Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Red Sox, Marlins discussing trade for Manny Ramirez

July 30, 2008

Red Sox, Marlins discussing trade for Manny Ramirez

Could Manny Ramirez actually be on his way out of Boston? With baseball's trade deadline looming on Thursday and the Red Sox growing increasingly impatient with Ramirez's antics, rumors of a deal involving the Florida Marlins are gaining steam on the Internet.

One possible deal has Ramirez headed to Florida, with outfielder Jeremy Hermida (above) coming to Boston. Hermida, 24, is batting .254 with 15 homers and 47 RBIs this season. He certainly wouldn't offer David Ortiz the protection in the lineup that Ramirez gives him, but Hermida has also never urinated inside the Green Monster. At least to the best of our knowledge.

In terms of the Red Sox' efforts to make a deal, Boston.com says that "Nobody's trying harder. They're listening to Manny offers, but the big issue is trying to get a bat back that will protect David Ortiz in the lineup. They're not going to do something stupid just to get rid of him."

ESPN.com, meanwhile, is reporting that the Red Sox have interest in several relief pitchers, including lefties Ron Mahay, Will Ohman and Scott Eyre. Some also feel Boston will make a run at closers Huston Street of Oakland or J.J. Putz of Seattle.

Here is the report of the Red Sox/Marlins talk from the Associated Press:

MIAMI (AP) — A deal that would send Manny Ramirez to Florida may be a long shot, but Marlins president David Samson didn’t rule it out Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the trade deadline.

On his weekly radio show, Samson addressed reports the Marlins are discussing a trade to acquire Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox.

“The Marlins always seem to be in the middle of everything,” Samson said on WAXY-AM. “It takes two to tango. We’re looking everywhere. We’re making calls. We’re getting calls. But we’re not going to be stupid.”

Asked specifically if a deal for Ramirez was possible, Samson said, “I’ve always told you everything is possible. There are all sorts of crazy things. There’s no way to say which trades are going to happen.”

Ramirez makes nearly as much as the Marlins’ entire roster — he’s in the final guaranteed year of his eight-year, $160 million contract. The Red Sox have options for each of the next two seasons at $20 million.

The Marlins’ payroll of $22 million is by far the smallest in the majors. They’ve been one of the most surprising teams in the majors and went into Wednesday’s play only two games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets, and 1½ games behind second-place Philadelphia.

Despite its unexpected success, Florida is last in the majors in attendance.

“Because we don’t fill the stadium every night, we have to keep these payrolls moderate,” Samson said. “We cannot trade away the farm for a two-month push, but we are looking. ... When you’re in the middle of the race, you’re in the middle of things.”

Ramirez’s often turbulent relationship with the Red Sox took a new twist Sunday when he said, “I’m tired of them. They’re tired of me.”

But there’s a good chance the Red Sox will keep him. And Samson said the Marlins may stand pat with confidence they have “as good a chance to win the division as the Mets and Phillies. ...

“Trying to find a match is just hard,” Samson said. “I can’t say teams are exactly lining up to deal with the Marlins at the moment.”

Speculation about a possible Ramirez deal was greeted with amusement in the clubhouse before Florida’s game Wednesday night against the Mets. Right fielder Jeremy Hermida was among the players mentioned in reports as possible trade bait for the Red Sox.

“You going to Boston?” teammate Dan Uggla shouted at Hermida.

“I don’t know. I guess so,” Hermida said with slight smile.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez laughed off questions about a possible deal and where Ramirez would play for Florida.
“I think we’ll just straight DH him,” Gonzalez said.

Posted by Frank Coppola at July 30, 2008 07:22 PM

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