Dodgers re-signed outfielder Manny Ramirez to a two-year, $45 million contract.

Ramirez passed his physical on Wednesday. The deal guarantees him salaries of $25 million in 2009 and $20 million in 2010, which is a player option.

The contract will be paid out over five years, with Ramirez receiving $10 million each of the next four years and $5 million in 2013. Ramirez is expected to be in Dodgers camp on Thursday. Manager Joe Torre estimates it will take him a week to get ready for game action.

PHOENIX (AP) -Manny Ramirez has rejected yet another offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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.

“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.”

General manager Ned Colletti and McCourt met Wednesday in Los Angeles with Boras.

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.

“Even with an economy that has substantially eroded since last November, out of respect for Manny and his talents, we actually improved our offer,” McCourt said.

“So now, we start from scratch.”

A message left with Boras was not immediately returned.

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 NL West title after he was acquired from Boston at the July 31 trade deadline.

Jason Varitek-C- Red Sox Jan. 30 – 2:05 pm et

SI.com is reporting that Jason Varitek has agreed to a two-year deal to stay with the Red Sox.

There was never anywhere else for him to go. Re-signing Varitek likely was the right move for the Red Sox with no legitimate upgrades available in free agency. They still do need to go get themselves a catcher of the future, but it doesn’t have to be done before the start of the season.

Jason Varitek – C Jan. 27 – 10:01 am et

According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have given Jason Varitek a Saturday deadline to accept their contract offer.

The deal includes $5 million for this season with a $5 million team option or $3 million player option for 2010. The newspaper reports that the offer was made last week, meaning that Varitek will have had 7-10 days to make his decision. Much like Andy Pettitte re-signing Monday with the Yankees, Varitek will have to put aside his pride and accept a paycut to remain in Boston.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times notes that it has been 80 days since the Dodgers offered Manny Ramirez a two-year, $45 million contract.

It’s still probably the only offer he has seen. According to Shaikin’s report, agent Scott Boras and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti talk regularly, but neither is blinking. “We have let the Dodgers know what Manny’s position is,” Boras said. “They are fully aware of the terms he feels are fair.”

Manny Ramirez-OF- Dodgers Jan. 19 – 7:06 pm et

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that “depending upon whom you believe, the Giants are either heavily or barely in the mix for” Manny Ramirez.

The Dodgers remain the only team clearly in pursuit of Ramirez, although they’re seemingly content to wait things out and let him come to them.

Los Angeles has a ton of payroll room and Rosenthal speculates that they could turn to Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu if they give up on Ramirez. Meanwhile, the Giants are said to be pursuing trades for big bats, which suggests that their interest in Ramirez may be real.

Report: Braves, Lowe agree to 4-year deal

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Derek Lowe and the Braves have agreed to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract.

The deal is scheduled to be finalized Wednesday after Lowe takes a physical exam. Atlanta has focused on starting pitching this offseason, adding Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami and Javier Vazquez to a rotation that includes holdover Jair Jurrjens.

Lowe went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings last season and has started at least 32 games in seven straight years, making him one of the most durable starters in baseball.

Missing out on A.J. Burnett no doubt disappointed the Braves, but they’re likely better off with Lowe at two-thirds of the monetary commitment. J

Jan. 13 – 10:53 am et

Mark Teixeira-1B- Angels Dec. 23 – 5:28 pm et

The New York Post has learned that Boston’s final bid for Mark Teixeira was $168 million over eight years.

$12 million less than what the Yankees paid. Boston might also have been held back by its refusal to give out no-trade clauses. The Red Sox surely would have rather seen Teixeira go to Washington than to the Yankees, but the current regime doesn’t worry about what New York is doing as much as the older ones did.

It’s believed the Nationals were at $180 million for nine years for Teixeira. The Orioles probably never budged from seven years and $140 million-$150 million.

A.J. Burnett-S- Blue Jays Dec. 12 – 5:02 pm et

The Yankees and A.J. Burnett have agreed to a five-year, $82.5 million contract, according to FOXSports.com and ESPN.com.

Burnett would have looked pretty good at the top of the Braves’ rotation, but the club is probably better off with him having taken the Yankees’ offer. Odds are that he’ll give the team three quality seasons during the five-year commitment. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has made just 30 starts twice in his career, both times in contract years. Of course, he is a legitimate No. 2 starter when he’s healthy, and the Yankees should be able to cover his absences fairly well.

Report: Ramirez threatens retiremen

Manny Ramirez is growing extremely upset about the lack of suitors for his services, so much so that he has told friends he would contemplate retirement if a suitable offer doesn’t arrive soon, a person close to the situation told Newsday.

We needed a good laugh at the end of a busy week. We’re sure Manny will be receiving a lot of sympathy. To think there aren’t dozens of teams willing to pay him $25 million for a one-dimensional 36-year-old known for giving it all only when he feels like it.
Dec. 11 – 8:40 pm et