Now we get to watch the Manny soap opera from afar, and it does wonders for the blood pressure to be an observer rather than an active participant.

For all of Ramirez' considerable skills as a hitter - and don't be surprised if the Red Sox take a half step back this season without his thunder in the middle of the order - he had the maddening ability to polarize everyone from his own teammates to his front office to the fans that wanted to cheer for him before deciding it required too much effort.

Now we're two weeks away from spring training and Ramirez still lacks a home, which made his decision to spurn the Dodgers a curious one. Agent Scott Boras told the Los Angeles Times he rejected the deal because other suitors are preparing to offer more, but unless the New York Yankees plan on making it an even half billion this winter, it's hard to believe Ramirez will average more than $20 million in a multiyear deal.

Making the claims appear even more dubious are Ramirez' own words, at least as relayed by St. Louis Cardinals slugger and friend Albert Pujols, who told reporters in the Dominican Republic last week that Ramirez felt unwanted.

``I speak with Manny every three days and he tells me, `Man, no one wants to sign me,' '' Pujols said. ``I'm not an agent or general manager, but I can't understand how Manny has not signed.''

It might have something to do with his demands. While Boras has pulled gigantic offers seemingly out of nowhere in the past - new Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, take a bow - doing the same for Ramirez is going to require every last bit of his agent's black magic.

Ramirez turns 37 in May and has a history of not exactly putting the team first. While there's no questioning his offensive bona fides, he's seeking a mega-deal in an economic climate better suited to food stamps. He reportedly told his former Red Sox teammates that he expected to receive a four-year, $100 million contract offer this winter. Then the housing bubble burst, the country lapsed into recession and the dollars simply vanished.

Taking the Yankees out of the equation, the biggest free agent deal of the winter thus far has been pitcher Derek Lowe's four-year, $60 million contract with the Atlanta Braves, followed by a four-year, $52 million deal for Chicago Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. No one else has even reached the $40 million mark in free agency.

Productive players like outfielders Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu and infielder Orlando Hudson remain unsigned, yet Ramirez continues to push for that elusive long-term deal - the absence of which made playing in Boston last year untenable.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt didn't close the door on Ramirez in an interview with MLB.com yesterday, but said the team believed it had devised a creative offer that would have made Ramirez the highest-paid player, for one season, in the history of the game while maintaining his ability to test free agency again next winter.

In a climate where teams are reluctant to spend even on proven players, ask yourself this: Would you want to commit more than $20 million to a guy just six months removed from shooting his way out of Boston, regardless of the huge numbers he put up with the Dodgers?

Ramirez is a gamble right now that few teams appear willing to take. The Dodgers were one of them, and Manny said no.

He has led a charmed existence in these matters throughout his career, but at some point, Ramirez is going to hold out for an offer that simply doesn't exist.

- jtomase@bostonherald.com