Fansided

Each MLB team’s biggest X-factor

By Joshua Sadlock

TEMPE, AZ - FEBRUARY 24: Shohei Ohtani
TEMPE, AZ - FEBRUARY 24: Shohei Ohtani /
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FT. MYERS, FL – MARCH 3: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a game against the New York Yankees on March 3, 2018 at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida . (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
FT. MYERS, FL – MARCH 3: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a game against the New York Yankees on March 3, 2018 at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida . (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Boston Red Sox: Hanley Ramirez

The most mercurial hitter in baseball, Hanley Ramirez, still has a job with the Boston Red Sox — for now. The addition of J.D. Martinez will push Ramirez back out into the field, where he will split time with Mitch Moreland. At his best, the 34-year-old does not need to be part of a platoon, but if his production does not tick back up, Ramirez may only hit against lefties.

Through three years of his four-year, $85-million deal with the Red Sox, Ramirez has hit only .260/.328/.456 with 72 home runs and 226 RBI. He posted an OPS+ over 100 in the 2016 season and ripped 30 home runs with 111 RBI. Ramirez was below average in the other two years he has spent in Boston, and also battled injuries on and off.

Ramirez has the Red Sox over a barrel this year. If he stays healthy and gets full-time at-bats the entire year, his vesting option for 2019 will trigger. As much as Boston would like to have another productive hitter in a lineup that struggled to hit for power last year, paying another $22 million to Ramirez in his age-35 season is the last thing the team wants to do.

In his entire 13-year career, Ramirez has never been a part-time player, and it is impossible to predict how he will react if demoted into a platoon with Moreland. Ramirez is scuffling so far in Spring Training but still has time to figure it out. Ultimately, it is best for the Red Sox to have a happy and productive Hanley for the entire season, while dealing with his vesting option later.

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