Marlins' Hanley Ramirez Wants Out Of South Beach; Where Will He Go?

By: Tyler Ward

With the acquisition of shortstop Jose Reyes, the Marlins considered themselves to have one of the best infields in professional baseball.

Except there's one problem... One of the key components of that "dream infield", Hanley Ramirez, wants to be dealt because he'd have to switch from shortstop to third base to accompany Ramirez. And he doesn't want to do that even though Jeffrey Loria has made the team exponentially better, including moving the team to brand new ballpark.

Although his stats declined drastically last season, he is still one of the best up-and-coming players in baseball. And the Marlins realize that and they know they could get a lot in return for him if Ramirez gets his wish.

However ESPN's Buster Olney reported yesterday, "If Ramirez wanted to be traded, the Marlins probably couldn't get a lot for him, because of his price tag and the growing questions about his play."

I couldn't disagree with Olney more. Ramirez is still a great player, despite his bad season last year. Every player seems to have one of those seasons in which they struggle, but then they somehow return to their true form the following season. And I expect Ramirez to do that for the upcoming 2012 season. And not to mention, Ramirez is still young (27 years old) with many years of great baseball in front of him.

A lot of teams will be in a bidding war for Ramirez's services even though he had an off-year last season. I can guarantee that much.

Ramirez is a six-year pro and has been an All-Star in three of those seasons. Over his young career, he has batted a healthy .306. His career numbers include a .306 batting average, 134 home runs, 434 runs batted in and 216 stolen bases.

However, if a team chooses to deal for Ramirez, it will come at a hefty price after he signed a six-year extension with Miami in May 2008, worth approximately $70 million.

He is still under contract with the Marlins for the next three seasons and the team currently owes him $47 million until 2014.

Ramirez had also told the Marlins that he'd move to third base under one condition: the team restructures his contract and benefit him more for doing something that he doesn't want to do. His agent has since refuted this report, but there is still a good possibility that it is true since Ramirez has seen disgruntled since the acquisition of Reyes.

This apparently made owner Jeffrey Loria and Co. distraught and they instantly declined Ramirez's proposal. This could also potentially be the biggest reason that the Marlins part ways with the three-time All-Star.

To his resume, Ramirez has won a batting title with a .342 average and has had career-highs of 33 home runs, 51 steals and a .954 OPS.

Ramirez is a talent that will not go un-noticed. But of course, this could all be a ploy by the Marlins' front office, as to just make headlines and stir things up within the organization. However, this could be real and Ramirez could get dealt. We will find out in the coming weeks as to what happens with the Marlins.

Here are some possible suitors for Ramirez with some combinations of deals the Marlins could go for:

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Washington Nationals for 3B Ryan Zimmerman

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Boston Red Sox for SS Jed Lowrie, RP Daniel Bard, P Felix Doubront and RF Che-Hsuan Lin

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez to New York Mets for 3B David Wright

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez and CF Chris Coghlan to Kansas City Royals for LF Alex Gordon, 3B Mike Moustakas and SP Jeff Francis

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Milwaukee Brewers for 3B Casey McGehee, P Tyler Thornburg and 2B Scooter Gennett

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Cleveland Indians for 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, P Justin Masterson and C Lou Marson

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Chicago White Sox for 3B Brent Morel, P John Danks, and P Matt Thornton

* Marlins trade shortstop Hanley Ramirez and P Leo Nunez to Atlanta Braves for CF Michael Bourn, 3B Brandon Hicks and P Jair Jurrjens

Reds Acquire Jim Edmonds From Milwaukee

By: Tyler Ward

Even though the trade deadline is long past, deals are still being done and in a rather weird scenario, the Cincinnati Reds acquired outfielder Jim Edmonds from the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Chris Dickerson. 

This move gives the Red significant help in the outfield, as they are hoping to head back to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. They are currently leading the NL Central, one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the division crown. 

Manager Dusty Baker admitted that he will not use Edmonds in an everyday role, but will use him occasionally as a defensive help or in a pinch-hitter situation. Edmonds is embracing his new role and is incredibly happy to be part of a playoff contender. His former team, Milwaukee, is currently eleven games out of the division and are in third place. The Reds and Cardinals are in a two-team race for the division, and barring some massive choke, one if not both, will make the playoffs. 

Edmonds said on Monday, "I don't know what to say. It's been a quick 24 hours. To go from kind of the bottom of the standings to the top in a hurry and show up here playing the Cardinals -- it's going to be a little nuts."

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty was part of the Cardinals organization from 1995 to 2007. Before this season, Jocketty signed Edmonds' former teammate, Scott Rolen, to a contract, who has been exceptional this season for the Reds.

The Reds ar ecurrently riding their young team into playoff contention with MVP candidate Joey Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips, and outfielder Jay Bruce leading the offense. Edinson Volquez,  Bronson Arroyo, and rookie Mike Leake  have led a stable pitching staff, which has been one of the best in the league.

Edmonds did not play in the MLB last season and at one point, he didn't think he would return to the majors. However, teams expressed interest in him and he had that itch that he could definitely make a comeback. He wanted to return to the Cardinals, but instead, signed with the Brewers for $850,000. He can make another $1.75 million in bonuses. The recently injury-plagued outfielder is hoping he can add a formidable bat and exceptional outfielding to a contending Reds team with a few more months to play in the season.

In 73 games for the Brewers this season, Edmonds is batting .286 with eight home runs and twenty RBI. He is known most for his stint with the Cardinals, where he played from 2000-07. His best season came in 2004, when Edmonds blasted 42 home runs with 111 RBI and a hefty .301 batting average. He also hit 42 home runs his first season in St. Louis in 2000. In his stay with the Cardinals, he was also elected to three All-Star games.

Dusty Baker said of Edmonds, "He's somebody that can probably contribute a couple days a week and somebody that can tutor the young outfielders. He can still play."

To make room for Edmonds on the roster, the Reds had to option pitcher Travis Wood to the minors.

Brewers Shopping Star Players

By: Stephen Patterson

The Milwaukee Brewers are willing to trade Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Rickie Weeks for the right offers, fearing they won't be able to keep the players when they hit free agency. The team will likely be sold in the near future and are attempting to gut the payroll for the new owners, something that has become common when a team changes ownership.

Fielder is one of the best young power hitters in baseball. At 26, he has already hit 179 career home runs. Any team looking to add offense for a second half run or potential playoff race would definitely benefit from having him in the line-up. On the season, Fielder has already blasted 19 home runs and has racked up 38 RBI. The only problem with making a deal for Fielder is when his contract runs up, it's likely he won't re-sign with anyone until he tests the free agent market. The Brewers approached the Los Angeles Angels in an attempt to move Fielder, but they weren't interested enough to make the deal.

Corey Hart has probably drawn the most interest of the players available. The only problem for Milwaukee will be finding a trade of near equal value, as most offers have been considered weak because teams are skeptical of Hart's performace. His OPS has declined each of the past two seasons but has leaped up to .911 this season. Hart also has hit 20 home runs and knocked in 63 RBI for the season. The San Francisco Giants have been the team with the most interest, but they are refusing to part with any major league pitchers, which is the main area the Brewers need to improve.

Weeks is another player the team will possibly struggle moving in a good offer because of skeptism about his perfomance this year. He was declining until last season, but even then was limited to only 37 games due to injury. If a team needs a second baseman with a powerful bat, however, they may be willing to make a decent offer. Weeks is only one home run shy of his career high (16) with barely half a season played thus far. The Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Padres, and White Sox all could have interest in acquiring Weeks before the trade deadline.

The Brewers have always been a team that is scared to spend money because of their market size, and have often complained about teams such as the Yankees spending money so carelessly. In my opinion, if you're going to own a sports franchise, don't worry more about your wallet than your fans. If you don't have the money to bring solid players to your team, or even keep your own All-Stars, then sell your franchise to someone who can. Teams like the Brewers and Pirates are worse for baseball than the teams that go out and spend huge amounts of money and produce. While the Brewers have had some success over the past few seasons, they have largely squandered their opportunities by dealing away key players. Hopefully whoever purchases the team will have the money to bring Milwaukee a quality team on a yearly basis.