Hanley Ramirez ready for comeback season, no matter his role

MASHANTUCKET, CT. - - It’s no secret that the Red Sox have been looking for ways to upgrade their offense and are in ongoing negotiations with free agent J.D. Martinez.

If Martinez were to be signed by the Sox, he would likely become the primary DH which could, in turn, limit the amount of playing time for Hanley Ramirez.

Ramirez, appearing at Winter Weekend at Foxwoods Resort and Casino, understands the team’s desire for improvement. If they sign Martinez, that will be fine with Ramirez. And if they don’t, that will be fine, too.

“It’s not bad if we can get another bat in the lineup,’’ he said. “But at the same time, we can win with what we have right now. We did it last year. Why can’t do we do it this year? We’re stronger mentally. We know we’ve got to finish things and everybody is ready to go.

“You just gotta hit; if you hit, you’re going to play. It don’t matter.  That’s all you gotta do, you’ve got to produce.  I know I can hit and I’m going to hit. (Bringing in someone like Martinez) it’s not going to affect me. You just have to be a good teammate and be ready whenever they need you. I try to be low-key and keep working. Do less talking and more (producing). It’s better when you do it that way.

“I’m not going to be like, ‘I’m the big bat.’ I’m not going to do that. I let you guys do the talking and I’ll do the work on the field.  I know I can hit. I can get 100 RBI and 30-plus homers and I’m healthy. That’s why we work in the off-season. It’s time to show it.’’

But soon after the more modest and humble Ramirez announced himself, he vowed in 2018 to have the kind of seasons he’s had in the past.

“I’m going to be the Miami Hanley, doing damage on the field,’’ he said with a smile.

Much of that optimism stems from having his left shoulder surgically repaired last fall to the point where he feels the best he has since the start of 2016, when he enjoyed his best season in a Red Sox uniform.

“I’m strong and I feel way better,’’ he said. “In the middle of the year last year, I was just thinking, ‘What’s going on?’ I tried to fight through it and do the best. But thank God the season was over and we got it taken care of. The left one is way better and I’m going to be what I want to be. My right shoulder was weak (last year), but it’s feeling good. I’ve been throwing and hitting. I should be ready to go from the first day, Day One.’’

There’s a lot riding on 2018 for Ramirez. To vest an option for 2019, he needs 497 plate appearances, which would guarantee him $22 million. But Ramirez insists that’s not on his mind.

“I just want to win,’’ he said. “If we win, that’s going to be taken care of. I’m not thinking about the number of at-bats. But definitely, I want to stay here. This is the team that (signed) me when I was 16. But the first thing we’ve got to do is win and see what happens after.

“We’ve got to go far. We’ve got the team to do it. We haven’t been able to cross that line. That’s our biggest goal this year. We can be world champs in 2018. That’s the goal. We’ve got just to stay healthy and fight together. I think we have one of the best teams in the big leagues. We have to do the work on the field.’’

The A.L. East will present a tougher challenge, since the New York Yankees have added home run king and N.L. MVP Giancarlo Stanton to an already powerful lineup.

“Good for them,’’ Ramirez shrugged. “ We can live with what we’ve got. We’ve got a pretty good team. We’ve got everything. It’s going to be a tough division with what they did. They got the big bat. But the Red Sox, we’ve got good players – Mookie (Betts), (Andrew Benintendi)…they can do it all.’’

So there are no personal goals in terms of playing time or statistics. His focus is, for now, elsewhere.

“Win --  win and play a full season without pain,’’ he said. ‘That’s it. You get paid to win. It’s what you work for. If you win, everything else will be taken care of. I know that, everybody knows that. This is Boston. It’s a town of sports. You’ve got to win here. If you don’t win, you get out of here. That’s how it is. It’s why I want to be here – the challenge from the city, from the team, from the fans. It’s unbelievable. It’s so motivating and I love it.’’