[Joey Slugs]

Thursday, December 1
WHO	INTERESTED	THE SKINNY
Manny Ramirez Red Sox	Mariners? Mets? Angels?	Manny-for-Abreu 'highly unlikely' Dec 1 - ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that a swap of Bobby Abreu for Manny Ramirez is "highly unlikely," according to a baseball official who has spoken with both clubs. The deal was proposed by the Red Sox but quickly shot down, the official said, for several reasons. The primary reason is that the Phillies have been telling teams they are only interested in trading Abreu for top-of-the-rotation starting pitching. The second is that there is a major money imbalance. Ramirez has $57 million coming over the next three years. Abreu has two years, $30 million left on his deal. Both players can veto any trades. The only way this trade could happen, then, is if the Red Sox were interested in trading a starting pitcher along with Ramirez, AND evening out all the money. Meanwhile, Ramirez officially has put his $6.9 million condominium in Boston on the market, the Boston Globe reports. Ramirez wants to be traded, and his wish is to play for the Angels or the Mariners, the Boston Herald reports. Teammate David Ortiz thinks Ramirez won't be in left field for the Red Sox come Opening Day. "Manny is not returning to Boston," Ortiz said recently. "Manny lives a difficult situation that only he and his family know about, and he does not want to play there."