Marlins Trade Struggling Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers

After much speculation, sources say that the Miami Marlins have consummated a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers sending Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate away for pitcher Nathan Eovaldi as well as pitching prospect Scott McGough.

Ramirez, the former batting champion and MVP Candidate, was  considered among the best players in baseball.

He has served as a distinct symbol for the Marlin’s failures this season as the club according to Ozzie Guillen was “Hanley’s team.” Having an obvious and distinct failure to adjust to pitching, Ramirez has declined offensively over the course of the past three seasons. Despite being viewed as “a son” by owner Jeffrey Loria, the straw that broke the camel’s back most recently was him missing games after cutting his hand after punching a fan out of frustration and later forgetting to take his antibiotics. These antics perfectly reflect Hanley’s recent struggles with the Marlins. Having obvious talent, his undoing has been his mental approach to the game. Being easily frustrated, Ramirez’s actions have undermined his teammates and his own organization. As Manager Ozzie Guillen has said, “good hitters don’t do that. Good hitters battle back and try to get better.” While once the face of the franchise, among the best in the game, it is obvious that Hanley is not a good player right now.

However, Hanley still has potential to regain his form and be a solid player again. It can be argued that Ramirez needed a change of scenery. Los Angeles, under the winning culture of Magic Johnson’s ownership group and Don Mattingly’s leadership, may provide the necessary environment for Hanley to regain his form. The Dodgers will pay the entire sum remaining on Hanley’s contract totaling 37.3 million dollars for the conclusion of this season, 2013 and 2014.

Despite declining in value for years the, the Marlins sold Hanley for less than an equal return when considering just the talent going to Miami. When trading the former face of the franchise it is essential to acquire impact talent in return. It remains to be seen whether this was accomplished in this deal. E0valdi, ranked by Baseball America as the 96th ranked overall prospect in all of baseball was 1-6 this year with a 4.15 ERA. According to scouts, Eovaldi has an excellent frame yet possesses a 94 mile per hour fastball without movement and needs refinement on his off speed pitches. He is expected to start Saturday and may be a long-term presence in the rotation. McGough has primarily served as a reliever in Single A. It seems that Miami, despite the presence of the revenue laden Marlins Park, chose salary relief instead of top value in exchange for their face of the franchise Hanley Ramirez.