Angels, Dodgers discuss Ramirez

The Boston Red Sox went into two-minute-drill mode at baseball’s winter meetings Monday, holding a series of meetings with teams -- including the Angels and Dodgers -- in a last-ditch effort to trade enigmatic slugger Manny Ramirez.

Meanwhile, Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman is believed to have met Monday night with Atlanta GM John Schuerholz to discuss a trade for Adam LaRoche, the Braves’ 27-year-old first baseman who hit .285 with 32 home runs and 90 runs batted in last season.

The appeal of LaRoche -- beyond being young, productive and, as a player in his first year of arbitration, relatively cheap -- is that the Angels believe they can swing a deal for him without giving up pitching.

The Braves, in need of a leadoff man and a second baseman to replace Marcus Giles, who is expected to be traded, are interested in speedy utility player Chone Figgins and first baseman Casey Kotchman.

LaRoche, the son of former Angels pitcher Dave LaRoche, hit .259 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs in 2005, his first full season in the majors. Last season, he had a combined on-base (.354) and slugging (.504) percentages of .841. His salary is expected to jump from $420,000 last season to about $2 million next season.

Stoneman also met Monday night with Boston General Manager Theo Epstein, revisiting trade talks that have heated up periodically between the teams over the last two years, but the chances for a deal now seem remote.

The Red Sox told the Angels that closer Francisco Rodriguez or setup man Scot Shields would have to head any package for Ramirez. It’s possible Boston would accept a package led by one of the Angels’ two young starting pitchers, Ervin Santana or Jered Weaver.

But the Angels, whose organizational pitching depth thins out considerably beyond the big league staff, would prefer not to move any pitching for Ramirez. Boston inquired about shortstop Orlando Cabrera and middle infielder Maicer Izturis, because it needs a shortstop, and it likes outfielder Juan Rivera.

Epstein, who has spent the last four winters -- and a few summers -- trying to deal Ramirez, made it clear that talks for the outfielder would not drag on through the winter. If a deal is not completed by the end of this week’s meetings, Epstein will not actively shop Ramirez.

“If we get past Wednesday, it’s not going to take up our time,” Epstein told Boston writers. “We would strictly be listeners. By Wednesday at midnight, we’ll have flushed out the major trade market, and we’re moving on.”

Talks between the Red Sox and Dodgers cooled because Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti considers Epstein’s demands exorbitant.

Boston wants three of the top six Dodgers prospects, including outfielder Matt Kemp and potential closer Jonathan Broxton. The names of James Loney, Andy LaRoche, Chad Billingsley and Scott Elbert also came up.

The Dodgers plan to rekindle talks after Epstein meets with every potential Ramirez suitor this week because, expensive as he might be, Ramirez has Hall of Fame talent, is one of the few available sluggers and would fill an acute need.

There would be hurdles to a deal. Ramirez has no-trade rights, so he would have to want to come to the Dodgers. In addition to salaries of $19 million the next two seasons, his contract includes $20-million club options for 2009 and 2010, which he may ask a team to exercise in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause.

Dodgers Manager Grady Little, who managed Ramirez in Boston, would not be one of the hurdles.

“I know how to handle Manny Ramirez,” Little told a Dominican paper last week. “I respect him as a player, and he was a marvelous ballplayer in Boston. There aren’t many like him, and the Dodgers need a player of his stature. Manny would be a great Christmas present. Who wouldn’t want a gift like that?”

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Times staff writer Steve Henson contributed to this report.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com