Is It Really Time For Manny To Go ?

The saga of Manny Ramirez continues, as he and his super agent Scott Boras are trying to force the Red Sox hand. It’s clear that Ramirez does not want the Red Sox to pickup any of his $20 Million dollar options, neither does his agent Boras, since he will not be paid if th Red Sox pick it up, he will only be paid if Ramirez signs a new contract. Peter Gammons of ESPN, seems to think that Ramirez and Boras think that if Manny winds up in free agency he wants a 4-year $100 Million dollar contract. With his chances of striking it one last time in free agency, Ramirez is doing whatever necessary to be a malcontent on the Red Sox, so they will not pickup his option. He is even trying to call their bluff, and believes no matter how bad he is, the Red Sox aren’t dumb enough to trade him. The Red Sox have 4 days, and will explore every option of trading Ramirez, because who knows if he will come down with a “hamstring injury” in September. If the Red Sox allow Manny to walk they would get 2 drafts pick, however there has been a thought that the Red Sox might do what the Yankees did with Gary Sheffield. They will pickup Manny’s option, with the thought of trading and controlling his destiny, and this will sure irate Manny and his agent.  The chances of Ramirez coming back to Boston are remote at best. In the Boston Globe, Ramirez said:

Ramírez, repeating what he had said earlier in the day in a phone conversation with ESPNDeportes, said he would be open to a trade before Thursday’s deadline “if both sides are going to be happy.” But he said he didn’t expect that to happen, saying, “Boston is not stupid. They’re not going to do it. 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’ve got here.”

Asked if he was happy here, Ramírez said: “I’m happy. But enough is enough.”