When did the Red Sox Move On from Hanley Ramirez?
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper
-T. S. Eliot
These are the final lines of “The Hollow Men,” one of Eliot’s most famous works. The English poet wrote this poem in 1925 about the end of Hanley Ramirez‘ tenure with the Boston Red Sox in 2018. The 34-year-old DH was designated for assignment, leaving the Sox on the hook for most of what is remaining on his $22,750,000 salary.
The former superstar shortstop was originally signed by Boston as a Dominican teenager, then traded to the (Florida) Marlins for Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota. Over the first nine full seasons of his career, he compiled 36.6 bWAR, fueled by a .300/.373/.500 batting line and 261 SB. Prior to 2015, he signed as a free agent with Boston for 4 years, $88M with a vesting option for a 5th year at $22M.
That vesting option is one of the key reasons why the Red Sox cut bait. The deal becomes guaranteed with 497 PA. Ramirez hasn’t turned out anything like the franchise thought he would since 2015, and they don’t want to be responsible for his contract any longer than they have to. It’s really not a difficult decision. But when did they make that decision? There are a few possible dates.
May 25, 2018
Second baseman/franchise cornerstone Dustin Pedroia just returned from the 60-day disabled list. The Red Sox needed to clear a 25-man roster spot. As such, Ramirez was DFA’d. Perhaps it’s no more complicated than this. The team needed to make room for Pedroia and removed the least versatile, least productive member of their team. After slashing .330/.400/.474 in April, Ramirez slumped to just .163/.200/.300 in May. With J. D. Martinez as the starting DH and Mitch Moreland contributing nicely at 1B, the front office might have just decided they can no longer afford to give him a roster spot, regardless of his remaining salary.
February 26, 2018
After an entire offseason of difficult negotiations, the Red Sox came to terms with free agent J. D. Martinez on this day. The 30-year-old slugger amassed a 149 OPS+ since 2014, and commanded a heavy price tag as a result. The 5 year, $110M deal mirrors Ramirez’ contract exactly (if the option had vested). But there’s one small problem- Boston has a crowded outfield of young, talented players (Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts), and Martinez is defensively abysmal. He’s worth -35 DRS for his career, and clearly intended to DH.
Hanley Ramirez went from a mediocre-but-passable shortstop to a vomit-worthy left fielder immediately after rejoining the Red Sox in 2015. He’s regained mediocre-but-passable status as a first baseman. But with Martinez now on the roster, it was clear that they had two highly paid players who both ought to DH. President/GM Dave Dombrowski may have made the decision to move on from Ramirez the day he signed Martinez; he just had to wait until Pedroia was ready to return.
December 18, 2017
So why can’t Ramirez just play first base? For the second consecutive offseason, the Red Sox signed Mitch Moreland for that position. Traditionally more solid than spectacular, Moreland carried a 99 OPS+ for his career into the 2018 season. He’s more than validated his recent 2 year, $13M deal so far, slashing .311/.390/.612 in 2018. He’s also acclaimed for his glove work, collecting a Gold Glove in 2015.
Now, Boston was in hot pursuit of J. D. Martinez all winter long. They were widely expected to sign the slugging outfielder/DH, and probably already planned on adding a hitter of his caliber regardless of what happened with Moreland. If that’s the case, Moreland’s return meant Ramirez no longer had the full-time first base job, and he’s been a dead man walking for about 6 months.
October 5, 2015
The Red Sox were supposed to make a playoff push in 2015. Instead, the season ended with Boston in last place at 78-84, 15 games behind Toronto. The previous offseason, they had made several significant acquisitions designed to carry them well into October. They acquired pitchers Rick Porcello and Wade Miley through trades. They also signed two of the biggest free agent names on the market: third baseman Pablo Sandoval and converted left fielder Hanley Ramirez.
Miley and Porcello both underwhelmed (though Porcello would win the Cy Young in 2016), and Sandoval failed to hit his weight (which was problematic for two reasons). But Ramirez was the biggest disappointment of all. Coming off a .283/.369/.448 season with the Dodgers, he only managed a .249/.291/.426 line with Boston. Furthermore, the Red Sox signed him on the premise that any self-respecting shortstop ought to be decent enough as a left fielder. Instead, this happened:
The "best" of Hanley Ramirez in left field (AKA, why someone with .261/.305/.474, 19 HR, 46 RBI has -0.8 WAR) #RedSox pic.twitter.com/Yf0hr4gDZV
— Joon Lee (@iamjoonlee) July 22, 2015
Needless to say, the franchise needed a new direction in left field. With Ramirez abjectly failing to play the position, the team could have decided well in advance that they would need to prevent his 2019 option from vesting by any means necessary. Two and a half years later, the time finally arrived to put that plan into action.
November 25, 2014
What a glorious day for Red Sox Nation! Hanley Ramirez, the prodigal prospect that got away, returns to his rightful place in Boston! The soon-to-be 31-year-old free agent came to terms with the franchise on this date, agreeing to switch positions to bring home a championship for the city!
Except…it didn’t quite work out that way. Ramirez earned only 1.4 bWAR over not-quite four seasons with the Red Sox. Regardless, the organization may have never intended to let the option vest at all. Ben Cherington, Boston’s erstwhile GM, could’ve agreed to the vesting option just to get Ramirez to sign. If he plays well and retains value over the course of the contract, the team can trade him. If not, he’ll be released. No need for the 2019 bill to ever come due.
Cherington didn’t know it at the time, but he wouldn’t last through the end of the 2015 season. He was fired on August 18, 2015, then replaced with Dombrowski. Now, Cherington’s biggest free agent signing has failed to complete his contract as well.
May 25, 2018 is officially the date of termination, but Ramirez’ fate may have been sealed well in advance.
-Daniel R. Epstein
