Man-Ram

[Frayed Knot]

Jon Heyman: Philly, Dodgers and [u:e64652b1c8]Florida[/u:e64652b1c8] are in on the Manny bidding.
Either Boston is serious about trading him or wants to make it appear that they are.
No indication that the Mets are in on talks.

[metirish]

I guess this is subject to change hourly.

] Ramirez will likely stay in Boston...for now The possiblity of Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez being traded is slowly deteriorating, ESPN's Jayson Stark writes. The four teams that had reportedly been interested in Ramirez, the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks have all denied having any such desire for him. It appears he will be staying with the Sox until this season is out but the club is not expected to pick up his option for 2009.

[Frayed Knot]

And now 'Baseball Prospectus' chimes in with:

Multiple baseball sources say the Red Sox are on the verge of sending disgrunted left fielder Manny Ramirez to the Marlins in a trade for a package of three players that includes low Class A Greensboro outfielder Mike Stanton, an 18-year-old who is hitting .275/.351/.569 with 26 home runs in 96 games.


I'd be shocked if this is accurate, particularly if it's only for minor leaguers.
If Boston is REALLY sick of Manny and are intent on dealing him I can't see them NOT getting at least one major leaguer back to take his place for now, like Jeremy Hermida maybe.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

="Frayed Knot"]And now 'Baseball Prospectus' chimes in with: Multiple baseball sources say the Red Sox are on the verge of sending disgrunted left fielder Manny Ramirez to the Marlins in a trade for a package of three players that includes low Class A Greensboro outfielder Mike Stanton, an 18-year-old who is hitting .275/.351/.569 with 26 home runs in 96 games. I'd be shocked if this is accurate, particularly if it's only for minor leaguers. If Boston is REALLY sick of Manny and are intent on dealing him I can't see them NOT getting at least one major leaguer back to take his place for now, like Jeremy Hermida maybe.

ESPN was a-speculatin' that Boston would try to turn Stanton over to Pittsburgh for Bay.

[metirish]

Manny sure likes to yap.

] "They haven't asked me for anything," Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com's Enrique Rojas on the phone from Fenway Park before the Red Sox-Angels matchup on Wednesday night. "The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me," Ramirez said. "During my years here I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them. "The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price and I don't have peace here."

Dude they gave you a huge contract , wtf? mistreating you?

[Frayed Knot]

]ESPN was a-speculatin' that Boston would try to turn Stanton over to Pittsburgh for Bay.

That makes sense; deal Manny for several prospects then keep some of those for yourself and spin off others to get yourself a Manny replacement. Bay obviously isn't Manny but he'll do for 50 games.
There's just no way Boston's going to deal him for futures only when they're 2 games out with 1/3 of the season to go as if the goal in all this is some kind of salary dump.


Will Carroll of BP is thinking along the same lines:
I�m hearing that a multi-team deal involving Jason Bay and the Florida Marlins is in the �final stages.� This could involve the previously in-place dealings involving Manny Ramirez as reported by BP�s John Perrotto. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com thinks that Bay could end up in Boston, Jeremy Hermida in Pittsburgh, and prospects flying every which way. My sources agree, though I will update these as details become clearer.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

Looks like Boston will get Bay, Florida will get Ramirez, Pittsburgh will get Hermida

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Looks like Pittsburgh gets screwed.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Rockin' Doc wrote: Looks like Pittsburgh gets screwed.

Pittsburgh is supposedly getting Hermida and 3 prospects, which might actually make them come out ahead in this deal. Hermida is a damn talented, young, cheap player with major league experience and, when you consider the depth and quality of the players in Florida's and Boston's organizations, there's a good chance they'll get some other keepers.

[Frayed Knot]

]Looks like Pittsburgh gets screwed

I dunno 'bout that, I like Hermida.

He was considered the best hitting prospect the Marlins produced aside from Miguel Cabrera. His main problem has been staying on the field but, assuming whatever's been ailing him is now in the past, I might like him over Bay.
And especially so if you're Pittsburgh. He's only 24 is and would be under club control for another 3 years after this one. Bay, on the other hand, turns 30 this winter and can go FA after 2009. For Pitt that's exactly the kind of high-upside guy you've got to take a chance on.

[Frayed Knot]

2006-2008 combined

Bay - 1,496 ABs; .271/.365/.490 - 78 HRs
Hermida - 1,110; .269/.349/.448 - 38 HRs
Manny - 1,294; .306/.408/.548 - 75 HRs

Neither one of them is Manny obviously, and Hermida falls short of both in the power dept. But when you consider not only the injury interuptions but that those [u:1f1fc4f54b]are his first three seasons in MLB[/u:1f1fc4f54b] (late 2005 call-up) he'd look good in just about anyone's OF.

[nymr83]

]It's only 1/3 of one season (approx $7mil) so it's not THAT outrageous. Any team COULD take that on if they thought it was the difference. There's no obligation to assume beyond this season.

well, manny has 10/5 rights and there are 2 club options worth 20 million each, i could certainly see him demanding that at least one if not both be execised as a condition of his accepting a deal.

[Guest AG/DC]

Sounds like you're not gobbling up the line of "I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price and I don't have peace here."

[nymr83]

sorry, but thats manny-speak for "its all about the dough, if boston would show me some resoect and exercise both options now i'd have peace, at least until i'm whining again next july like i do every year"

[Guest AG/DC]

No need to apologize to me.

[Frayed Knot]

I actually think this began by Manny getting scared that Boston WAS going to pick up his option(s) -- and do so only one year at a time and only at the club's convenience. It's gone beyond that now as things have crumbled into name-calling nonsense and threats, but I think that may be what started this insecurity he seems to have about the whole deal.

Manny probably sees this time-frame (he'll turn 37 next spring) as his best shot at getting one last long-term contract - say 4 to 5 years - rather than being locked into a deal that pays him well but also keeps him from being a FA until he hits age 38 or 39 and over which he has no control. And even if a new deal doesn't net him the same per-year dollars he's hauling in now he can work it so he's getting paid at least through birthday #40.

Hey, it worked for ARod.

[soupcan]

="Frayed Knot"]I actually think this began by Manny getting scared that Boston WAS going to pick up his option(s) -- and do so only one year at a time and only at the club's convenience. It's gone beyond that now as things have crumbled into name-calling nonsense and threats, but I think that may be what started this insecurity he seems to have about the whole deal. Manny probably sees this time-frame (he'll turn 37 next spring) as his best shot at getting one last long-term contract - say 4 to 5 years - rather than being locked into a deal that pays him well but also keeps him from being a FA until he hits age 38 or 39 and over which he has no control. And even if a new deal doesn't net him the same per-year dollars he's hauling in now he can work it so he's getting paid at least through birthday #40. Hey, it worked for ARod.

Frayed Knot-strodomus!

Report: Manny will agree to a trade to Florida IF the team will cancel the $20 million club option.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

Dave Cameron at FanGraphs says that getting Ramirez might actually make the Marlins worse.

[nymr83]

this trade, for florida, might be about more than upgrading the team on the field. Mannny Ramirez has name value and he has a huge contract, maybe management wants to be seen adding, rather than subtracting, this type of guy for once.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He could double their attendance and the Marlins would still have 30,000 empty seats at each game.

[nymr83]

i wouldn't attend games either in that heat and humidity at an outdoor stadium. there was a good reason that major league baseball played down there in the spring and not the summer before the marlin-expansion.
but this could be about more than immediate attendance- merchandise, tv ratings, and just a general feeling in the fans that management has some willingness to pay to win when the timing is right.

[Frayed Knot]

The three-way Manny-Pitt-Florida deal "almost dead" (Gammons).
Florida seems to want Boston to give them several millions more than Manny is actually owed for the rest of the season.

Boston still talking to others (Dodgers?) and, like a soap opera, until someone produces a dead body the resurrection is always as close as the next episode.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

This whole Manny story is playing out of some ancient script where Boston's best athlete has to tangle with the press, his team, and have his career there end badly.

[Farmer Ted]

CNNSi says Manny and Torre to have man-love together in LA.

Specifically Heyman calling it at 4:21 pm.

[G-Fafif]

Farmer Ted wrote: CNNSi says Manny and Torre to have man-love together in LA.

Heyman reports it. That dude's got an edge!

[metirish]

Boston.com has crashed...I think

[G-Fafif]

NESN, says FAN, says Jason Bay is somehow involved...

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Goes to LA, Bay to Boston

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

I imagine Kemp is involved, since LA would never sit still while a cheap youngster is doing the job an expensive veteran could do.

[Frayed Knot]

So Jay Ray Bay might go to the Bay State?