"Hanley Ramirez says he would welcome having Jose Reyes as a teammate.

But Ramirez wouldn't say whether he would welcome a position switch to third base if the Marlins signed the free agent shortstop.

"I'm the shortstop right now and I consider myself a shortstop," Ramirez said at a fundraiser Thursday outside the team's new ballpark.

The Marlins met with Reyes in New York last week and again Wednesday, but have not yet spoken to Ramirez about possibly moving to third if they end up signing Reyes.

"I think he's a really good player," Ramirez said of Reyes, whom he also considers a friend. "Everybody knows that. This organization needs him. It's good when you see the front office put the best team they can on the field."

But, despite being asked repeatedly about his thoughts on moving to third, Ramirez stuck to his position that, as of now, he considers himself to be the team's shortstop.

"My whole life I've been a shortstop," he said. "I'm a shortstop.""