Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein recently said that if Manny Ramirez were willing to waive his no-trade clause, the club would be willing to trade the power-hitting outfielder. Well, apparently Manny is willing to waive the clause to play for somebody else.
“If the Red Sox are a better team without Manny Ramirez, they should trade me; I will not object,” said Ramirez in a telephone interview with ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday.
“I don’t have any preferences: I could choose a team that offers me the best conditions or one in the chase for the postseason. I don’t care where I play, I can even play in Iraq if need be. My job is to play baseball,” added Ramirez.
Ramirez, .298, with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs this season, returned to the Red Sox lineup on Saturday to face the New York Yankees after missing the two previous games due to pain in his right knee.
Love the third-person reference. The Red Sox don’t need this. They’re trying to win their third title in five years and are in the thick of a hot AL East race. If Ramirez doesn’t want to play in Boston anymore, then fine. The club should deal him for some high-end future prospects and move on. Yeah it creates a huge hole in the middle of the order, but sometimes distractions outweigh talent in sports.
