ANAHEIM, Calif. – Having successfully orchestrated his divorce from Boston and his landing in with the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez would like to make life miserable for the Red Sox during the next few seasons.
According to people who have spoken to the eccentric outfielder since he was dealt to L.A. on July 31, Ramirez wants to sign a free-agent deal with the Yankees this offseason and get 19 chances a year to punish Boston.
“He wants to play for the Yankees so he can get at the Red Sox,” a close friend of Ramirez’s told The Post.
Of course, every free agent says he wants to play for the Yankees. They pay well, will always have a chance to make the postseason, and when they show an interest in a free agent, the price from other clubs skyrockets.
Considering Ramirez is represented by Scott Boras, every imaginable angle will be played when the 36-year-old, a product of George Washington High School in Washington Heights, will become a free agent following the World Series.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman would not comment on the situation. Ramirez forced the Red Sox to deal him to the Dodgers by badmouthing the organization, not hustling and sitting out a July 25 game against the Yankees with a knee injury that didn’t show up on an MRI the next day.
Once Ramirez was dealt, two club options for $20 million (2009-10) were eliminated.
Ramirez, the premier run producer of his generation and a Hall of Fame lock, has hit four homers in his first six games for the Dodgers, giving him 514 for his career.