Hanley Ramirez is getting interest from “multiple teams” since officially becoming a free agent, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo tweets. It isn’t any surprise that the veteran slugger is drawing some attention, particularly since he’d be available at a prorated minimum salary while the Red Sox cover the approximately $14.5MM remaining on Ramirez’s contract. Considering the low price tag, any number of teams could have interest — consider that the Orioles, who are already loaded with first base/DH candidates, have already been linked to Ramirez. It was only weeks ago that Ramirez was one of the league’s hottest hitters (posting a .330/.400/.474 slash line over 110 plate appearances in March and April) before he fell into a deep slump that led to his release from the Sox.
Some more from around the baseball world…
- Last winter, the Orioles “checked on” any trade interest in Mark Trumbo, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports. It isn’t stated how much interest existed, though one can imagine it was a pretty thin market, given that Trumbo was coming off a rough 2017 season and is owed $26MM in 2018-19. Trumbo has a decent .292/.320/.427 slash line over 100 PA, though he has only two homers and missed all of April recovering from a quad strain. The O’s seem primed to be deadline sellers, though they’d likely have to eat some money to facilitate a Trumbo deal. (Incidentally, he also has a seven-team no-trade clause.)
- The slumping Cody Bellinger hasn’t started two of the Dodgers’ last three games, as manager Dave Roberts talked to reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) about how the reigning NL Rookie Of The Year is trying to adjust to being pitched differently as well as some bad breaks at the plate. “He’s doing everything right as far as the preparation. The results just haven’t been there,” Roberts said. “So as a young player, he’s constantly trying to make adjustments. You get to a point where you wonder if you’re ever going to get a hit. All players go through that at some point in time.” Roberts wasn’t ready to say that a brief minor league stint might eventually be in the cards for Bellinger, who is hitting only .225/.298/.413 with eight homers over his first 238 plate appearances.
- In the latest on Jake Peavy’s comeback attempt, the veteran righty will hold a private workout for teams sometime in June, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. After sitting out the 2017 season to deal with personal issues, Peavy had been working out and planning to have a showcase in early May, though he said a few weeks ago that he wanted to consult with his children before deciding on a comeback.
- Also from Cafardo’s piece, he notes that tomorrow’s amateur draft carries particular import for a Red Sox farm system that has been thinned out by trades in recent years. Between those losses, Jay Groome’s Tommy John surgery and Michael Chavis’ PED suspension, Boston doesn’t seem to have enough young trade chips to make a splash at the deadline. “Let me put it this way, there isn’t anyone in their farm system that a team would say, ’I have to have that guy.’ Not saying they don’t have anything to make a deal, but they don’t have enough to make a major deal,” one AL scout tells Cafardo. Of course, it remains to see if the Sox will necessarily be looking for a blockbuster upgrade given that the roster is already in very good shape and cruising towards a postseason berth.
- With the first round of the draft less than 24 hours away, Baseball America has released its latest mock draft of the first 35 picks. Auburn right-hander Casey Mize is still seen as the favorite to go to the Tigers with the first overall pick, with Mize unlikely to fall beyond the Giants (at the No. 2 pick) if Detroit goes go in another direction. Interestingly, Baseball America’s executive editor JJ Cooper (Twitter link) hears from multiple sources that “it is more likely now than it was any time up to now” that the top three picks will be Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart (Tigers), California high schooler Cole Winn (Giants) and then Mize to the Phillies third overall. Still, there is “only a small chance” of this scenario playing out, and the likeliest scenario is still Mize going to the Tigers.
Hey guys,
stange observation. I noticed that use the players names as hyperlinks to their stats, however above you have manger Dave Roberts, but the hyperlink goes to his player stats. Do you always do this for mangers who were also players? Wouldn’t his managerial record be a better link? Just food for thought. Thanks!
“More Roberts Pages” > “Manager Stats”
They rarely double check player links and correct them. Players with identical names often get improperly linked such as the late Jose Fernandez.
And they always link to the wrong Matt Duffy.
The Orioles need to trade Trumbo now and get whatever they can for him to get out of that contract
Too late.
Too early.
Now is the perfect time!
Probably the worst time!
2/26 isn’t a big deal by any means. Trumbo is redundant on our roster but that salary is hardly a payroll killer. There’s not going to be any interest paying his full salary but if we eat say 8 mil or swap him for another under performing player there might be a move. There’s not going to be a prospect return worth mentioning. We still need a DH/RF, even if we are better off playing younger players.
It would be really cool to see Jake Peavy in a Padres uniform one more time.
I know the MLBTR staff is just doing their job mentioning Trumbo’s seven-team no-trade clause, but under what reasonable scenarios would it be possible Trumbo would reject the opportunity to get out of BAL in the midst of such a terrible season?
The thing is that players have their own reasons for having these clauses. I don’t know, but maybe he has kids who are in school and if possible would not want to move them and thus veto a trade. It’s the same as all of us, we want to have some control over where we work. He’s getting paid no matter what, so if his family is settled why move if he can avoid it? I’d rather have a happy family than a piece of jewelry.
Partial no trade clauses can either be business or practical. There could be seven places he just doesn’t want to play. Other players, if they have a team option, might use their partial no trade clause to leverage a team into automatically exercising the clause.
Like when players have no-trade clauses against Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles… any major market team that would be interested in acquiring a major player.
Recent article on here said that Houston Astros could use a DH and/or LF. Hanley Ramirez would be a fit for the Astros’ DH slot.
Orioles could scoop up HanRam and then trade one of their extra DH to Houston, say Mark Trumbo or Pedro Alvarez.
If the Astros need a DH and/or LF, wouldn’t it be smarter of them to get a player that could do both? Perhaps Adam Duvall from Cincy or a return for Hunter Pence from the Giants.
Hunter Pence…hahaha good one bro…hahaha
Hanley would be be able to handle DH until teams start to trade. No one is trading yet so might as well give Hanley a shot.
pence would actually be cool, little homecoming for him.
Of course the Red Sox are thin in the farm system….it’s how DD rolls….
Imagine that, trying to make your major league team the best it can be. And hey what do you know… best record in all of baseball right now. They’ve done what they’re supposed to do so far… let’s hope they can keep it up.
Or wait, better not trade those young guys, they might help us in 3 years or we could make a trade next year with them. It just makes the scouting Department work that much harder when the minor leagues are thin. Put’s them on their toes, hey we need guys.
If the farm is stocked there’s not an urgency for Success immediately. Start scouting, look at the waiver wire, start putting in major work because it’s thin. All makes sense to me.
Sure it would be nice to have a stock farm system but if you can get Chris Sale Craig Kimbrel… heck why not?
I feel you there. Too many of these supposed Yankee fans totally overvalue some of their prospects, and freak about the thought of trading them. Example..Clint Frazier and Chance Adams.
Don’t know that that’s true…..most of the Yankee trade proposals all call for 3 for 1 or greater type of deals and what you are getting back simply isn’t worth that type of deal.
The days of the Yankees getting fleeced for talent in multiple player deals are over.
Other teams fans can be accused of the same over hype of their teams MLB and minors players…..everyone loves to troll the Yankees!
Well, the Yankees were smart to not trade Frazier or Adams for a 4th or 5th starter like Gerritt Cole, right?
Wheaties you’re right.
Plus you have to have the right mix… you trade some, you hold on to some, and you develop some for the big league club. Got to have a mix.
Assuming that, as reported, the Pirates starting point for Gerritt Cole was gleybor torres + prospects, yes, I’m OK with them not making that trade given how well he has played to date. If they would have taken Frazier and Adams, I think Cole is a Yankee today.
People also undervalue how well Houston is at maximizing pitchers. They seem to use technology better than anyone else in the league and continue to take starters with good stuff, but with issues and make them great (Morton, Verlander, Cole). Not sure if Cole goes to the Yankees and pitches as well as he has.
Yeh, I’m okay with that given what the Pirates wanted to Cole…..and let’s wait until the league has a book on Cole before we anoint him with HOF status.
It’s a little early to put Cole in elite status, but time will tell…..maybe he’s the second coming or maybe he’s just a ML pitcher with early domination of a new league and hitters that haven’t adjusted to him as yet.
And lastly, would I trade Cole for Gleyber Torres and others…….Gleyber looks to be every bit as effective as an everyday player as Cole is as a pitcher than affects 30-32 starts. No, I would not have traded Gleyber for Cole.
Houston has an excellent team, great pitching staff, but I have heard rumors about ped abuse from former players in regards to Verlander. This goes back to before the Tigers traded him, but allegedly he approached others about some ghost steroid/ growth hormone he was already taking. Would he approach his new teammates? Would this explain his resurgence? Only rumors folks, but don’t crown the Astros as the best developers of talent without thinking about it.
Didn’t they just trade less than a year ago three very good prospects for Grey? Can’t win every trade and certainly Cashman’s recent success speaks volumes but don’t make a blanket statement like that.
And maybe Torres is taking advantage of his first time through. Hopefully not because there is nothing not to like in the kid. Look at Devers however. Time will tell. Their both small sample sizes but Devers in my view should be back in the minors learning his craft. You never know how things will turn out. You think Boston would be happy with Travis Shaw at third and still have Devers waiting in the wing?
Don’t judge on rumors either
The way I understand it, and I may be off, but the Yankees were dealing from a position of strength. They had too many guys that they couldn’t protect and would lose anyway so they dealt them for the best pitcher available. Certainly it has not worked out as the Yankees had hoped as Gray has been inconsistent since coming to New York. Can’t win them all, but there is still time for him to prove worthwhile. He has a couple more years of team control I believe and has shown he has the ability to be a solid 2 or 3 in a good rotation.
Do you like sustained success? Because that’s how you have sustained success…
When the certain prospects being coveted aren’t part of the future of the team anyway and the”sustained success”, you mention. You have continued success in all kinds of ways and is not solely on a few prospects.
Henry Owens and Brian Johnson were at one point untouchable in a trade.
Jacob Turner was the 26th(2010)and 21st(2011) rated prospect in all of baseball, look at him now just released by Miami.
In the Boston A Gonz trade- Casey Kelly was the Blue Chip prospect as Anthony Rizzo was a throw in.
But a top prospect isn’t s guarantee to pan out.
Owens was at one point close to untouchable but Johnson never was.
Kelly was definitely the lead player but please don’t say Rizzo was a throw in. The fact that he was disappointing and released by the Padres is the real story. He was always considered a top Red Sox prospect during his time in the organization. A superstar in waiting like Sam Horn (boy did Horn hit a shot at the old Yankee Stadium-it hit the sign board behind the right field bleachers) no but definitely a MLB starter at 1B. You never know how they will develop. That’s what a prospect is. Risk v. reward, the yard stick to measure all trades.
I believe Rizzo was traded for Andrew Cashner, not released.
You’re most definitely right…
Thanks for correcting. Still the same disappointment in my view but apologies for misrepresenting.
A bunch of teams passed on mike trout. It’s not a perfect science
Actually the Yankees have the best record.
No they don’t…
Best record at this point of the season don’t matter a hoot!
The league paradigm has changed and continued success over the longer term is about sustaining from within, or having the player assets own the minor league level to go out and get the final piece or pieces to challenge for a championship.
The Cubs and their world championship year is the best example of this.
What is everybody else missing? Sox have a 1 game lead.
The Yankees have a better winning %. The Sox one game lead is because they have played 6 more games.
Here’s what you’re missing…..Think the Yankees might win more than 1 in six to cut into that lead?
First off he said “Actually the Yankees have the best record” that’s not can they win or can’t they win 1 out of 6 games but right now, and it’s not true.
They don’t go by winning % they go by overall record.
Going into today, the Yanks played 6 fewer games. Makes a comparison hard but some view losses that can’t be made up as the way to measure.
The way the standings work is the overall record. Say you are 40-20 and the other team is 46-22 the latter team is in first place. Just heard it on MLB network “Red Sox have the best record in the game”
Would the Sox have the best record in baseball this year if they hung onto Manny Margot, Yoan Moncada, Logan Allen, and Michael Kopech? All those guys could be regulars one day. Moncada and Kopech could be stars but they aren’t close yet. Sale and Kimbrel are. By the time Kopech or Moncada would’ve been key contributors, the rest of their core probably would’ve been gone.
And most likely Kimbrel will be a memory when he tests free agency this coming year!
And last time I checked Moncada is playing regularly showing good upside at 2nd base for the WS….would you have liked a viable longer term option for little Petey as he struggles to stay healthy in his waning years or is Nunez how you answer that question?
This is such a bad-faith argument. Boston had a wealth of positional depth and NO pitching depth to speak of. What would you have done to somehow keep all the prospects and also have the team compete?
I’d rather have Chris Sale and Andrew Bientiendi than have Yoan Moncada being a utility infielder (which is what he would have been, if not permanently at 3B)
The worst trade DD made as of now is the Tyler Thornburg trade, because Shaw has looked sooo good for the Brewers, and Thornburg hasn’t pitched.
But if (and that’s a big IF) he can come back this year and regain his form, that helps Boston in their biggest area of need.
How about if they held onto Travis Shaw?
And would you rather have Yoan Moncada than Chris Sale? Because I’m certain the Sox are in much better shape w Sale and Pedroia.
Don’t disagree but the question is give to get….and some of the comments denigrate the players that were given up to get Sale etc.
Those players most likely would have contributed and weren’t just excess baggage that wouldn’t have amounted to anything.
Yoan Moncada would not have been a “utility infielder” with the Sox.
He would have been a starter somewhere around the infield for sure.
Whether he would have been “great” time will only tell but he certainly was a highly hyped prospect and rather within the top 3 prospects by almost every rating service out there.
Moncada? Cost to get. Not worried about 2B in three or more years. If Moncada was still in Boston, he’d still be behind Holt, Nunez and even Lin on the infield depth chart. This team is trying to win now. in 3 years we might be saying 3 more years.
Please note how I said “or permanently at 3B”
Alright buddy. Moncada wouldn’t have been behind holt or Lin. Cmon. Don’t talk out of your ass. He would’ve been starting at 3rd over devers.
Procedural question: If a team wishes to pursue a released player like Hanley Ramirez, is the team required by MLB policy to *only* pay the pro-rated league minimum, or could the team offer more? That is, as unlikely as it might sound, could a bidding war emerge for the released-but-free-agent Hanley?
They could pay more and every cent they pay over the minimum is more the Red Sox don’t have to pay.
No matter how much and team offers Hanley would make the same amount. It would only affect how much the Red Sox are paying.
Unless they were to offer a higher salary than he is currently getting which would NEVER happen.
No reason for a bidding war. He gets his full salary with Boston paying all but the prorated minimum. He gets to choose if he gets multiple offers.
Nice to have a stacked farm system but gotta say would rather have a stacked MLB team in Boston!
I’m an Orioles fan. We’ll take Peavy, just someone that can give us innings and efficency for the rest of the year
I think we’re fine in the rotation. Not fine, but the guys we have can soak up innings better than jake peavy. Bundy, Gausman, Cashner and Cobb aren’t losing rotation spots and I’d much rather see David Hess take control of the 5 spot the rest of the year. Adding Peavy doesn’t do anything for the future,
It’s not like the Sox have no one on the farm teams of value however if a team wanted a starting pitcher til the end of the season–Pomerantz or Wright might be available.
But if a team like KC was willing to move Herrera–Beeks, Dalbec or Chatham might be worth considering.
Sox Minor league pitching depth is thin.
If Devers hitting continues to inch closer to .200 and his fielding remains suspect–it may be time for a stint at AAA. Cora has kept things moving forward. despite the poor hitting of JBJ, Devers, Vazquez and the absence of Pedroia and Betts.
With all thier current injuries, its hard to suggest Devers goes back to AAA. As you said , Core has done well with balancing everything. We may have a weak farm but DD has done well to assure positions covered in the event of injuries.
might be good for Devers to try to relax.
so far…
however just wait…
injuries (especially to pitchers with HIGH stress inning mileage) don’t usually show up until the 2nd half. that’s when the team will PAY THE PRICE.
Hey Mikeyank the clown have you ever heard the saying “ those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”
Bellinger is just another Joc Pederson. Hits a bunch of HRs early, then comes down to Earth and strikeouts a lot.
I’ve watched a lot of his ABs over the past few weeks, and one thing I noticed is that he literally swings as hard as he can every time. If he slows it down to just start making contact, that might get him out of this slump. Hate seeing players who fall in love with the HR and never let it go.
Bellinger is 2 for 19 with 11Ks in his last 7 games. He has been in a slump since the World Series. Why not send him down for a bit?
The only reason I can see for sending him down is to work on a specific issue. Since Roberts is saying that he’s got the right approach, no doubt they’d prefer to have him work through his sophomore slump in front of major league pitching, rather than in the unrealistic environment of the hitter-friendly PCL.
Looks like Cody Bellinger is the new Joc Peterson II
Re: Mock Draft –
That would be a very odd development to see a catcher, even won as rounded as Bart, go #1 overall — huge risk. Then SF passing up on a MLB-near ready college arm in Mize – do they love Winn that much or does it signal that their rebuild is further off than planned and they won’t be re-signing MadBum?
As a Braves fan, I do not want to see Mize fall to PHI at #3. That’s all we need is 2 Tiger aces (Nola LSU, Mize Auburn) to deal with for the next half decade.
With all the injuries to SF starting staff my bet is they take Mize. Their winning window is almost shut so they will be trying to find lightning in a bottle. Winn is 4 years down the road starter i doubt they want to wait that long for him.
The tough thing about the draft is even though pitchers flame out, the data on 1st round pitchers are that the majority of impact pitchers who *do* develop….are most likely 1st rounders.
I agree btw awbout Mize…you either take him or another highly ranked pitcher because developing a catcher is a huge risk and for a guy to go 1-1….that’s a ton of pressure in the best case scenario.
Where in my post did it say Gleyber?
From 2003:
The Boston Red Sox placed outfielder Manny Ramirez on irrevocable waivers yesterday, and they are hoping that another team will claim him and enable them to shed the five years and $104 million remaining on his eight-year, $160 million contract, two major league executives said.
If a team claims Ramirez before the deadline tomorrow, it will become responsible for Ramirez’s contract, and Ramirez’s often turbulent three-year association with the Red Sox will end. Unlike with revocable waivers, Boston cannot pull back Ramirez if he is claimed. If no team claims Ramirez, the Red Sox will retain him but will have at least alerted other clubs that they are willing to trade him.
”It’s a weird thing, to be honest with you,” said one of the executives, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. ”I don’t know what they’re thinking, other than they want to get out from under that contract.”
From 2018 : What does this have to do with this article at all?
Good question. It’s providing an example of BOS waiving a productive Ramirez in their somewhat recent history.
Pretty sure Oakland would take Groome and Chavis for Treinen 🙂