The Yankees and the Hanley Ramirez Precedent

The most surprising thing to happen in baseball on Friday wasn’t Gleyber Torres hitting another historic home run, although that was more than welcome. It was the Boston Red Sox shedding the last major contract of their 2014 spending spree and designating Hanley Ramirez for assignment. Ramirez struggled mightily in Boston, being a below-average hitter in three of his four seasons with the Red Sox. With an annual salary of $22 million, and taking up a valuable roster spot, Boston brass decided it was time for him to go. The move freed up one of those roster spots, but will leave the Red Sox on the hook for just over $15 million this year in “dead money�. They’ll add that to a ledger that already