Manny Ramirez has had his fair share of minor incidents with the Red Sox. This year, it has been everything from jaywalking, fielding woes and even scuffles with teammates and a traveling secretary.

What's the latest? It might not be so minor anymore, as it looks like we may have a fake knee injury. He sat out Wednesday against the Mariners, and then again for Friday's game against the Yankees with a sore knee. According to Manny, it had been bothering him for a week, although he hadn't mentioned it at all to Manager Terry Francona or the Sox' trainers. The Sox have no idea what happened to Manny's knee, when it happened, or even the true severity of it. The Sox sent Ramirez to get an MRI, and all tests came back negative, which is causing some Boston writers to question the injury entirely, and even go so far as to call for a trade.

Manny was in the lineup today, and it was even rumored that he would face disciplinary action if he sat out again. Understandably, the Red Sox aren't interested in allowing Ramirez to sit 3 games in a row, when they've invested $20M in his services for this season alone. Speaking of contracts, the Sox have team options for 2009 and 2010, so they will be able to decide whether or not they want to pay him again, or just let him go at the end of the season. While that would free up $20M per year to spend elsewhere, Manny is still an elite hitter, and the Sox would be hard pressed to replace his bat in the lineup, at any price. It is rumored that Sox GM Theo Epstein would consider trading Manny. If he could lure away someone like Matt Holliday, maybe it would be worth shopping Manny (if there is a team out there who wants him bad enough to pay him), and/or try to clear/release him through waivers, which the Sox have actually done before.

If Epstein can pull off a deal where he gets someone like Holliday, then Manny is instantly expendable. Holliday is a suitable replacement for Manny's offense and is an upgrade in LF, Jacoby Ellsbury is the CF of the future, and JD Drew is locked up through 2011. Although injury-prone, Drew is capable of MVP-caliber numbers when healthy. Another candidate to replace Manny's bat is Mark Teixeira. The Sox would need to be committed to signing him long-term, but Tex could play first, and Kevin Youkilis, who I'm convinced can play anywhere, could take over in left field.

Trading or releasing Manny would send a shock through Red Sox Nation. But a line must be drawn somewhere, and it looks like Manny may have crossed it here. If the team can find a way to replace his bat, then it looks like it might be time to end the shenanigans. But until then, he's simply too good, and the preferential treatment will have to continue.