Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said the team had a "good feeling" at one point about landing Ramirez, but the deal didn't come together.
"We were talking," Gillick said before the Phillies faced the Washington Nationals. "We were involved. We couldn't get where they wanted to be, and we couldn't get where we wanted to be."
The Red Sox traded the disgruntled Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade. In return, Boston got Jason Bay from Pittsburgh. The Pirates received four young players in return.
Earlier Thursday, it seemed as if Ramirez was on his way to the Florida Marlins, but those talks broke down.
Gillick also said the Phillies were looking for a left-handed pitcher and even came close on a possible three-way deal involving a starting pitcher. Philadelphia actually reached an agreement with one club, according to Gillick, but that team couldn't connect with the other team involved.
"I'm not disappointed," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We'll take what we got and work with it. If something you like comes available and things like that, from here on out there's ways of maneuvering it to get somebody."
