Ortiz: Manny 'not returning to Boston'

11/22/2005
BOSTON -- There have been so many times that Manny Ramirez has asked the Red Sox to trade him, it has at times resembled the legendary fable, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." However, this time around, David Ortiz, Ramirez's fellow basher in the Boston lineup, is pretty sure that his close friend means business.
Ortiz, in a press conference on Monday in his native Dominican Republic, seemed resigned to the fact that he will no longer have perennial All-Star Ramirez hitting behind him in the middle of the Red Sox lineup.
"Manny is not returning to Boston," Ortiz told The Associated Press. "Manny lives a difficult situation that only he and his family know about, and he does not want to play there."
Ramirez has grown increasingly weary of the rabid environment that comes with playing in Boston, where baseball stars are worshipped and often given little privacy.
When Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino acknowledged Ramirez's latest trade request at the General Manager's Meetings two weeks ago, he indicated that the left fielder had far more issues with Boston as a city than he did with the Red Sox as an organization.
At that time, Lucchino said the club was taking Ramirez's latest request very seriously.
Because Ramirez is a 10-5 man (10 years in the league, five with the same team), he would have to approve any trade he was involved in. Ramirez is owed a total of $57 million over the next three seasons, which could make moving him an even more complicated scenario.
"There needs to be some give and take, or some exchange of preferences and places," Lucchino said on Nov. 9. "So, obviously we have to work together, and we told him we would be willing to explore that. He needs to give us some guidance. He has expressed from time to time a desire to explore this and we're going to in good faith actively explore it."
Ramirez has made it known through friends and associates that his top preference would be to play on the West Coast.
"I spoke with him last week before he left for Brazil and he told me that he wants to go to a team in the West," Ortiz said.
However, according to numerous reports over the last couple of weeks, Ramirez's most active suitor just might be the New York Mets, as general manager Omar Minaya is said to have a sizable desire for Ramirez's lethal bat.
It is unclear if Ramirez would approve a trade to the Mets, where he would be reunited with former Sox teammate Pedro Martinez. Back in July, the Red Sox and Mets spent several days leading up to the trade deadline discussing a deal for Ramirez, but Boston decided to hang on to him at that time.
There's still a chance the Red Sox might not find a fit for Ramirez and he could wind up reporting to Fort Myers, Fla. with the rest of the team in February.
"We'll explore it," Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said earlier this month. "I wouldn't be surprised if we conclude that it's best for the Boston Red Sox to retain his services. We are sensitive to his desires, but we'll end up doing what we think is in the best interest of the club."
Still, Ortiz painted a far different picture.
"I found out that they are doing whatever is possible to trade him," Ortiz said.
The last two years, Ortiz and Ramirez have put up epic numbers, making the Red Sox the team that most opposing pitchers in the American League least like to face.
In 2005, Ramirez clocked 45 homers while producing 144 RBIs. Ortiz, who finished second in the American League MVP race, belted 47 homers and drove in 148 runs.
One thing that might slow the Red Sox in their attempt to move Ramirez is that they don't have a general manager. Lucchino is hoping to have Theo Epstein's successor in place by the start of the Winter Meetings on Dec. 5.

Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/