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Red Sox Memories: Caveat Emptor for Chaim Bloom and free agents

By Rick McNair

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 9: The facade is displayed as the Major League Baseball season is postponed due the coronavirus pandemic on April 9, 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 9: The facade is displayed as the Major League Baseball season is postponed due the coronavirus pandemic on April 9, 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – APRIL 16: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Cleveland Indians takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 16, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Indians won the game 4-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – APRIL 16: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Cleveland Indians takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 16, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Indians won the game 4-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

The second time around with the Red Sox eventually fails at DH

The Red Sox made a historic trade with the Marlins that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston.  Both players became important cogs in the Red Sox 2007 run to a World Series championship. The Red Sox in a move similar to the Chris Sale trade sent two high profile prospects to the marlins. One was Hanley Ramirez.

Ramirez became the National League Rookie of the Year and became a batting champion a few seasons down the baseball path. Ramirez moved to the Dodgers where he hit .299 for three seasons before becoming a free agent and signing a four-year/$88M contract with Boston.

The second time around sometimes works in relationships and in baseball and this was not to be one of those times. Ramirez’s second season back with the Red Sox paid dividends when HanRam slashed 30/111/.286, but then it crashed.  Part of the issue was placing Ramirez in left field and certainly, his skill set was disappearing.

Ramirez was a five-tool player but the tools were collapsing. Ramirez once had back-to-back 51 steal seasons and was now a liability on the bases. Defensively Ramirez was no longer shortstop material and his outfield work was a nightmare. Ramirez was given considerable time at first base but the signal was clear – designated hitter was a viable option.

In 2017 Ramirez became a DH but a DH is supposed to hit and Ramirez slashed 23/62/.242 and that is not what a team pays $22.750M to do. In 2018 things went south and by the end of May, the Red Sox released Ramirez.

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