The enigmatic slugger works out, but remains silent.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Manny Ramirez showed up at spring training Wednesday with his customary smile and public silence.

So it was left to teammates to discuss whether the Red Sox slugger would be affected by Boston’s offseason attempt to trade him to Texas for Alex Rodriguez.

“He looked great. He’s hugging everybody,” Kevin Millar said. “Manny was Manny, and in the (batting) cages he looked awesome. Everything was fine.”

Players never made it to the fields because a daylong rain postponed the first official full-squad workout.

Ramirez is expected to bat fourth again for Boston, behind Nomar Garciaparra, who was convinced he would be dealt to the Chicago White Sox to clear space at shortstop for Rodriguez.

Trot Nixon thinks Ramirez and Garciaparra will be as motivated as they were last year, despite the attempts to send them elsewhere.

“Manny’s fine,” Nixon said. “These guys are professionals. They know they have a job to do. They’re not going to disrespect the organization, their teammates, especially themselves. These guys are going to continue to have MVP-type years, as they normally have.”

Ramirez hit .325 with 37 homers and 104 RBIs last season. But the Red Sox wanted to unload his $20 million average annual salary. They placed him on waivers, but no team claimed him.

The trade talks with Texas collapsed after the players’ union blocked Boston’s attempt to restructure Rodriguez’s contract, saying it would lower its value. Rodriguez was traded last week to the New York Yankees.

So Ramirez was in the Red Sox clubhouse Wednesday. He embraced teammates, chatted with David Ortiz and refused repeated requests by a team official to speak with reporters.

He rarely agreed to be interviewed in the past, but this time he was coming off an offseason in which he nearly went to Texas.

Players consider Ramirez a good teammate and dedicated student of hitting.

“Manny’s got his own personality,” Millar said, “but this guy works harder than anybody in this locker room.”

Teammates smile when they discuss the way Ramirez pays little attention to issues around him, other than hitting.

“Manny’s in la-la land,” pitcher Pedro Martinez said. “Manny never talks.”

On Tuesday, Garciaparra said he was hurt by the attempt to trade him. But he was in a good mood and said his play wouldn’t be affected by his uncertain offseason.

“He understands some of the reasons that it was bumpy over the winter,” Red Sox minority owner Tom Werner said Wednesday, “but those times are over.”

Garciaparra is one of seven Red Sox who can become free agents after the season, and the team has a policy of not negotiating during the season. But that could change.

“There have been exceptions to policies,” team president Larry Lucchino said Wednesday. “It’s a policy that we set so, presumably, it’s a policy that we can adjust if it’s appropriate.”

He also said that if players aren’t re-signed by the end of the season, the Red Sox still could sign them before they become free agents and even after.

AP-ES-02-25-04 1854EST