Ex-agent Moorad traded it all in

PHOENIX -- It was a night of reunions, from Arizona shortstop Stephen Drew greeting older brother J.D., to former Red Sox assistant general manager Josh Byrnes, now Arizona's GM, meeting with Terry Francona and many Boston players, to Peter Woodfork, the Diamondbacks' assistant GM, saying hello to Francona and some of the Sox.

None could come close to the heartfelt thanks Manny Ramírez had for Jeff Moorad, his former agent who came to terms with the Sox on an eight-year, $160 million deal on Ramírez's behalf after the 2000 season. Moorad is now a general partner of the Diamondbacks, leaving the agent business three years ago, a change successfully executed only by a few, one of them Red Sox special adviser Jeremy Kapstein, who once left the agent business to become CEO of the San Diego Padres.

Ramírez gave Moorad a big hug upon seeing him near the first base line before last night's game. It was an impressive contract, signed the same day as Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $252 million deal was completed with the Texas Rangers, which Moorad kept an eye on. In the end, Moorad said he got everything he asked for from the Sox, who were competing with Ramírez's old team, the Cleveland Indians, for his services.

"People forget that the Indians offered $171 million," recalled Moorad. "It was structured in a less-desirable way than Boston's offer, with more deferrals, but it was $171 million. In the end, Manny made a business decision, a very informed business decision, based on the facts he had in front of him. It was about where he felt most comfortable playing the next eight to 10 years of his career. Boston was the place."

We know the bumps that occurred along the way. Ramírez was placed on waivers by the Sox, but nobody bit on his giant contract. The deal was negotiated by Dan Duquette, and when Duquette was replaced by Mike Port, and later Theo Epstein, the Sox tried to rid themselves of the deal. When they were unable to, they almost dealt him to the Rangers for Rodriguez, until the Players Association said Rodriguez couldn't reduce the size of his contract to complete the deal.

Moorad was involved in all of that chaos with Ramírez, but he praised Sox owner John Henry and his management team for trying to integrate Ramírez into the community and trying to make things more comfortable for Ramírez.

How close did the Red Sox come to trading him?

"I honestly don't know," Moorad said.

Moorad added, "Manny is a very unique player. A very special player. There aren't many players you represent as an agent that you can say will be first-ballot Hall of Famers, but he's definitely one of them. He's a great hitter. He's a fun-loving guy who teammates have always enjoyed being around. He's never been a problem on a team. You know what you're going to get every night. He puts up incredible numbers. I'm just hoping he takes the weekend off. But for National League fans who don't get to see him up close very often, this is a treat for them."

Moorad has spent the last three years on the other side of the baseball business. He says he's growing into it. He oversees a $65 million payroll and says there's more than $30 million in deferred payments being made by the Diamondbacks "for players who no longer play here." Players such as Mark Grace, Matt Williams, Randy Johnson (first Arizona contract), and Curt Schilling.

"We have young players and a very cost-effective group of players here," Moorad said. "As we burn through the deferrals we'll be able to reinvest some of that money back into our baseball payroll. Effectively, we're paying out $95 million this year. We feel we're building a good franchise where we evaluate players on their talent as well on a financial level. I came into this process with my eyes wide open and it hasn't disappointed my expectations."

A $65 million payroll is far less than the money he negotiated in Ramírez's deal. What a change that must be. Moorad now can't even look at a player of Ramírez's caliber because there's no way the Diamondbacks can afford him. The Diamondbacks made the exception with the re-signing of Johnson, a fan favorite from the 2001 World Series team and a veteran pitcher they felt would fit nicely with the younger players.

"For us, it's one step at a time, but we're pleased at where we are," Moorad said.

One thing Moorad doesn't miss about the agent business is trying to take care of a player's every whim. After more than 20 years of it, Moorad grew tired, which is why when he had the opportunity to join the Diamondbacks, he felt the time was perfect. No doubt, the Ramírez contract and the public relations work he had to do to make Ramírez viable in Boston took its toll, though Moorad would not admit it.

"It was 20 years I wouldn't have traded for anything, but at this stage of my life I felt this was the appropriate move to make," he said.

"Whenever I need a player fix, I can always go down to the clubhouse or go down to the field like I am today, have a discussion or two, and then feel fine and go back to my office."

For Moorad, it was a trip down memory lane. Lucrative memories.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.