In A Shocking Move, The Red Sox Have Designated Hanley Ramirez For Assignment

Ummmmmmmmmmmm wow. The corresponding move to activating Dustin Pedroia off the disabled list is a shocker. The Red Sox have designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment.

According to a major league source, the Red Sox informed Ramirez on Friday morning that they will designate him for assignment in order to open a spot on their major league roster for the return of Dustin Pedroia (offseason knee surgery) from the disabled list. In doing so, the Red Sox will walk away from more than $15 million remaining on Ramirez’s salary through the duration of this season. The Red Sox now have seven days to trade or release Ramirez.

I mean, I don’t think anybody saw this one coming. You had options like putting Eduardo Nunez on the disabled list, you could’ve traded Blake Swihart, you could’ve optioned Jackie Bradley Jr. down to Pawtucket, but instead, Dave Dombrowski has chosen to designate Hanley Ramirez for assignment, eating $15 million for a player that hit .330 with an .874 OPS in the month of April, and has been the number three hitter for the best team in baseball all season.

Maybe 20 minutes before this news broke, I had written about last night’s game and highlighted how poorly Hanley had been hitting recently, leading to a suggestion that Mitch Moreland should be taking a chunk of his at-bats moving forward until he rights himself. I did NOT see a DFA coming.

Robert Murray sent out this tweet this morning with the suggestion:

I almost quote tweeted that and said, “No fucking chance.” Why? It’s a simple question of which corresponding move makes your team better? Designating Hanley for assignment, in my opinion, was nowhere near the top of that list. Blake Swihart has literally contributed nothing to this team, and he has a roster spot. Eduardo Nunez has a .637 OPS and is an absolute DISASTER defensively, and he has a roster spot.

Hanley Ramirez was the catalyst of the Red Sox offense during the first month of the season during a run when they were 17-2, was abysmal the second month of the season, and now he’s without a roster spot, presumably headed elsewhere in a trade or after being released.

I don’t get it. There’s gotta be something more to this than the Red Sox not wanting Hanley’s option to vest next season for $22 million. Should he have had his playing time reduced? Yes. Should the Red Sox have moved on from him entirely? Absolutely not. Whether he’s red hot or he’s slumping, Hanley is a presence in that lineup. Regardless of the fact that he’s 0 for his last 20, Hanley’s name in that lineup meant something. Now there’s a gaping hole where his name used to be.

And it wouldn’t be as bad if the bottom third of the lineup was giving you something, but they’re not. The Red Sox seven, eight, and nine hitters have combined for a .579 OPS through 50 games this season, the second worst in the American League. Aside from saving the $22 million, the Red Sox must really believe in Moreland, which they should, and also Swihart, who is still an unproven commodity at the big league level. I just don’t see how this move makes you a better team right now.

In closing, damn. I still can’t believe it. I don’t agree with the decision, and for a guy that I felt really wanted to be here and contribute to a World Series title in Boston, and knowing that winning one with the team that first signed him as an international free agent back in 2000 would’ve meant a lot to him, it sucks to see the Hanley Era end like this after one bad month. Just doesn’t feel right.

Best of luck to him wherever he ends up, but with the $15 million remaining on his deal plus the vesting option, I can’t imagine the Red Sox are going to get very much in return if they end up trading him, and this just simply does not make them a better team.