Buster Olney is reporting that, with the BoSox on the verge of signing J.D. Drew to a multi-year deal, Manny Ramirez trade talk has intensified, and a deal could be done by this weekend:
Executives with other teams say that in order to move Ramirez, Boston will have to come to grips with the idea that they will not get back major league talent equal to that of Ramirez; rather, they might have to settle for a deal much like the Gary Sheffield trade the Yankees made early in November, when they got three pitching prospects from Detroit. There are indications now that Boston's trade demands for Ramirez are dropping, to facilitate a deal. "They seem motivated to move him," said an AL official.
Olney lists the Padres, Dodgers, Giants, and Rangers as teams that have been involved in the discussions, although he also says that the BoSox have wanted Michael Young to be included in a Manny deal, which doesn't seem too likely.
Working in the Rangers' favor is the fact that Manny is a 10/5 guy, and thus can veto any trade...he supposedly wants to stay in the A.L., and playing in a park like TBIA, with a manager like Ron Washington, would seem to have some appeal to him.
If I'm Jon Daniels, I'd give the BoSox Joaquin Arias, either Edinson Volquez or Thomas Diamond, and their choice of any of the Rangers' young bullpen arms (Littleton, Feldman, Loe, Francisco, Wilson, Masset, Benoit, Rheinecker, Koronka), or Arias, Akinori Otsuka, and a non-HDVD pitching prospect -- Daniel Haigwood or someone like that -- for Manny.