Boston continues to try to trade Ramirez, who asks out of the starting lineup again

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 31, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Even as the Red Sox continued to attempt to deal him elsewhere, slugger Manny Ramirez continued his enigmatic behavior last night.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Ramirez told manager Terry Francona 30 minutes before gametime that he wasn't going to play, only to return 20 minutes later with a change of heart, offering to once again be put in the lineup.

By then, however, the Red Sox manager wasn't about to accommodate him and stuck with a lineup that was without Ramirez. Kevin Millar took over in left field for the night, with John Olerud inserted at first base.

Last night marked the second time in the last four days that Ramirez declined to be in the lineup. Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., he rejected the Red Sox' request to forego a scheduled day off Wednesday, with the Sox playing short a position player after Trot Nixon went down with a strained oblique muscle.

Though his name was on the Red Sox' lineup card at 3:30 yesterday afternoon,

Ramirez was not seen in the clubhouse. He walked into the manager's office at 6:30 to tell Francona he wasn't going to play. After Francona made out a different lineup, Ramirez re-entered the office 20 minutes later and said he had decided to play after all. He was then told, in no uncertain terms, that he would not be in the lineup.

After the Sox' 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins, Francona presented a different version of his meeting with Ramirez.

"I visited with him and told him that I think, in not just his best interest, but our ballclub's best interest, that he sit, clear his head, take a few deep breaths," said the manager. "[We'll sit him last night and today] and have an off-day [tomorrow] and he agreed.

"I think he was very receptive to it. He felt good."

Meanwhile, the Sox continued to field offers for Ramirez, though a much-discussed, three-way deal with the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Devil Rays was officially off the table. In addition, a source who had talked with the Red Sox after Ramirez withdrew himself from the lineup indicated there was "very little chance" he would be dealt by this afternoon's 4 p.m. non-waiver trading deadline.

The Mets, still intent on landing the mercurial slugger, continued their pursuit of Ramirez directly with the Sox.

"I think the best chance this has of happening is [strictly] between the two teams," said a baseball official with knowledge of the discussions. "If it's going to get done at all, it will get done without Tampa's involvement."

Toward that end, the Mets offered outfielder Mike Cameron and top outfield prospect Lastings Milledge. The Sox told the Mets the offer wasn't adequate, though the clubs expected to continue talking.

Should a deal take place between the two, a source indicated, the Mets are willing to pay about $42 million of the $57 million Ramirez is due for the next three seasons. It's unclear how the teams would split the $7 million due Ramirez for the final two months of this season.

Late Friday night, the three-way deal fell apart after the Mets refused to include Milledge, their best prospect, in the swap. The Sox had agreed to part with Hanley Ramirez -- who would have landed with Tampa Bay -- only if they got Milledge in return.

Yesterday morning, one baseball official said, the Mets reluctantly agreed to part with Milledge. Boston then had thoughts of spinning Milledge and a pitching prospect off to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder/first baseman Adam Dunn.

But the three-way deal collapsed when the Devil Rays balked at not getting Milledge for themselves, leaving the Red Sox and Mets to attempt to salvage the trade on their own.

The Sox had also fielded a number of offers from other clubs for Ramirez, discussing a deal with the Texas Rangers for second baseman Alfonso Soriano and first base prospect Adrian Gonzalez.

They briefly talked to the Florida Marlins to see if it was possible to send Ramirez to the Marlins for starter A.J. Burnett, only to have the Marlins again insist that third baseman Mike Lowell be part any trade.