The Sox also remained deep in Manny Ramírez trade talks with the Padres, with San Diego sweetening its original offer, according to a source with direct knowledge of the talks. The Padres are offering major league players for Ramírez, a package that presumably would have to include one of two pitchers: prime setup man Scott Linebrink or ace Jake Peavy. The Sox also have coveted Adrian Gonzalez, a lefthanded-hitting first baseman who put up outstanding numbers in his first full season in 2006: .304, 24 home runs, 38 doubles, and 82 RBIs.
Signing Drew would be a prerequisite to any trade the Sox make involving Ramírez, who last season put up his usual stellar numbers -- 35 home runs, 102 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base average plus slugging percentage) of 1.058 -- but played little in the last six weeks, asked to be traded, and provoked the ire of club officials and teammates who felt he could have played despite a sore left knee.
The Padres are hardly alone in their interest in Ramírez, who as a 10-5 man (10 years in the majors, five with the same club), has the right to veto any trade. There is probably a 50-50 chance the Sox will trade their slugging left fielder. They are not deviating from their position of asking for fair value in return, and teams have been offering better talent than in previous years.
The Dodgers, because of their wealth of appealing young talent -- outfielder Matt Kemp, first baseman James Loney, third baseman Andy LaRoche, reliever Jonathan Broxton -- and their paucity of power are becoming a popular choice among industry speculators as a Ramírez landing spot. But their position is still somewhere on the periphery, as they weigh whether they want to part with their kids. There were strong indications yesterday, however, that the Sox would pay at least a portion of Ramírez's salary.
