Red Sox: Ramirez Trade a Hard Sell

Manny Ramirez’s trade request will be difficult to honor because of his contract, Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino said Thursday.

Lucchino also said he didn’t know the left fielder’s motivation for refusing Manager Terry Francona’s request to play in Wednesday afternoon’s game at Tampa Bay after right fielder Trot Nixon was sidelined because of a strained muscle in his side. Before the injury, Francona told Ramirez he could have the day off.

“It’s hard to know if the events of the last couple of days are the result of sort of psychological and physical needs for a sustained period of rest or it’s some calculation or some move to encourage us to trade him,” Lucchino told a Boston radio station.

Ramirez is batting .275 with 28 homers and a major league-leading 92 RBIs for the Red Sox.

He is due $64.2 million from his $160-million, eight-year contract -- $7,213,115 the rest of the season from this year’s $20-million salary, $19 million in 2006, $18 million in 2007 and $20 million in 2008.

The Red Sox will explore trading him before Sunday’s deadline, but that will be difficult, Lucchino said.

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The New York Yankees acquired pitcher Shawn Chacon from the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitchers Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra. Chacon is 1-7 with a 4.09 ERA this year in 12 starts and one relief appearance.

The Yankees also put Kevin Brown on the disabled list for the 14th time in his career, and the right-hander was scheduled to travel to Los Angeles to be examined by back expert Dr. Robert Watkins.

Brown has a lumbar strain, according to the Yankees.

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Commissioner Bud Selig remained firm on his 20-game suspension of Texas Ranger left-hander Kenny Rogers, despite complaints from the players’ union that Selig should not have handed out the penalty.

“We have another hearing, so I have to be careful,” Selig said. “But I think my statement articulated my feelings very, very lucidly.”

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A day after starting catcher Ramon Hernandez elected to have surgery on his injured left wrist, the San Diego Padres acquired catcher David Ross from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league shortstop J.J. Furmaniak.

Hernandez is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a small cartilage tear. He’s expected to be sidelined at least three weeks.