Latest news with #MannyRamirez
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giancarlo Stanton nearly traded to Red Sox, per former Boston exec
The post Giancarlo Stanton nearly traded to Red Sox, per former Boston exec appeared first on ClutchPoints. Sometimes it's fun to look back and see what could have been. That was something ESPN recently did in a column featuring current and former executives sharing inside stories about what it's like working in the front office. One portion of the column revealed that former Boston Red Sox executive Jed Hoyer revealed the team nearly traded for star slugger Giancarlo Stanton well before he went to the New York Yankees. Advertisement In the column written by Jesse Rodgers of ESPN, Hoyer describes how the Red Sox had a disgruntled Manny Ramirez seeking a trade. A deal involving Giancarlo Stanton never came to fruition, but it sounds like Boston was in talks with the Miami Marlins to possibly land the 2017 NL MVP in what would have been a three-team trade. 'Manny was really disgruntled about his contract,' Hoyer said. 'He had two club options with no buyouts. He was forcing his way out. We felt like we had to do the deal…It looked like it was never going to get done. It was a last-second three-team deal. That was the most confusing one because there were so many cooks in the kitchen. At one point, the Marlins were involved with a young [Giancarlo] Stanton.' Instead, the Red Sox ended up making a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates before the deadline that season. Boston acquired outfielder Jason Bay while sending Rameriez to L.A. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was given four prospects in the deal. Giancarlo Stanton remained with the Marlins until he was eventually traded to the Yankees after the 2017 season. And that is where Stanton remains today. New York is currently tied for second place in the AL East, while Boston is in fourth. Giancarlo Stanton just recently came back from injury after dealing with tendinitis in both elbows. Through 54 at-bats so far this season, Stanton owns a .222 batting average and .323 OBP while recording 12 hits, one home run, and seven RBIs. Related: Roman Anthony swats 1st Fenway Park home run Related: Red Sox's Roman Anthony hits career milestone with Fenway Park homer
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
By the numbers: Anatomy of the Guardians' 10-game losing streak
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians have lost 10 consecutive games. If you're the type of person who can't look away when driving past a car crash, this article might be for you. Let's dive into the numbers stemming from this rancid funk. That's the team's OPS, which ranks 28th in the majors, ahead of only the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. As a team, the Guardians own a .224/.295/.361 slash line. Advertisement (In case you were wondering and, no, you're probably not and, yes, the run environments were completely different and, yes, this is the furthest thing from a fair comparison, but: The 1995 Cleveland Indians had a team slash line of .291/.361/.479. That team, of course, had Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez hitting sixth and seventh. This team has Johnathan Rodriguez and Will Wilson doing so.) Anyway, Cleveland's .656 OPS is the worst the team has mustered since 1972. If we use wRC+, which takes into account the league's run environment, the 2025 Guardians check in at 86 (or 14 percent below league average). In the last 50 years, the only season in which Cleveland has had a worse team wRC+ is 1991, when it was 85. That year, the team moved the fences back at Municipal Stadium, scored the fewest runs in baseball and racked up a league-high and franchise-record 105 losses. Sandy Alomar Jr. referred to the cavernous venue that year as 'a graveyard.' The club hit a grand total of 22 home runs in 82 home dates. Again, this is the company the 2025 team is keeping. Hey, at least two members of this team's starting lineup are All-Stars. What about the rest of the lineup? If we remove Steven Kwan and José Ramírez from the equation, here's the team's slash line: .202/.276/.334. That's a .610 OPS. The qualified hitter with the OPS closest to .610 this season is Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (.606). That ranks 150th out of 157 qualified hitters. In other words, the average hitter the Guardians are trotting out there — aside from Kwan and Ramírez, so seven out of nine spots in their order — is equal to the eighth-worst hitter in the league. 'Anytime we're in a big spot, Kwan and José, those are our guys,' said manager Stephen Vogt. 'There's no secret there. It's a lot of pressure on them a lot of times, but they step up and they rise to the occasion and they pick the boys up.' Advertisement That's the total number of runs the Guardians have scored during their skid. Six of those runs — 40 percent — came in one inning, nine days ago against the St. Louis Cardinals, when it seemed like the Guardians were releasing a whole bunch of pent-up frustration at the plate en route to salvaging their season. Not quite. They have been shut out in half of those 10 defeats. On Thursday, they allowed one run on three hits in 10 innings against the Chicago Cubs. They lost. On Friday, they allowed two runs on seven hits against the Detroit Tigers. They lost. On Saturday, they allowed one run on two hits against the Tigers. They lost. On Sunday, they allowed one run on one hit through nine innings against the Tigers. They lost. (This is like the opposite of the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.) This streak has stretched 92 innings. The Guardians have scored in only eight of those 92. That number was 7-of-91 before they scored in the bottom of the 10th on Sunday, on a groundout and sacrifice fly, while trailing by six, thanks to the free baserunner rule. That's the number of regular-season home runs Cade Smith had allowed in 112 big-league appearances … until Sunday, when he surrendered a pair of opposite-field home runs that left-handed hitters socked over the 19-foot-high fence at Progressive Field. The only other player to take him deep during the regular season? Seattle Mariners utility player Dylan Moore, in June 2024. Smith looked untouchable on Saturday night when he averaged 98.6 mph on 13 fastballs and induced four whiffs on six swings. The velocity was up again Sunday (97.7 mph), but he didn't miss bats with his heater. Before that outing Sunday, Smith's numbers looked pretty similar to his ones from last season. 2024: 1.91 ERA, 1.40 FIP, 6.1 H/9, 2.0 BB/9, 12.3 K/9 2025: 2.23 ERA, 1.19 FIP, 6.7 H/9, 3.2 BB/9, 14.1 K/9 Advertisement Despite that rough outing, the pitching has not been a problem for Cleveland in recent weeks. Even with Luis Ortiz's, uh, vacation, the rotation has trended upward. Every Cleveland pitcher must feel the weight of 1,000 woolly mammoths when attempting to keep the score close. That's the number of consecutive games in which Chase DeLauter has reached base at Triple-A Columbus. It's become a meme at this point. This is a front office that has salivated over DeLauter's bat since spring 2024 when he wowed them so much that they kept him around until the very end of big-league camp. This is an offense that desperately needs a jolt. This seems like a perfect marriage. And yet, the Guardians have refused to deviate from their original plan for DeLauter once he suffered an injury four months ago. So, he continues to log at-bats in the minors and increase his endurance (which he could do in the majors, too) as the Guardians continue to try the same players in the same, futile spots. Surely, one prized prospect can't transform a wholly ineffective lineup, but refusing to promote him is like declining a snack because it would only partially quell your rumbling stomach. That's the number of years since Cleveland has suffered a losing streak of this length. It's the 12th double-digit losing streak in team history, the fifth in the last half-century. The franchise record is 12 consecutive losses, set in May 1931. That team finished with a winning record (78-76). In 2012, Cleveland dropped 11 straight, starting in late July, which launched the Month From Hell, in which the club amassed an August record of 5-24. That 2012 losing streak reached nine on a 10-inning Sunday matinee against the Tigers (sound familiar?) when Chris Perez failed to protect a three-run lead and Miguel Cabrera slugged a walk-off homer. That season was rock bottom for the club. It cost manager Manny Acta his job. It resulted in the hiring of Terry Francona and the overhauling of how the organization operates. Will this precipitous fall bring any change?
Washington Post
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
James Wood becomes first since Barry Bonds to be intentionally walked 4 times in a game
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Washington slugger James Wood became the first major leaguer since Barry Bonds to be intentionally walked four times in a game in the Nationals' 7-4, 11-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Bonds was intentionally walked four times in four different games in 2004. The only other players since at least 1955 to be intentionally walked four times in a game are Wood, Roger Maris, Garry Templeton, Manny Ramirez and Andre Dawson — who drew five intentional passes for the Chicago Cubs against Cincinnati on May 22, 1990.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former $41 Million All-Star Rips Ronald Acuña Jr. After Home Run Celebration
Former $41 Million All-Star Rips Ronald Acuña Jr. After Home Run Celebration originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Longtime MLB first baseman Sean Casey found himself in quite the conundrum watching Monday's Atlanta Braves-New York Mets game. Advertisement On the one hand, Casey knows—and fully admits—that Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. remains one of the league's premier players. However, Casey isn't always a fan of Acuña's home run celebrations, his latest being him mimicking throwing a grenade at the Mets' dugout. In the end, Casey made his choice, publicly advising Acuña to learn from another MVP. "I look at Aaron Judge ... when he hits them, it looks like he's been there before," Casey said on "The Mayor's Office." Acuña has frequently expressed himself following homers since his 2018 debut, and it caused a stir in his early years; then-Miami Marlins pitcher José Ureña incited a bases-clearing brawl after plunking Acuña in 2018. Advertisement The Citi Field crowd applauded Mets reliever José Buttó when he threw up-and-in to Acuña on Monday night. Casey then seemingly contradicted himself, saying he had "no problem" with Acuña celebrating the home run with a "Latino flare." It's also worth noting that Casey played alongside Ken Griffey Jr. on the Cincinnati Reds and Manny Ramírez on the Boston Red Sox. Both often flashed their personality, with Ramírez sometimes holding both arms up after smashing home runs. Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images "I think the standard is still the standard as far as, like, acting like you've been there before," Casey said. We wouldn't blame Acuña if he ignored Casey's feedback. The 2023 NL MVP entered Wednesday hitting .396 with nine homers, 16 RBI, and a stellar 1.213 OPS across 122 plate appearances. Advertisement Incredibly, Acuña already has compiled 2.2 bWAR in 28 games, and he's on pace to make the All-Star Game despite not debuting until May 23. Related: MLB Makes Major Ronald Acuña Jr. Announcement on Monday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Some Things I Think I Think: Time for Red Sox to look in the mirror
*It's been written (and said) before, but it bears repeating: there were no heroes in Red Sox vs. Rafael Devers, which was settled, once and for all, last weekend. Even now, a week removed, it remains mystifying how things disintegrated so quickly. It seems odd that two sides which only 30 months ago agreed to make Devers the highest-paid player in the history of the franchise could grow to, metaphorically speaking anyway, hate the sight of one another. Advertisement You may ask yourself, 'Well, how did I get here? indeed. From Devers' perspective, 'It's not my fault that players get hurt,' uttered weeks ago, stands as one of the most bizarre, self-involved remarks made by a modern athlete — and that covers a lot of ground. Sounds like a guy who'll really have your back in an athletic foxhole, huh? Sure, the communication was lousy and the Red Sox seem have approached this whole episode with the surgical precision of the Keystone Cops. But Devers is far from blameless here. That said, somebody needs to explain why the Red Sox have have habitually gone through these nasty, public divorces with their star players — many of them homegrown. Advertisement From Nomar Garciaparra to Pedro Martinez to Manny Ramirez to, now, Devers, it never seems to end well in Boston. And that can't always be the fault of the player, as difficult as some of the them were — Devers included. In their public comments after the trade, the Red Sox talked a great deal about culture and how important it was for the next generation of Red Sox stars experience the proper esprit de corps by the current star players. Fair enough. But what about the culture established by the ownership/upper management group? How come they're not setting the right tone? How could the same owners responsible for four titles have lost the trust of much of their fan base? And why do they mostly succeed only in alienating the people to whom they pay the most? How about that culture? Advertisement Something's got to change? The club famously brought in a company to perform an efficiency audit last year, resulting in some demotions and layoffs. It seems like another one could performed to solve the mystery: Why does this keep happening? And what can we do to fix it? *The Edmonton Oilers are in the market for an upgrade in goal after two straight unsuccessful trip to the Final. There's been some reporting that the Oilers called the Bruins to inquire about the availability of Jeremy Swayman. If they call again this summer, the Bruins have to listen more closely this time. It may seem counterintuitive to move Swayman just one year into an eight-year contract. But the Bruins must be open to anything and everything. Advertisement *David Ortiz's decision to go scorched earth on Devers is a curious one. Ortiz must really have felt ignored or disrespected for him to embark on this kind of revenge campaign. True, Ortiz remains on the Red Sox' payroll and it may simply have been good business for him to take the club's side when it comes to the dissolution of the relationship between player and the club. But this goes way beyond that. It's personal. *We're getting ahead of ourselves, since the postseason obviously revealed that there's still plenty of quality hockey ahead for Brad Marchand, but he's pretty much guaranteed himself induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame with his second Stanley Cup. *I can't recommend The Studio on Apple TV+ enough. Think of it as a mix between Robert Altman's The Player and Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm. Irreverent, profane and hilarious, it's both an indictment and love letter to Hollywood, and it will make you laugh endlessly. Advertisement *I'm going out on a limb and saying that the Shedeur Sanders Redemption Tour is off to something of a sluggish start. *I'm ashamed how long it took me to truly discover Paul Simon's Seven Psalms, now two years old. But seeing Simon live recently, he performed the entire suite before delivering a set of hits and deep cuts, and its brilliance really showed itself. *Terry Francona returns to Fenway next week, this time in the uniform of the Cincinnati Reds, whom he naturally has fighting for a wild card spot. Since Francona left the Red Sox in 2011, the Red Sox have won two additional championships and Francona none, but still, he's the big winner in all of this. Advertisement *Sounds like the Celtics have put out the word that they'll listen on anything and anybody, but don't feel compelled to make some blockbuster just for the sake of shaking things up. Which is as it should be. *Both baseball and journalism took a terrible hit Saturday with the passing of my friend Scott Miller. Miller didn't have an ounce of cynicism in him, and his writing was as welcoming and special as he was. If you'd want to read a good baseball book, buy a copy of Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will. You'll be doing yourself a favor and also supporting the project that Miller somehow managed to produce the last few years all the while conducting a brace battle with cancer. *It's true, you know: there's no trophy like the Stanley Cup, and it may well be the hardest to win. But on this, there can be no argument: the winning celebration tops any other in sports. From the phrase 'The Cup is in the building!' to the reverence that's shown when it's brought out onto the ice to be handed to the latest victor, it's a thrilling event that not even Gary Bettman can ruin. Advertisement *It has to concern the Yankees at least somewhat that, at any given moment, they remain capable of morphing into the team that dissolved in the fifth inning of Game 5of the World Series last October. *It's always a good week when I start a new S.A. Cosby book. His latest, King of Ashes, is as good as all of those that came before it — which is saying something. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
