Manny Drama

Elusive Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez opened up to the Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford, implying dishonesty by team management:

"I want to know what’s my situation.  I want no more (expletive) where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing. I think I’ve earned that respect, for a team to sit down with me and tell me this is what we want, this is what we want to do."

Ramirez would like to sit down with Red Sox brass after the season and discuss his $20MM club option for ’09 (and perhaps the ’10 option as well).

Team owner John Henry took exception to Manny’s implication, replying:

"I find remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive."

Ramirez is hitting .293/.389/.518, almost identical to last year.  But he played in 133 games in ’07 and is on pace to play 150 this year.  The little public spat through the Boston Herald really doesn’t change the situation – it’s still a close call for the Red Sox.  By the way, Buster Olney’s heard rumblings that Ramirez has changed agents again, from Scott Boras to Legacy Sports Group.