Trading Manny

The first article of what I’m sure will be many …
Manny Ramirez will probably be traded this offseason. I do believe that he has an injury, but I also believe he could play through it if he wanted to and also believe that part of the injury is the phantom kind – the kind of simply not wanting to play.
That being said, he’s still one of, if not the, smartest hitters of the game and we can’t simply give him away. Many teams are going to want a big bopper … from the Los Angeles Angels to Houston Astros to Chicago Cubs to San Diego Padres to Baltimore Orioles to New York Mets …
I think the best fit is either the Angels or the Mets.
Only a light overview of who I’d want:
From the Angels, the conversation starts with starting pitcher Ervin Santana, who is 23 with a 4.58 ERA and 14-8 record. He could become a solid #3 pitcher for us. I would also want reliever Scot Shields – a topflight reliever who the Angels may be willing to part with. Shields is 31 with a 2.95 ERA in 85.1 IP as a reliever. He could be our setup man, or if we move Papelbon into the rotation, a candidate for saves. To round it out, I would also ask for Juan Rivera, their LF/DH who is 28, and enjoying a .296/.351/.512 season. Would they trade this package for Manny? I don’t think so, but I would definitely think about starting there and working from there.
I would not want Chone Figgins, because we would need someone with a little more offensive thump, and while Chone is a good player, I don’t think he quite fits the Red Sox. Plus, the Angels would probably want to hold onto him as a trading chip to get Joe Crede. If they could get Crede for Figgins and some other pieces, I think they would be more amenable to trading Juan Rivera.
As for the Mets, Lastings Milledge is a complete and utter must. He is but 21, and has a .242/.313/.379 line in 161 AB. I would expect him to whet his appetite in AAA, and allow Wily Mo Pena to start in left field with a return of Trot Nixon. Or someone else … dare I say Gary Sheffield? While ever fiber of me screams no, you have to consider it.
The other pieces of the Mets would be a little more dicey. I definitely want a pitcher here, but if we get Lastings, Mike Pelfrey is out of the question. We could go after Royce Ring, former phenom prospect turned 25-year old lefty trying to make his mark in the majors and accept another good prospects. Or go after Duaner Sanchez, who before being hurt for the year, had a 2.60 ERA in 55.1 IP for the Mets after enjoying two excellent years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
We could see the end of Manny this year, but then again, we’ve said that every year. The Red Sox will only trade Manny if it makes sense for the team. If the team is upset with Manny and wants him gone, then our bargaining position is reduced (voluntarily) … but we still will not trade him for a pittance. It has to work for us. Stay tuned, this offseason is starting to look a lot more interesting.