Jose Reyes

The Marlins initial offer to free agent shortstop Jose Reyes was a six-year, $90-million contract, according to FOXSports.com. Reyes is reportedly intrigued by playing in the warm weather in Miami, as well as playing for manager Ozzie Guillen.

Miami made the offer to Reyes last week, and also reportedly offered deals to three other free agents: first baseman Albert Pujols, pitcher Mark Buehrle and closer Ryan Madson.

But according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, Reyes is looking for a contract worth a minimum of $100 million and will not sign for anything less. Reyes batted .337 and stole 39 bases last season with the Mets. The shortstop has spent his entire nine-year career with New York.

If the Marlins are able to sign Reyes, Miami will have to decide how to deal with current shortstop Hanley Ramirez. The team may want to move him to a different position, like third base, but according to a tweet from the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer, Ramirez is not happy with the prospect of changing positions.

The status of Adrian Beltre has been a hot topic at the GM Meetings. (AP)

Wednesday marked the second full day of the GM meetings in Orlando. For a look back at Day 1, click here.

In 2008, there was not a single transaction that occurred at the GM meetings. In that context, two years seems like quite a long time ago.

This year’s GM meetings feel less as if they are transpiring in the shadow of Disney as much as they are in the middle of a bazaar. There’s been plenty of activity, both real and stage-setting.

While Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told reporters that he did not anticipate that the club would do anything of note before leaving Orlando, three notable transactions took place to further shape the market for offseason deals:

–The Tigers signed free agent Joaquin Benoit, an outstanding performer for the Rays in a huge bounceback 2010 season, to a somewhat staggering three-year, $16.5 million contract. Benoit had a 1.34 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 60 innings while pitching on an incentive-laden deal for the Rays in 2010. Implications for the Red Sox: The Sox are no fans of multi-year deals for relievers, and while they were prepared to bite the bullet on a deal spanning multiple seasons for relief arms, this deal — for a middle reliever — will no doubt embolden pitchers like Scott Downs and Brian Fuentes to shoot very high. With three years now a baseline for the relief market (for a pitcher who is one year removed from missing an entire season), the Sox’ task of adding bullpen arms became more challenging, especially with the top 2010 performer no longer available.

–The Blue Jays acquired outfielder Rajai Davis from the Athletics in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers. Implications for the Red Sox: Limited, especially since the Blue Jays were not expected to be major players for the outfielders (such as Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth) whom the Sox are more likely targeting.

–The Chibe Lotte Marines of the NPB will make shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka available to Major League Baseball clubs via the posting process. Implications for the Red Sox: Assuming that the 26-year-old, who led the Pacific League with a .346 average, is acquired and signed by a major league team other than the Red Sox, it could take away a potential suitor should the Sox decide to try to move either Marco Scutaro or Jed Lowrie. Alternately, the Sox could make a bid for Nishioka, in which case the club could more freely market Scutaro or Lowrie (much as the A’s did by acquiring pitcher Hishasi Hiwakuma and then dealing starter Vin Mazzaro to the Royals as part of the deal for outfielder David DeJesus).

While those were the deals that actually got done, there was yet another wave of rumors and statements to help illuminate where the Red Sox stand in the offseason. Here, broken down by area, were the major developments from Wednesday.

OWNERSHIP, PAYROLL AND OVERALL OFFSEASON STRATEGY

–Red Sox chairman Tom Werner appeared on The Big Show and shed light on the Sox’ commitment to return to the postseason next year. (For a transcript of his remarks, click here.) He observed that the Sox had the second highest payroll in the majors last year, and that they anticipated “a robust payroll, probably as high as last year if not higher.” He also suggested that the team will move aggressively to improve its roster, and made clear that he and Sox ownership have no intentions of treating 2011 as a “bridge year.” Read the rest of this entry »

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria expects Hanley Ramirez to retire with his franchise. (AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. — Speaking at the MLB owners’ meetings, Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria told WEEI.com that he fully expects Hanley Ramirez to remain with his team, and predicts that the 26-year-old will end his career with the Marlins.

“Do I think he will retire a Marlin? Yes,” Loria said.

“I love Hanley. You can tell everybody in Boston that my wife [Julie] is from Massachusetts [Leominster], she likes Hanley too, and she wouldn’t let me get rid of him. But you never know. We signed him to a seven-year deal for a reason. There’s no reason to think he should not be with us.”

Ramirez, who has been rumored to be a target of the Red Sox in past years, signed a six-year, $70 million extension during the 2008 season. In 2010, his fifth full major league season, Ramirez hit .300, with 21 homers, and 32 stolen bases. Since arriving with the Marlins in the trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox, the shortstop has compiled a .313 batting average.

“The rumors are never from us,” Loria said. “The rumors are started by others, others who might like to have him, or see him there. We don’t start those rumors. Hanley is our shortstop. I love him, he knows that, and I hope he retires with us.”

For more Red Sox coverage, see the team page at weei.com/redsox.

David Ortiz beat close friend Hanley Ramirez in the finals of the Home Run Derby on Monday. (AP)

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Hanley Ramirez has fond memories of his days in the Red Sox clubhouse in spring training. The Marlins shortstop was, he remembered, “like a little kid running all over the place” when he spent springs in Fort Myers.

And the person to whom Ramirez most frequently ran was David Ortiz.

“[Ortiz is] like my dad … like a second father,” said Ramirez, the Marlins shortstop who is now in the All-Star Game for the third straight year. “We’d always hang out. … I’ve got a lot of respect for him and love for him. For me, it was a little bit hard to compete against him.”

But compete they did. Ortiz and Ramirez went toe-to-toe in the 2010 Home Run Derby, with Ortiz claiming his first title in his fourth trip to the event. He and Ramirez advanced to the finals by each hitting 21 homers in the first two rounds (Ortiz belting eight and then 13 in the first two rounds, and Ramirez swatting nine and then 12), with Ortiz clubbing another 11 in the final round, and Ramirez clearing the fences just five times.

It has been nearly five years since Ramirez left the Sox organization in the deal that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston after the 2005 season, but the closeness of the two sluggers was evident. They would exchange hugs throughout the competition, and in the middle of Ramirez’ final round, Ortiz came over to bring his friend a drink and to dab him with a towel to give him a breather in the competition.

Ramirez was not surprised by such displays of camaraderie.

“[Ortiz has] got a good heart,” said Ramirez. “Big Papi is one of the best guys I’ve ever met in my life.”

Indeed, Ortiz has continued to offer guidance from afar. Earlier this year, for instance, when Ramirez booted a grounder for the Marlins and then was benched for not running after it, Ortiz offered words of support but also encouraged Ramirez to apologize to his Marlins teammates.

Because the two are good friends, it has been natural for Ortiz to imagine what it would be like for him to have Ramirez as a partner in crime in the lineup. That said, he recognizes that the blockbuster has allowed both the Red Sox and Ramirez to flourish.

“I think that things happen for a reason in our careers, and of course, I wish Hanley would be playing on our team, like he was supposed to be,” said Ortiz. “But the move that the Red Sox did back then was good for both sides.  It was good for us, [the Marlins] gave us Beckett and Lowe, and they got Hanley who is an unbelievable superstar who can play the game so good.”

The 26-year-old Ramirez, of course, has cemented his place as one of the game’s superstars, an electric player with amazing tools who is entering what many expect to be a remarkable prime. Ortiz, by comparison, is a graybeard at 34, and he sounded like Danny Glover circa Lethal Weapon in joking after winning, “I’m too old to be doing this.”

But while there had been many who wrote off Ortiz during his absolutely brutal starts in each of the last two years, the Home Run Derby offered a reminder of his place as one of the truly formidable power hitters in the game. This All-Star Game, in which Ortiz was elected by his peers to head to Anaheim and in which he put on a power show on Monday night (32 homers that traveled an average of 417 feet), has been one of validation, an opportunity for the designated hitter to offer a public rebuttal to his critics.

“There’s a lot of people that they don’t know how hard we work to play this game, how many ups and downs we have.  Not everything is roses and flowers.  You’ve got to deal with the downs so you can get up,” said Ortiz. “You know, I’ve been a guy that I’ve been a force as long as I’ve been playing here with the Red Sox, and I’ve had a lot of ups, a lot more than downs, and as soon as I have a down it seems like everybody is pointing at me like a Nintendo game or something that is supposed to be that easy. …

“[But] when I go through the downs, it makes me even stronger.  It just teach me that ‑‑ never take anything for granted.  When you’re doing well, you want to just stay at that level, so, when the down shows up, it doesn’t do that much damage.  My problem was that it was just the beginning of the season and you haven’t done anything yet.

“So it looked bigger than usual.  But sometimes over the course of the season, maybe a few months later on you struggle because you put up numbers already and people feel, oh, he’s in a slump right now, and he’ll be fine. But in my case, it wasn’t that he’s going to be fine; it was that he’s done, you know, which is even worse.  But like I say, man, like I’m a guy that you have to knock me out really hard to never go back up.  That’s how I am.”

And now, Ortiz has gotten back up, arriving at the All-Star break with 18 homers this year (17 since the start of May). He is third in the majors in slugging since the start of May (.641), and he is once again, in his own words, a force. Ortiz has that belief, and so does his fellow home run hitting protegee.

“Big Papi: I like him,” said Ramirez. “I know that he’s going to come back in the second half and do what he gets paid to do: hit bombs.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Ortiz hit 11 home runs in the third and final round of MLB’s Home Run Derby, topping Florida’s Hanley Ramirez to become the first Red Sox player to win the exhibition slugfest. Over the course of his three rounds, Ortiz blasted a total of 32 homers at Angel Stadium.

Ortiz made it the finals for the first time in his four appearances in the contest by hitting eight homers in the first round and 13 in the second. He joined Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, Milwaukee’s Corey Hart, and Ramirez in the semifinals. Ortiz’ output in the second round led the semifinalists, topping Ramirez by one. Yankees’ bench coach Tony Pena served as Ortiz’ pitcher.

It was Ortiz’ first appearance in the Home Run Derby since 2006. He previously participated in the event from 2004-06.

Ramirez blasted nine homers in the first round and a dozen in the second to join his good friend Ortiz — with whom he became close while in the Red Sox’ system through the 2005 season — in the finals. But in the last round, he cleared the fences five times to fall short of the title.

Ortiz is currently tied for eighth in the American League with 18 homers, 17 of which have come since the start of May.

For more coverage from the All-Star Game, visit www.weei.com/redsox.

David Ortiz believes the Marlins should have handled Hanley Ramirez' situation in a more private manner. (AP)

NEW YORK — Speaking prior to the Red Sox’ 7-6 win over the Yankees, Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, David Ortiz weighed in on the controversy surrounding his former teammate, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez was benched by Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez after loafing after a ball Monday. The All-Star then proceeded to show little remorse, saying Tuesday, “We got a lot of people dogging after ground balls.”

“This is not about embarrassing the player that he is,” said Ortiz, who befriended Ramirez — a fellow native of the Dominican Republic — prior to the Red Sox trading the shortstop following the 2005 season. “Sometimes we might need to be reminded about things we do that we think is the right thing but it’s not. There are more eyes watching. But embarrassing you, or your embarrassing your manager or your teammates is not the right way to go.

“You say, ‘Son, let’s talk. What happened?’ That’s all it is. You’ve got people watching you. It’s not the right thing to do. Don’t do it. Slap on the hand.”

Ortiz, who said he will be calling Ramirez, doesn’t believe the 26-year-old’s actions should be ignored, but just handled in a more private manner.

“He’s a young kid who is very talented. Sometimes you sit down players who make a mistake and then people start pointing a finger at you. That doesn’t help,” Ortiz said. “He’s a great player. He might have done something wrong but you’re talking about the franchise kid. Why embarrass him? ‘Let’s talk. I don’t think what you did is right. You’re a grown-ass man. You’ve got to do your thing out there, so make sure that doesn’t happen anymore.’ ”

Ironically, Ortiz dealt with a similar situation Tuesday night when he failed to run hard out of the batter’s box after hitting a long fly ball to center field in the eighth inning. The ball dropped in for a hit, allowing the game-tying run to score, but Ortiz was thrown out at second base after attempting to stretch the hit into a double. After the game Ortiz admitted that he thought he had hit a home run.

“Oh, yeah, no question,” Ortiz said. “It was Mother Nature taking away pop from my bat.”

Asked if he was mad at himself for not running hard out of the batters box, Ortiz said, “Oh, yeah. What can you do. Turn the page.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona chose to not comment on what was, or will be, said to Ortiz regarding the incident. “That’s kind of our business,” he said. “I don’t think that will happen anymore. It was a good swing.”

Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez boots a ball during Monday's game against the Diamondbacks. His apparent lack of hustle in chasing down the ball led to a benching and a war of words between Ramirez and Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez. (AP)

On Monday, Florida Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez pulled shortstop Hanley Ramirez from the game after he kicked a ball off of his shin into left field and then, according to Gonzalez, jogged listlessly to chase it down. That has set off a bit of a firestorm in South Florida, with Gonzalez and Ramirez’ teammate Wes Helms stating that the superstar should apologize to his teammates. For his part, Ramirez has shown no remorse, stating that he believes that he does not owe his teammates an apology, and instead criticizing Gonzalez. (For more on the controversy, click here.)

Ramirez, of course, came up in the Sox’ farm system. While in the organization, both his superstar potential and his penchant for alienating his teammates with his lackadaisical play were common topics. If anything was going to prevent the dynamic talent from reaching his potential, those who played with him figured it would be his attitude, something that became clear in this story about the ridiculously loaded 2005 Portland Sea Dogs Double-A team that featured Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon (as well as many other future big leaguers).

“I could see that he had potential but he was such a baby and I was threatening to beat him up every other day,” said Jeff Bailey, who was a catcher on the 2005 Sea Dogs. “He would do stupid things on and off the field, every time I saw him doing something stupid I would tell him he was a piece of [expletive].”

Obviously, the Sox would have preferred that Ramirez avoid the character questions that seemed to dog him. Even so, the organization also tried to maintain perspective: Ramirez had been ordained the next huge thing, earning the title of the organization’s top prospect in three straight years by the time he was 21.

It is fair to suggest that he was immature, but it might be unfair to have expected him not to be.

“There’s no doubt that Hanley wasn’t a guy you could just leave alone and say, ‘Hanley’s going to show up on time and get his work done and play hard tonight.’ You had to stay on him,” said Todd Claus, Ramirez’ manager in Sarasota in 2004 and Portland in 2005. “You never really had to do that with Pedroia, but Pedroia went to college for three years in a totally different atmosphere. He learned how to play the game in college. The Red Sox to some degree were Hanley’s college and so you’re sort of comparing apples to oranges there.

“Hanley having the label of the Red Sox’ top prospect for three years in a row, most kids should have been in high school. Hanley dealt with a lot of publicity and ink and a lot of media, and I think anyone in his situation probably would have dealt with the same problems.”

Certainly, the current incident with the Marlins (and the past with the Sox) does little to diminish Ramirez’ status as one of the best players in the game. And, it is worth noting that the Sox have not been deterred by makeup questions about Ramirez when they have made overtures to the Marlins in the past about trying to reacquire him.

That said, it is a reminder that, as much as Ramirez has matured and blossomed since going to the Marlins in the deal that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston following the 2005 season, the process of his development may not be complete.