Dodgers expected to give offer to SS Ramirez

The Dodgers are expected to give shortstop Hanley Ramirez a $15.3M qualifying offer. (USATSI)

The Dodgers are expected to extend the $15.3-million qualifying offer to star shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

The move would appear to be a no-brainer — one agent, who doesn’t represent Ramirez, called it “automatic” — but the Dodgers haven’t said anything publicly, which has triggered some Internet debate.

Top players like Ramirez generally get the qualifying offer. There’s no question he is looking for a big multiyear deal, and going into the season at least it looked like he might be in line to have Shin-Soo Choo ($130 million) and Jacoby Ellsbury ($153 million) as comps. There has been no recent word of multiyear talks between the Dodgers and Ramirez, however.

Dodgers president Andrew Friedman didn’t return messages, and Ramirez’s agent, Adam Katz, declined comment.

While Ramirez’s offensive performance slipped from his brilliant first year and a half in Los Angeles, he’d still have to be considered an elite hitter at that position. He hit .283 with 13 home runs and 71 RBI in 2014 after hitting .345 with 20 home runs in 57 RBI in little more than a half season in 2013. He was eighth in MVP voting in ’13 after playing superbly for the Dodgers in the second half of 2012, as well.

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