The Red Sox need a shortstop. That seems to be the unanimous feeling within Red Sox Nation since the club traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies, leaving a platoon option of Nick Punto and Mike Aviles. No problem, the Sox can go out and acquire the disgruntled Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins and the shortstop position is solved right? Not so fast.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports via Twitter is reporting that he’s heard from multiple sources that the Red Sox are doubtful to make a play for Ramirez.
The 28-year old has recently been moved to third base with the Marlins after they signed super star Jose Reyes. Ramirez is said to be unhappy with the move to third and while it’s being denied, some say he has asked for a trade to a club where he can play his natural position of shortstop; hence the Red Sox scenario.
Ramirez would be a nice upgrade at the shortstop position. He’s a career .306 hitter and when healthy he can hit for power as he’s hit more than 20 home runs in a season four times during his seven year career. Last season he missed time due to in injury and hit just .243, an OBP of .333 and a slugging percentage of .379. He hit 10 long balls and collected 45 RBI in 385 plate appearances.
He’s a three-time all-star and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2006, a year after he was traded from Boston to Miami in a deal that saw Josh Beckett come to Beantown. So you might asking, what’s not to love?
Ramirez is known as a bit of a high maintenance type player, who gets upset easily when things don’t go his way. He’s not the ideal teammate from that standpoint and considering the Red Sox clubhouse wasn’t exactly a tea party last season, an ego like Ramirez could do more harm than good.
Consider the contract of Ramirez as well. He’s currently under contract through the 2014 season and is slated to earn $11 million this year then $15 million for the next two. When all we’ve heard about is the tax threshold and how the Sox want to stay under or close to it, trading for Ramirez would defeat any hope of doing so. Unless of course you swap Ramirez for Kevin Youkilis, but there again you’re giving up a lot in the production from Youkilis and you’re still left with a vacant third base.
So while some fans are hoping to see Hanley Ramirez’s name in trade talks involving the Red Sox, don’t hold your breath. It doesn’t appear likely for many reasons and perhaps this club doesn’t need him. Not if Youk can stay healthy and some of the kids can step up and produce at shortstop.
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