LOS ANGELES - With the 2009 season less than two months away, Manny Ramirez still does not have a team. But the mercurial slugger insists his uncertain future will not affect his performance on the field.

Making his first public comments of the offseason, Ramirez told the Los Angeles Times that he plans to play hard this season, regardless of where he plays.

"That won't happen," Ramirez told the newspaper. "Understand me, I have goals. I know that if I play six more years, I could get to my 3,000th hit and, who knows, maybe my 700th home run."

Ramirez, the highest-profile free agent remaining on the market, recently turned down a one-year, $25 million contract offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired the 12-time All-Star from the Boston Red Sox at last year's trade deadline.

The enigmatic Ramirez and his agent, Scott Boras, reportedly have been seeking a long-term contract of at least three years.

But questions concerning Ramirez's motivation evidently have dissuaded teams from making a lucrative commitment to one of baseball's most dynamic hitters. Aside from the Dodgers, the
San Francisco Giants also reportedly have shown interest in signing Ramirez.

Although the negotiation process has dragged well into February, Ramirez told the Times that he still is confident in Boras' ability.

"I have one of the best agents on the market," Ramirez said during the interview, which was conducted in Spanish. "He's kept me up to date on everything. I feel really calm."

After essentially forcing his way out of Boston following 7 1/2 outstanding seasons with the Red Sox, Ramirez thrived in Los Angeles, batting .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI in just 53
games.

Thanks largely to Ramirez's amazing offensive surge, the Dodgers overtook the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the National League West Division before upsetting the league-leading Chicago Cubs in the NLDS.

Ramirez, who owns a .314 average and has blasted 527 homers in his 16-year career, told the Times he was "very proud" of what he accomplished with the Dodgers and did not rule out a return to Los Angeles.

But Ramirez, who has drawn 1,212 career walks, still wants to exercise patience.

"We're in the seventh inning, and I'm waiting for my pitch," he told the Times.

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