What MLB free agent would you want your team to build around?

Bargain shopping the best way to go

I wouldn’t try to build a team around any big-name free agent because they are all too expensive for any teams except the Red Sox and the Yankees.

Anyone else who tries to sign one of these guys has no money left to keep other good players on their teams.

If you want to have a successful franchise over the long term, you have to get the free agents who are good players, but whose salary doesn’t take up the majority of your available payroll.

Developing a great farm system can go a long way too.

He might just be our Manny

Nose pressed against the free agent candy window, I gaze from Mannywood to C.C. Stud-bathia as I ponder the Dodgers’ off-season options.

On the one hand, big contracts for pitchers (see: Jason Schmidt (three years, $47 million; 1-4, 6.30 ERA, 25.2 IP), Kevin Brown (seven years, $105 million; 72-45, 3.23 ERA, 1078 IP, injured and traded for Jeff Weaver), Darren Dreifort (five years, $55 million; 9-15, 4.64 ERA, 205.2 IP) are almost always a disaster, but the Dodgers haven’t done so well with position players recently either (see: Andruw Jones (two years, $36 million; 2 HR, .162, dropped from playoff roster), J.D. Drew (five years, $55 million; 746 AB, 35 HR, .284, opted out after two years), Juan Pierre (five years, $44 million; benched after one season).

So what to do?

Manny is fun, C.C.’s a horse. Manny helped L.A.’s young players relax and slugged them into the second round of the playoffs. C.C. took the ball every three days and pitched the Brewers into the playoffs.

Manny will probably be Manny within six to 16 months of a new contract.

Sabathia will undoubtedly develop arm trouble. So if they can get Mannywood to agree to a two- or three-year deal, he’s our manny.