Red Sox: Hanley Ramirez eyed in connection with federal investigation
The Red Sox DFA’d Hanley Ramirez on May 25th, seemingly for baseball reasons. Is it possible the reasons were not entirely related to his play?
In a surprising move, back on May 25, the Boston Red Sox designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment, despite the prorated $22M still owed for this season. At the time, the move appeared to be a mix of making room for the returning Dustin Pedroia and a desire to move on from the struggling veteran’s inconsistent production. While their reasons may well have been purely about baseball, rumors started to fly tonight about something far darker. This tweet from Michele McPhee kicked off the speculation:
#HanleyRamirez, former @RedSox infielder, has some.. well, issues. Being eyed in connection with an ongoing federal and state investigation. Stay tuned.
— Michele McPhee (@MicheleMcPhee) June 22, 2018
Shortly after the tweet this article was posted at CBS’s local Boston affiliate’s website – WBZ Boston. Ms. McPhee, who went on 98.5 The Sports Hub for an interview was quoted on the air saying:
“Obviously, I know absolutely nothing about sports or Hanley Ramirez’s stats, but what I do know is crime,” McPhee said on The Sports Hub. “And there has been some reports about a FaceTime phone call that was made between a man during a car stop. After that car stop, police recovered a significant amount of drugs. And during that car stop, the suspect claimed that one of the items found in the vehicle belonged to Hanley Ramirez and then FaceTimed [Ramirez] in front of police. And that car stop coordinated with the timing of his release from the Red Sox.”
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What was he found with?
Ms. McPhee goes on to to report that the suspect who was stopped had been found with 435 grams of fentanyl and a large quantity of crack cocaine. And that more details should emerge Monday morning once court dockets can be picked up.
What is fentanyl? It’s an opioid used to manage pain or in the anesthesia process. It is also made illegally and used for recreational purposes. It is a schedule II controlled substance and cannot be obtained legally without a prescription. And certainly not in the amount reported above.
Ms. McPhee concluded the report with:
“There is a sweeping federal case involving a substantial ring that’s being operated out of Lawrence, Massachusetts,” McPhee said. “And I think the suspect had ties to that ring.”
While we do not know if Hanley Ramirez is a suspect or a person of interest in this case yet, it seems that there is some connection to the former Red Sox star. The team is maintaining that the reasons for DFAing Ramirez were entirely baseball related. Alex Speier had more in this tweet:
Red Sox VP of media relations Kevin Gregg says that the Red Sox are unaware of any investigation involving Hanley Ramirez. Another ML source familiar with the team's thinking seconded that, and reiterated that the decision to release him was "a baseball decision."
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) June 22, 2018
It is important not to jump to any conclusions. While the timing of the DFA appears a bit suspicious, it is entirely possible that it was coincidental. It’s not like the idea of designating him for assignment hadn’t been floated prior to its occurrence.
Next: Red Sox sticking with struggling Devers at third base
We will bring you updates as more information comes to light. In the meantime, let’s hope that Hanley’s involvement is peripheral at most.