Before I get into the reality of Ramirez, I would like to say I have returned from an 8-month sabbatical, consisting of things known as 'school', 'summer', and 'internship', and I plan on writing many articles this month. My time away from writing was fun, but there's just too much going on in the sports world to not come back. Now that the sappy stuff is done, it's time to move onto the feature presentation.
Hanley, Manny, and Aramis Ramirez all have the same last name, but that's not the only thing they have in common. Manny and Aramis are currently jobless while Hanley is position-less and resisting a move. Hanley and Aramis should have some good years left while Manny wants to prove he still has some good years left. They're even from the same country, the Dominican Republic. In fact, Manny and Aramis share a hometown in Santo Domingo. I hope the all find themselves happily on a baseball team come spring training too, and I may just have an idea to accomplish this.
You see, Hanley plays shortstop for the Miami Marlins. The Marlins signed one of the top free agents, Jose Reyes, who also happens to be a shortstop. Reports are surfacing that Hanley Ramirez not does want to move to third base, which is what usually happens to shortstops that lose their positions. The reality of the situation is that Hanley will eventually just accept that he has to play third, but what if he throws a fit and wants to be traded?
If he takes this route, I would highly suggest the Marlins just give in to his demands and trade him. Why? Well for starters, he's a budding superstar that they could multiple players in return for. Marlins are in need of starting pitching. There's a team out West that has plenty of that, but lacks offense and a good shortstop. If you were thinking of the San Francisco Giants, then you would be correct. Last season, the Giants traded away their top pitching prospect for an aging bat in Carlos Beltran. I don't see why they couldn't deal for Hanley. If I were Giants GM, Brian Sabean, I would consider doing a trade with Hanley and Matt Cain as the centerpieces.
Hanley is locked up for another three more years and 45 million more dollars, which is a very manageable contract by the way. Matt Cain has one year left on his extension, and would be a good pair with Marlins ace Josh Johnson, not to mention a pitcher that would actually be worth paying. (Sorry, I'm just not a fan of C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle.) Now some of you may be thinking that the Giants would be getting the better end of this deal, which is why they could offer one of the two outfielders they just acquired, Melky Cabrera or Angel Pagan. Both are centerfielders by trade and the Marlins don't really have a true centerfielder, which is why you heard Hanley to centerfield a possibility. Both would also be could candidates to bat 2nd behind Jose Reyes.
Now let's discuss what happens if the Marlins do trade Hanley. I'm going to assume he gets traded soon because that's where the other two Ramirezes come in. With Hanley gone, the Marlins will be missing two things, a third baseman and a big bat. The most logical thing to do here would be to sign Aramis Ramirez. This possibility would be the best "quick fix" in the history of baseball. They could also get creative. Manny Ramirez is a horrible outfielder now, so why not move him to first? First is a very hard position to pickup, especially towards the end of your career, but Carlos Lee did it in Houston. The willingness to learn a new position would be the ultimate proof that Manny that not only can, but actually wants to play. If they sign him early enough, he'll have the whole offseason, and a 50-game suspension, to learn the position. While he's serving his suspension, Gaby Sanchez could man first. When he returns, Gaby Sanchez would move to third, which was the first position he played when he was in the minors, by the way. (Mini side note: For those thinking they wouldn't need to replace Hanley's bat because they're signing Pujols, it ain't happening. Pujols got his 10-year, 220 million dollar offer from the only team he's ever known, and if he too takes his talents to South Beach, then it'll make LeBron James look like a saint.)
In conclusion, none of this is going to happen. It's just gives you something to think about because it does have some sense to it. Hanley would be happily playing shortstop on a team that would never force him to move to third. Aramis would happily be playing third base on what seems to be the up-and-coming Marlins, with a moderately large contract. Manny would happily get his chance to continue his career, even if it's at a new position. Again, none of this is going to happen. It's just a reality that the Ramirezes could hope and dream for.
References
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/3853/aramis-ramirez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2974/manny-ramirez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/6195/hanley-ramirez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7323887/hanley-ramirez-miami-marlins-want-3b-move-source-says
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2010/03/28/contract-extension-for-matt-cain-leads-a-busy-morning-of-giants-news/
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