The Boston Red Sox might be trying to move Hanley Ramirez this offseason via trade, and although the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels are all interested, it might be difficult pulling something like that off due to his contract.
Ramirez is signed through the 2019 season ($22 million vesting option for 2019) and will make $22.75 million in each of the next three seasons. For a player that’s lost both power and speed over the years and has missed quite a lot of games over the last two seasons, that might be a bit tough to sell.
Ramirez didn’t have the best of debut years in Boston, hitting a .249 with 19 home runs and 53 RBIs, even if it was a return to the place his major league career started at in 2005. He’s only two years removed from a very good season for the Dodgers, finishing 8th in the MVP voting, so it’s not like he’s out of ability yet, but the Red Sox probably expected more from their first baseman, especially when they’re paying him this kind of money.
The Red Sox aren’t pushing Ramirez out the door, but they’re trying to see if there is any interest in him, even if it means helping those teams share some of the load. While the Mariners and Angels have spent some big money on players over the last few seasons, it’s safe to say it hasn’t paid off, especially in Seattle case, which would make them slightly cautious when going into a trade deal such as this one.
Maybe Ramirez starts 2016 as the first baseman for the Red Sox because they believe he can still be a major contributor on a team that’s two years removed from winning the World Series, although hasn’t made the playoffs twice in a row. But the more his ability continues to stagnate and he never breaks out of this disappointing plateau, the talk of trading him at whatever the cost will just get stronger.