BOSTON (WBZ) ― The Red Sox are in negotiations with the L.A. Dodgers about possibly sending Manny Ramirez to them in a trade, WBZ's Dan Roche learned.
In return, the Red Sox would get one of the Dodgers' top young players such as Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp or James Loney.
The trade would be a big splash for Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, should the team pick up Ramirez.
In a short interview before Sunday night's game against the Yankees, Ramirez said he is "tired" of the Boston Red Sox and would agree to a trade that would make both him and the team happy.
But he said he doesn't think it will happen and Boston, battling for a playoff spot, needs the production of its cleanup hitter despite its oft-contentious relationship with him.
Four days before the non-waiver trading deadline, Ramirez said Sunday, "I'm tired of them. They're tired of me."
The Red Sox have until Nov. 9 to pick up a $20 million option for next year on Ramirez, who would have to approve any trade as a 10-year veteran with five years on the same team. They also have a $20 million option for 2010. Ramirez is in the final year of his guaranteed eight-year, $160 million contract.
In separate e-mails to The Associated Press, Red Sox owner John Henry and general manager Theo Epstein put their focus on the pennant race.
On Friday, Ramirez said he couldn't play because of a sore right knee and manager Terry Francona scratched him from the original lineup. MRIs on both knees then "came back fine," Francona said, and Ramirez started Saturday and was in the lineup again Sunday.
He also missed last Wednesday's game at Seattle with what he said was a sore knee. The Red Sox were off Thursday.
Ramirez originally told ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday that he wouldn't object to a trade if the Red Sox are better without him.
Later, in the clubhouse, he said, "What I said was, if the Red Sox think they can find a trade that's going to make their team better and both sides are going to be happy, I'm going to agree. But they cannot find a trade. It's something simple. It's no big deal."
Francona said before the game that he wasn't aware of the ESPNdeportes interview.
And he didn't know if Ramirez was in a good mood.
"I'm not sure that matters," Francona said. "I'd take a guy that's hitting .500 that's miserable as opposed to a guy that hands out bouquets to his teammates and is hitting a buck 45. ... You move on. The goal is to get better from it. I think we've done a good job of that here."
Ramirez's remarks came while the Red Sox are struggling and the Yankees are closing in. The Yankees won two out of three games at Fenway Park this weekend.
Ramirez asked to be traded after the 2005 and 2006 seasons but said he doesn't expect to be traded during this season.
"That's not going to happen," he said. "They're not stupid. Boston is not stupid. They can say whatever they want but when it comes to make a deal, they're not going to pull the trigger because they know what they got here."
http://wbztv.com/sports/redsox/manny.ramirez.trade.2.783072.html
In return, the Red Sox would get one of the Dodgers' top young players such as Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp or James Loney.
The trade would be a big splash for Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, should the team pick up Ramirez.
In a short interview before Sunday night's game against the Yankees, Ramirez said he is "tired" of the Boston Red Sox and would agree to a trade that would make both him and the team happy.
But he said he doesn't think it will happen and Boston, battling for a playoff spot, needs the production of its cleanup hitter despite its oft-contentious relationship with him.
Four days before the non-waiver trading deadline, Ramirez said Sunday, "I'm tired of them. They're tired of me."
The Red Sox have until Nov. 9 to pick up a $20 million option for next year on Ramirez, who would have to approve any trade as a 10-year veteran with five years on the same team. They also have a $20 million option for 2010. Ramirez is in the final year of his guaranteed eight-year, $160 million contract.
In separate e-mails to The Associated Press, Red Sox owner John Henry and general manager Theo Epstein put their focus on the pennant race.
On Friday, Ramirez said he couldn't play because of a sore right knee and manager Terry Francona scratched him from the original lineup. MRIs on both knees then "came back fine," Francona said, and Ramirez started Saturday and was in the lineup again Sunday.
He also missed last Wednesday's game at Seattle with what he said was a sore knee. The Red Sox were off Thursday.
Ramirez originally told ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday that he wouldn't object to a trade if the Red Sox are better without him.
Later, in the clubhouse, he said, "What I said was, if the Red Sox think they can find a trade that's going to make their team better and both sides are going to be happy, I'm going to agree. But they cannot find a trade. It's something simple. It's no big deal."
Francona said before the game that he wasn't aware of the ESPNdeportes interview.
And he didn't know if Ramirez was in a good mood.
"I'm not sure that matters," Francona said. "I'd take a guy that's hitting .500 that's miserable as opposed to a guy that hands out bouquets to his teammates and is hitting a buck 45. ... You move on. The goal is to get better from it. I think we've done a good job of that here."
Ramirez's remarks came while the Red Sox are struggling and the Yankees are closing in. The Yankees won two out of three games at Fenway Park this weekend.
Ramirez asked to be traded after the 2005 and 2006 seasons but said he doesn't expect to be traded during this season.
"That's not going to happen," he said. "They're not stupid. Boston is not stupid. They can say whatever they want but when it comes to make a deal, they're not going to pull the trigger because they know what they got here."
http://wbztv.com/sports/redsox/manny.ramirez.trade.2.783072.html