White Sox reportedly turn down Carlos Martinez for Alexei Ramirez

Who knows how much of these things are true, but this bit from the sixth paragraph of an article in the Chicago Tribune is just incredible:

They turned down a deal involving pitcher Carlos Martinez, the Cardinals third-highest rated prospect, for shortstop Alexei Ramirez, according to a scouting source.

Er, what? Martinez, 21, is a very well-regarded prospect who has a terrific minor-league resume and throws in the upper 90s. He'll be ready to slot into a big-league rotation next year, if he isn't ready now, and he has top-of-the-rotation upside once he does. If I'm Rick Hahn and the Cardinals offer Carlos Martinez for Alexei Ramirez, I gleefully accept and then take the entire baseball operations staff out to dinner. Maybe this deal is a lot more complicated than a one-for-one (although, frankly, the White Sox just don't have much that's worth Carlos Martinez, period), and of course it's possible that the White Sox somehow end up trading Ramirez for far less. But it's hard not to see this as part of a pattern. This market looks really tough for buyers. I feel like I write every year that the trade market is really tricky for whatever the Pirates' goals happen to be that year. It's strange.

Via MLBTR.

UPDATE: Jon Heyman says this didn't happen. So who knows.