Editorials

Hanley Ramirez Thanks Dodgers, Calls Mattingly ‘The Best’

Hanley Ramirez 3

When the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Hanley Ramirez in July of 2012, there was some uncertainty as to what player they would get as Ramirez wasn’t swinging the bat particularly well at the time.



There were rumblings Ramirez wasn’t pleased with moving to third base to accommodate the Miami Marlins’ signing of Jose Reyes, but coming to Los Angeles also meant moving back to shortstop.

Ramirez fit in well with the Dodgers over the next two and a half seasons and now having moved on to Boston, expressed his gratitude on his Facebook page for the time he spent with the Dodgers:

Thank you God for the blessing of allowing me to wear #Dodgerblue, where I learned how to be a winner, where I shared so many exciting and unforgettable moments with, and received so much love from my beloved #HanleyWood fans. Our 2 division championships in 2 years brought me some of the best times of my career, and I will be forever grateful for that. GRACIAS. @dodgers #donnieyourethebest

The Red Sox formally introduced Ramirez on Tuesday and he joins the team on a four-year, $88 million deal with intentions of playing left field. Ramirez’s contract includes a $22 million option for 2019 that will vest should he reach 1,050 plate appearances in 2018.

By making the qualifying offer to Ramirez, the Dodgers receive a draft pick from the Red Sox that gives them a selection between the first and second rounds. Initial reports indicated the Dodgers didn’t plan on re-signing Ramirez, though it was later added they hadn’t yet closed the door on that possibility.

How aggressive the Dodgers may have been in pursuing Ramirez is unclear, but it didn’t seem likely he would receive a similar long-term offer from them. Ramirez played in 278 games with the Dodgers and hit .299/.368/.506 with 43 home runs and 172 RBIs.

Staff Writer

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4 Comments

  1. bad move to trade kemp whats this friedman thinking,we wont have any power hitters in the line up.hes done norhing to improve the team,if nothing elsa hes making us a worse team than the padres he said he wanted to go with young players, I don’t call a 39 year old player young.might as well get ready for a bad season if kemp goes, hes not making any deals for any free agent pitchers. we need a catcher,starting pitcher,and a shortstop and bull pen help.seems like were going through a ned colleti type off season.

    1. Calm down, they won’t trade Kemp, he’s a potential MVP, they need to trade Ethier and/or Crawford, SVS needs more playing time. That 39 year old is going to be a nice addition to the bullpen. They only need a #5 SP, not an ace. I think AJ will dramatically improve next year if he stays healthy. Also, they have 3 months to fill the few small holes they have.

  2. Han Ram when healthy was great….trouble was he wasn’t healthy the whole time he was a Dodger..if he had been..he would still be a Dodger

  3. spring training has not even started, I would not worry to much about where the team is at this moment. 3 full months before Sprint Training….chill out.

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