Forget about bidding on Teixeira. The Dodgers were never in the game. More curiously, they were never in the game for CC Sabathia, either. Not only was Sabathia the best starter on the market, he made it very clear he wanted to play in California.

They offered Manny Ramirez — who carried a previously boring and underachieving team into the NLCS — two years at $45 million. If that's an obscene amount for someone to hit a baseball, it's a lot less offensive than what some of these Wall Street bums and hedge fund types were getting in bonuses. More than that, though, it was an offer Ramirez and Boras were sure to reject.

Jamie McCourt made a tactical blunder here. Last month, while appearing for a charitable initiative to eventually refurbish or build 50 new baseball fields in Southern California, she told the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez that the team was merely thinking of its fans during tough economic times.

"If you bring somebody in to play and pay them, pick a number, $30 million, does that seem a little weird to you?" she asked. "That's what we're trying to figure out. We're really trying to see it through the eyes of our fans. We're really trying to understand would they rather have the 50 fields?"

The 30-year-old outfielder hit .246 with 121 homers and 45 RBIs in 89 games for the Angels last season, his fourth with the team. All 12 of his homers came in a span of 58 games after July 2. He also was the Angels' top pinch hitter with five hits in 14 at-bats and five RBIs including two game-winners.

Rivera figures to play the outfield and serve as a designated hitter. The Angels are in negotiations to re-sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, and they might pursue free-agent outfielder Manny Ramirez should Teixeira sign elsewhere.

Rivera has a .282 batting average with 52 homers and 197 RBIs in 333 games in his four years with the Angels. In his career, Rivera is hitting .284 with 72 homers and 278 RBIs in 555 games.

He gets $3.25 million next season, $4.25 million in 2010 and $5.25 million in 2011.

Originally signed by the Yankees on April 5, 1996, Rivera played with New York from 2001-03 and the Montreal Expos in 2004, then was traded to the Angels with infielder Maicer Izturis for outfielder Jose Guillen on Nov. 10, 2004.