was described by sources as being far more encouraged about his club's chances. Moorad had said again Sunday that "Manny's preference really is to play in Cleveland." So even though the Indians were still doing their best to portray themselves as just supporting actors in this mystery, they found themselves still negotiating deep into the night. It was known that they added an eighth year to their offer, hiking the total guarantee to at least $136 million. And they, too, had built in triggers that could add ninth and 10th guaranteed seasons. However, it was believed that unlike the Red Sox, the deferred money in their offer was all without interest -- increasing the present-day gap between the two deals significantly.
So all indications Monday were that the decision was in Ramirez's hands -- and he was obviously unable to make up his mind.
And all of this represented a stunning turn of events over a period of little more than 24 hours. When Moorad arrived at the meetings Sunday afternoon, all signs pointed toward Ramirez signing with Boston. And even though Moorad's first stop after landing was Hart's suite, the Indians had made it clear that if he was coming for the mere purpose of egging them on to meet or beat Boston's offer, they were about to wave goodbye and move on to the rest of their lives.
When Sunday began, though, all signs pointed toward Ramirez signing with Boston. And even though Moorad's first stop after landing was Hart's suite, the Indians had made it clear that if he was coming for the mere purpose of egging them on to meet or beat Boston's offer, they were about to wave goodbye and move on to the rest of their lives.
Except a fascinating thing happened.
What was expected to be a brief, end-of-the-story meeting between Moorad and the Indians turned into a three-hour session that appeared to re-light the flame.
It ended with a call from Hart to his owner, Larry Dolan. And even as Hart was then telling the media the chances of his team-resigning its imposing cleanup man were "remote," Moorad was standing in that lobby, suggesting a whole different scenario.
Told that Hart sounded pessimistic, Moorad arched an eyebrow and smiled: "If John is pessimistic, that's a feeling he did not convey to me."
Asked why Hart had used the term "remote," Moorad theorized: "I'm not sure. We're all pessimistic when a deal is not imminent. And a deal is not imminent in Cleveland.
"But," Moorad added, pointedly, "is a deal dead in Cleveland? Not based on the face-to-face meeting I just had with John. In fact, he told me he's going to give me a call back on my cell phone."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes then asked: "Is it fair to say the Indians have upped their offer?"
And since this was clearly a case of real life imitating a bad Hollywood script, naturally, Moorad's cell phone was required to ring at that very moment.
Moorad looked at the phone and recognized the number on his Caller ID. Then he looked up at a group of media inquisitors, huddled there in the shadows.
"I don't know," he said, laughing. "Hang on."
He pivoted, headed for some empty space and chatted for a few moments. Then back he came.
"That was John Hart," Moorad reported. "I don't think he sounds particularly pessimistic. In fact, he asked me to stop by his room. I told him I'd be up in a few minutes."
And by the way, in answer to that question, about whether the Indians had increased their offer, Moorad finally did reply: "I think it's safe to say there's a willingness to do that."
But then another amazing thing happened. As Moorad headed for the elevator for his session with Hart, he encountered (who else?) Duquette.
"Can we talk right now?" the Red Sox GM asked. "It won't take long."
So then off the two of them went, for a meeting that appeared to last no more than a few minutes. Afterward, Duquette reported the sides would continue to talk. But privately, he was telling people that now he was pessimistic.
And what are we to make of all this -- two teams feverishly negotiating for the same player, both of them saying they were pessimistic?
Well, we need to remember this fundamental rule of all high-profile winter-meetings negotiating dramas: Nothing is exactly as it appears. And absolutely, positively, you can never assume that any public quotes represent real, live sentiment.
Jayson Stark is a Senior Writer at ESPN.com. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Agent Jeff Moorad comments on the Indians' return to the Manny Ramirez sweepstakes.
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