MLB Trade Rumors: Hanley Ramirez Must Be Next to Go in Marlins' Trade Exodus

If the Miami Marlins are serious about trying to change the culture surrounding this franchise, Hanley Ramirez should be the next player shipped out of town. 

After the Marlins dealt Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to Detroit for Jacob Turner, Rob Brantly and Brian Flynn, Miami's president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest made strong comments about where the team is at right now.

Via the Miami Herald: “Let’s face it, the current group that was here was not winning. We’ve lost contact with the division. We’ve pretty much lost contact with the wild card. It was time to restructure.”

Restructuring means making big moves at the right time. Scott Miller of CBS Sports reports that Ramirez is one of the names the Marlins could be looking to move in order to get assets to turn things around sooner rather than later. 

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Rival executives who have spoken with Marlins people believe they've never been more open to the idea. Halfway through a bitterly disappointing season, the Marlins aren't so much trying to blow things up (as they have in the past) as they are simply trying to change the ingredients.

It's not that they think they're that far from winning so much as the Marlins simply do not like their team. They've decided that the mix is bad, the pieces don't fit, the personalities have not coalesced. 

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Going a step further, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that a new suitor is getting in on the Ramirez sweepstakes.

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The Oakland #Athletics,desperate for infield help,have jumped into trade talks for #Marlins Hanley Ramirez, joining #BlueJays and #RedSox.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 24, 2012"

Despite being an immensely talented player, Ramirez's performance since the start of the 2011 season has left a lot to be desired. He has never been a good defensive player, but his bat was so good that you could live with it. 

Now that Ramirez is not hitting—he has put up a .246/.322/.430 slash line in 349 at-bats this season—his defensive shortcomings have become more pronounced. 

Plus, there was the situation during the offseason with Jose Reyes being signed and Ramirez not wanting to move to third base. 

Ramirez is only 28 years old, is not that far removed from putting up MVP numbers on offense and is signed through 2014. Surely, someone out there is going to step up with an offer, even if the Marlins have to eat some of his contract. 

The Marlins are right to think they don't have a good mix, though it doesn't help matters that Giancarlo Stanton is hurt and Ramirez, Reyes and Logan Morrison are having bad years. 

I don't usually believe in addition by subtraction, but a deal moving Ramirez out of South Beach could be the best thing for the franchise and the player.

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