Fansided

The 10 biggest what-if MLB trades that never happened since 2000

By Steve Zavala

NEW YORK - APRIL 18: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees looks on against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium on April 18, 2010 in the Bronx borough of Manhattan. The Yankees defeated the Rangers 5 - 2. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - APRIL 18: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees looks on against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium on April 18, 2010 in the Bronx borough of Manhattan. The Yankees defeated the Rangers 5 - 2. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT – MAY 6: Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan on May 6, 2008. The Red Sox defeated the Tigers 5-0. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
DETROIT – MAY 6: Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan on May 6, 2008. The Red Sox defeated the Tigers 5-0. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

MLB what-if No. 9: 2008 — Manny Ramirez to the Florida Marlins

Even after helping lead the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years, Manny Ramirez was seemingly always coming up in trade rumors.

Following the 2004 World Series, Ramirez was rumored to join the New York Mets in a blockbuster deal. The Mets offered up a multitude of different trade scenarios — including adding Cliff Floyd into the deal — but the Red Sox never budged and decided to keep him.

In the following seasons, Ramirez’s name occasionally continued to come up in trade rumors, including in 2008. Trade speculation turned into a daily talking point in Boston sports media heading into the trade deadline. By this point, Ramirez simply had enough with the team.

“The Red Sox don’t deserve a player like me,” Ramirez said in 2008. “During my years here, I’ve seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn’t want them to try to turn the fans against them.”

The Florida Marlins were among the teams aggressively pursuing Ramirez. Among the names considered in the deal was Giancarlo Stanton, who was just in his second season in the Marlins’ farm system. Talks did not go very far between the two clubs and the Red Sox wound up sending Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team deal that also included the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ramirez immediately became a fan favorite within the Dodgers organization; he hit .322 in 223 games with the team and led them to back-to-back NLCS appearances. He was even coined the term “Mannywood” for his grand popularity and success in LA.

On the other hand, Stanton in Boston would have been a sight to see. Six years after Boston completed the trade, Stanton touched on his sheer shock when he heard his name in trade discussions between Boston and Florida.

“I actually didn’t understand the business side of it as much — or pretty much at all — at that point so I was like, ‘Wait a minute, me for Manny Ramirez? This makes no sense. That can’t be even close to true,’” Stanton said in 2014. “As I grew up and got older, I understood how it works a little better and understood that was a possibility.”

A lineup featuring Stanton and David Ortiz would have been worth the price of admission alone.

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