Hanley Ramirez

According to a major league source, the Red Sox did have some conversations in recent days with the Marlins about acquiring infielder Hanley Ramirez, but the team’s interest was chiefly in the possibility of shipping the 28-year-old elsewhere in order to address areas of need.

The Sox did feel that the former NL batting champion, Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up could benefit from a change of scenery. However, given that Ramirez is no longer viewed as a viable defensive shortstop and that the Sox have committed to Will Middlebrooks at third base, the one-time Sox prospect (traded in 2005 as the centerpiece of the package that netted Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell) represented what the source deemed an “awkward fit” for the Red Sox right now, thus limiting their interest in him to the possibility of acquiring him and sending him elsewhere.

Ramirez is hitting .246 with a .322 OBP, a .430 slugging mark, a .752 OPS, 14 homers and 14 steals this season. There have been concerns about his effort level and commitment, with suggestions that his mediocre performance has been a reflection of some of the same attitude concerns that have trailed Ramirez since he was a teenager in the Red Sox system.

The Marlins reportedly shipped him (and the remainder of the roughly $37 million he’s owed on his six-year, $70 million deal) and left-hander Randy Choate early on Wednesday morning to the Dodgers for Nathan Eovaldi and minor leaguer Scott McGough.

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