Boston Red Sox Trade Speculation: 5 Reasons Sox Should Get Hanley Ramirez Back

The Boston Red Sox are the best team in the American League. Their offense is the best in the league in practically every category but home runs (they are third). So why would they trade for Florida Marlins star Hanley Ramirez?

Because they haven't had a reliable presence at shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra's departure in 2004.

Ramirez was the a top Red Sox prospect at the time and was expected to be Nomar's permanent replacement.

Not so fast.

After Boston's awful loss to the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 playoffs, they decided to shoot for the moon. The Red Sox traded Hanley and three other quality prospects to the Florida Marlins for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota.

In one of those "once in a million" situations, the trade worked out spectacularly for both squads.

The Red Sox went on to win the 2007 World Series, with Mike Lowell being named Series MVP, while the Marlins got their franchise player.

Ramirez has been an absolute machine since he joined the Marlins. In just five-and-a-half seasons, the Dominican Republic native has over 1,000 hits, 134 of which are homers, stolen 213 bases and batted .307.

Stunning numbers for a shortstop who is only 27 years old.

Hanley has had some trouble with management though, including many instances where he is accused of being lazy ("Hanley Ramirez Dogging It" has almost 15,000 results on Google!).

Ramirez has been heating up in July, to the tune of five homers, four steals and an average hovering around .320.

With the Florida Marlins struggling to keep up in the fierce National League East, this may be the best time for the Red Sox to retrieve their once super-prospect, Hanley Ramirez.

Here are five reasons why they should.

5. Hanley Ramirez Won't "Dog It" Once He Is in a Winning Atmosphere Like Boston

Boston is a place of champions, and the Boston Red Sox have proven that over the last decade with two World Series victories.

Hanley Ramirez, no matter how many personal accolades he receives, will be remembered as nothing more than a talented shortstop if he retires without winning a World Series. Just ask the guy he was expected to replace, Nomar Garciaparra.

Trust me, Hanley won't be walking around like he owns the place when he joins a clubhouse that includes Boston legends like David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield.

Not to mention the ridiculous amount of superstars like Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon.

As you can see, that is quite the list.

Much like Corey Dillon joining the New England Patriots in 2004, Hanley will do what he is told and he will do it well. In fact, Dillon had his best season ever in 2004 (and won his only Super Bowl ring), despite playing in only 15 games.

Hanley would likely do the same.

Hitting in an All-Star lineup would do wonders for the young shortstop. Also, he could learn a thing or two about plate discipline, his biggest weakness, from some of the best in the MLB today.

The Red Sox won't accept a lackluster effort, and Hanley will play accordingly.

4. Hanley Could Solve the Never Ending Revolving Door at Shortstop

Since Nomar Garciaparra's departure in 2004, the Boston Red Sox have housed a number of shortstops. To say that Hanley Ramirez would be the first legitimately good hitter of the bunch would be the understatement of the decade.

Here is a rundown of the Red Sox' majority (started the most games that year) shortstops since 2004:

2005: Edgar Renteria—Two words, monumental bust.

2006: Alex Gonzalez—A good fielder, a decent hitter, but ultimately, nothing special.

2007: Julio Lugo—"We got all excited for THIS?" -Every Red Sox fan at the time.

2008: Julio Lugo—Better, but still underwhelming.

2009: Nick Green—Folks, we have reached rock bottom.

2010: Marco Scutaro—Surprisingly good, but nothing you would write home about.

So there you have it. One of the worst lists you will ever see.

This year, Jed Lowrie went on a tear, and we thought the problem was gone. Wrong. Lowrie has gotten injured for what seems like the billionth time in his career, and now the Sox are stuck playing the astonishingly mediocre Marco Scutaro once again.

To rehash, the Red Sox haven't had a player with even a decent year (aside from Scutaro's OK 2010) at shortstop since 2004.

Trade for Hanley, and all of those problems will go away for a long time. At only 27, the ridiculously talented Ramirez could become a fan favorite and staple in Red Sox history.

Much like the man he was supposed to replace, Nomar Garciaparra.

3. The Boston Red Sox Have a Lot to Offer the Florida Marlins

The Boston Red Sox, despite giving away many prized assets in the deal for Adrian Gonzalez, still have plenty of talented pieces available for trade to the Florida Marlins.

According to soxprospects.com, Boston has four top-notch prospects available: 3B, Will Middlebrooks; OF, Ryan Kalish; SP, Anthony Ranaudo; SS, Jose Iglesias.

Considering the fact that the Sox are trading for a shortstop, it only makes sense that Iglesias is part of the deal. Kalish would also probably be a big piece, especially because Florida's starting center fielder right now is none other than the immortal Mike Cameron.

Yes, the same Mike Cameron the Red Sox released last month.

So, that is two top prospects. I am going to assume that the Red Sox will do all they can to hang on to Ranaudo, considering their current pitching situation. He could be called upon as early as this September if no moves are made.

But, if Florida asks for a pitcher, and they refuse to take seventh-rated Kyle Weiland, the Red Sox would have to part with Ranaudo. This is where things get tricky.

As of now, we have two top tier prospects in the deal, and possibly a third. If the Marlins choose, could they also pluck an MLB-ready player like Josh Reddick? Reddick has been on a tear since June, hitting .340, with three homers, 21 runs and 18 runs batted in (just 100 at-bats).

If the Sox can get a deal done that doesn't include Reddick or Ranaudo, I think it's an easy decision. If one or both are included, well, I will have to leave that one up to the bright mind of GM Theo Epstein.

2. The Boston Red Sox Offense Would Be Totally Unstoppable With Hanley Ramirez

I mean, seriously. Look at the four guys in that picture. Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis. And the Boston Red Sox have a chance to add Hanley Ramirez to that group?

That's just not fair.

Assuming the Sox don't trade Reddick in the deal, this is what the lineup would look like:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF: 16 HR, 28 SB, .321 AVG (fringe AL MVP candidate), one-time All-Star

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B: 13 HR, 20 SB, .304 AVG, 3x All-Star, one-time AL MVP

3. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B: 17 HR, 84 RBI, .348 AVG (AL MVP candidate), four-time All-Star

4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B: 14 HR, 72 RBI, .279 AVG, three-time All-Star

5. David Ortiz, DH: 19 HR, 64 RBI, .306 AVG, seven-time All-Star

6. Hanley Ramirez, SS: 10 HR, 18 SB, .245 AVG, three-time All-Star, NL ROY (06')

7. Carl Crawford, LF:  6 HR, 11 SB, .248 AVG, four-time All-Star

8. Josh Reddick, RF: 4 HR, 21 RBI, .362 AVG

9. Jarod Saltalamacchia, C: 8 HR, 31 RBI, .256 AVG

Is that a joke? Is that lineup real, or is this MLB 2K11? That's what it could be if the Red Sox pull the trigger on the blockbuster deal.

Now tell me. How do you pitch to that lineup? There is a perfect righty-lefty alignment until Reddick bats (he and Crawford are both lefties), and there is a staggering amount of power and hitting ability in the Nos. 1 through 7 spots.

So before you tell me why the Red Sox shouldn't blow up the farm system, take a look at this lineup and ask yourself, could they be stopped? Could they be the greatest lineup of all-time? Would pitchers rather gouge their own eyes out with a fork than face this group of hitters?

The answers: No, Yes, Yes

1. The Boston Red Sox Have a Chance to Win a World Series, They Should Take It

David Ortiz brought his goggles to the champagne bath this time around. After being a member of the Boston Red Sox's magical World Series Championship team of 2004, Ortiz realized that you can't come to a World Series clincher unprepared.

He also realized just how hard it is to reach the mountaintops again.

You hear it all the time, "Winning one ring is easy. It's the second one that eludes most teams." And that is the truth.

Teams get complacent. Superstars get complacent. The team wins a championship, and all of the sudden, everyone on the team decides that they are worth more than they are being paid.

That's why guys like Michael Jordan and Bill Russell are so revered.

That's why Tom Brady's favorite line is, "My favorite ring is the next one."

You need to never be satisfied. You need to have all the pieces working, and you need to stay healthy.

Well, right now, the Red Sox are firing on almost all cylinders.

The hitting has been mostly fantastic, and the pitching has been very good but not great. Having a decent starting pitcher outside of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz would be nice, and the Sox are on the prowl at the MLB trade deadline for that fourth starter.

But, if a couple of guys are acquired at this trade deadline, the Red Sox would be as close to a perfect team as they could be.

Adding Hanley Ramirez would make their offense perfect. Adding Ubaldo Jimenez would make their starting pitching perfect. Adding Grant Balfour would make their bullpen bulletproof.

The question is, do the Red Sox want to risk the future in order to ensure their contention for a World Series this season?

The answer should be yes. Teams only get so many chances to win a World Series. Right now, the Red Sox have a chance to win it. If they add Hanley Ramirez?

Their chances increase dramatically, and that is about all that matters in the end.

Winning championships.

What do you think? Am I crazy? Could this deal actually happen or is it all fantasy? Should the Red Sox blow up the farm?

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!