Manny Ramirez will not be a New York Met on July 31. Just so we?re clear. A three-way deal that would?ve sent Ramirez and Devil Rays closer Danys Baez to the Mets, Mike Cameron and Aubrey Huff to the Red Sox, and Braden Looper and a couple of highly touted Mets prospects to the Devil Rays, appears to be over because the Red Sox refused to pay any of the $64 million remaining on Ramirez?s contract, and the Mets refused to inherit it. This according to the New York Daily News as of late Friday night. These kinds of wish-fulfillment trades just don?t happen for the Mets. In essence, they would?ve been trading Ramirez straight up for Cameron, and Looper for Baez, who has 19 saves and a 3.18 ERA pitching for the worst team in baseball. There isn?t a Mets fan in the solar system who wouldn?t do this deal in a heartbeat. Just like there isn?t a Red Sox fan who wouldn?t want to throttle GM Theo Epstein for getting so little in return for their most dangerous hitter. It?s one thing to trade Manny even up for Alex Rodriguez, as the Sox tried to do two years ago. But for Cameron and Huff? Did someone say, ?Curse of the Man-Ramino?? Now, there are many people who can understand why Mets GM Omar Minaya would balk at spending over $20 mil a season for Ramirez. He already committed $17 million a year to Carlos Beltran, an investment which more and more is looking as ill-fated as the AOL/Time Warner merger. Ramirez will be a 10/5 player as of next season, giving him veto power over trades. And then there?s the slugger?s notoriously flaky personality, which is endearing as long as the team is winning, but is a major pain in the neck when things aren?t going so well. Is Minaya afraid of Manny?s complaints about lack of privacy in Boston? Manny grew up in Washington Heights, near the Bronx, so presumably, he would feel more comfortable in the city. Is Minaya afraid of Manny?s defensive liabilities and sometimes lackadaisical play? Perhaps. Is Minaya thinking that $64 million is a hefty price to pay for a guy who can?t pitch? I can?t be sure, but that?s what I?m thinking. As great a hitter as Manny is, I would wager that he still wouldn?t be able to lead the Mets into the playoffs this season. As much as I would salivate at the idea of Manny hitting between Beltran and Cliff Floyd or David Wright, I?m convinced that the Mets pitching deficiencies are too much to overcome. The strongest contender for the NL wild card at the moment are the Houston Astros, whose first three starters are Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Roy Oswalt. When you consider that the Mets starters, after the great Pedro Martinez, include Kaz Ishii, Victor Zambrano, and an over-the-hill Tom Glavine, it?s easy to see why the Mets have hit the .500 mark 23 times this season. Others will say that the Mets have blown a golden opportunity to get one of the premiere hitters in baseball, an RBI machine who would give the Mets as good a lineup as any in the National League East. Either way, come Monday morning, the Mets may have a new hitter (or, better yet, a new pitcher) to show off, but it won?t cost them $64 million.