Red Sox need to file divorce papers on Ramirez, Sandoval

The line is an old one: “Why do divorces cost so much?” Because they are worth it.

In baseball divorces cost into the millions that would certainly make any Hollywood palimony suit seem like chump change or even a high-profile celebrity or powerbroker divorce seem equally parsimonious.

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The Red Sox are not new to the concept of dead money. Often a player is shipped out and the Red Sox have to pay the tab. After one season in Boston, Edgar Renteria was shipped out along with a bag full of Red Sox money to make the deal work. That is affectionately known as “cash considerations.”

The Nick Punto trade was not without the Red Sox tossing in some very green cabbage to make it work. This season the Angels sent Josh Hamilton back to Texas along with a good portion of his contract paid for by LA.

Often it is all about the money with an onerous contract and a player that for a myriad of reasons is just not working out. Off goes player at a bargain price with the recipient wistfully hoping a change of scenery is all that is needed.

For some franchises it is not fiscally possible to dump a player without tossing in some talent that could be MLB serviceable or have a projected future down the road. We’ll pay some of the freight for your problem, but you must also toss in a sweetener or two.

Boston, however, is in a very sweet spot. They can absorb mistakes and carry dead money. Boston is not a baseball backwater and has a very productive revenue stream. Media contracts, exorbitant ticket prices, branding with just about any business with a pulse and a steady flow of advertising dollars give some flexibility.

That is where the Red Sox stand with two up in lights mistakes – Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. Hired on to pump up the offense they have done little to ingratiate themselves to the fan base and, of course, the lynch mob in the media. What offense they generate is usually given back on the defensive end. A divorce is needed.

But sometimes patience is also needed. For the Yankees of 2014 Brian McCann seemed to be a free agent floperoo. Now is 2015 it seems an astute bargain. Baseball is littered with such examples and Boston can point to John Lackey for a more recent example. From eminent tar and feathers to “Why did we trade this guy?”

So the dilemma for the Red Sox management team is just what to do? To ship both out would probably be a fiscal hit in the 100M range. Of course that could be mitigated considerably with some tasty tidbits added like a Manuel Margot, Rafael Devers and just about anyone else on the top ten prospect list.

Personally, I have had it with both and especially Panda. I see no redeeming feature in keeping Sandoval in Boston. Ramirez has the potential to limit his defensive damage by slipping into DH mode, but if he is sent packing, I will shed no tears.

I do believe the consensus among the passionate of Red Sox Nation is that at this juncture a divorce is best for all parties – and a costly one it will be.

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