On Wednesday in the early morning, the Miami Marlins sent Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate to the Los Angeles Dodgers continuing their role as sellers. Ramirez who had been a disappointment on and off the field the last two seasons dramatically lowered his value. With $38.5 million owed to the former All-Star, Miami was unable to get much of a return in the deal but was able to unload the entire contract. Coming back to Miami will be Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough — a pair of pitchers.
It appears that the last straw with Ramirez was his recent hand injury. After he punched a cooling fan and then failed to take his antibiotics, Ramirez was forced to sit on the bench idle as Miami lost several meaningful games. Reports started to come in that Ozzie Guillen was tired of him, and that Jeffrey Loria wanted him gone. This episode came after poor production on the field for a second straight season. It was just back in 2009 when Ramirez hit .342 to win the NL Batting Title but it seems longer than that. The Marlins discussed Ramirez with several teams but with the Dodgers willing to pay the entire remainder of the contract, they became the frontrunners for Ramirez’s services.
Choate has been a very dependable reliever for Miami, retiring left handed hitters at an almost automatic pace. In a deal like this, it’s easy to overlook his inclusion but the fact remains that his arm will be missed in the Marlins’ bullpen. Since Miami has given up on their 2012 playoff aspirations, it made sense to trade Choate who was due to become a free agent. The hope for Miami was a better return but with the Dodgers’ paying Ramirez’s salary — it became necessary to include Choate in the trade.
Eovaldi is in his second season in the big leagues and thus far has done a decent job in the Dodgers’ starting rotation. At only 22 years old, it’s possible that Eovaldi will continue to progress but as of now he would have to be looked at as a poor centerpiece return. McGough, a reliever is currently in Single-A and is also 22. A fifth round pick in 2011, McGough thus far had not done enough to warrant a promotion to AA in the Dodgers’ organization. It is unclear as of yet what level he will be assigned to for the Marlins.
About Larry Walansky
