Manny Ramirez’s comeback attempt isn’t your typical feel good comeback story. He abruptly retired last April following a second failed PED test, and several of his former employers had grown tired of his Manny Being Manny act. His offensive production started to wane with age, and he never had much defensive value during his career.
Ramirez, 40 in May, is one of the best hitters of his generation however, a .312/.411/.585 career hitter with 547 doubles and 555 homers. He reached base just once (a single) in 17 plate appearances with the Rays last year before calling it quits, but his comeback attempt is sincere. He’s open to a minor league contract and was scheduled to work out for teams last month. Given his career earnings — nearly $207MM according to Baseball-Reference — it’s hard to believe Ramirez is trying to get back in the game for money.
Manny is reportedly deciding between three teams at the moment: the Athletics, Blue Jays, and Orioles. All three clubs need a DH-type bat, but he would have to serve a 50-game suspension before playing. The suspension will begin once he signs a contract. The Yankees, Rangers, and Mariners could all conceivably add a DH as well, but none of those clubs have been connected to Ramirez this offseason.
I’m kind of surprised that they Yankees have no interest considering that their looking for a cheap DH, but then again it is Manny and he does have a 50-game suspension but i’m pretty sure he will sign for very cheap.
The Yankees can’t afford the bad press and negative clubhouse environment.
On paper it looks fine, but what happens when Manny decides not to show up one day? Do you see Girardi and Cashman as the type that would let things like that slide?
I’m pretty sure the Yankees want to get away from that steroid era… it’s bad enough they have Arod on the team (to be fair, Arod’s drug usage wasn’t public at the time); adding another known steroid user would make things very uncomfortable. (you can imagine the storm of questions they’ll get from the press to EVERY player on the team)
If you look at the teams interested, they really have nothing to lose — and don’t play in the same type of media environment. Although, I don’t think Manny would be a good role model for any of the young guys on these teams. Personally, I wouldn’t hire him because of his ego and it just sends a bad message to young players and fans — that even if you have a bad personality (the guy attacked an elderly man OVER TICKETS) and even if you’re a cheater, you’ll still be allowed to play and get paid.
Jesus Christ Orioles, just shoot me in the face now
haha I know how you feel man. quite frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if they sign him and overpay him anyway even though he doesn’t wanna do it for the money..
Who will sign Manny? The team with the poorest plan for 2012
the Orioles most likely..
Just curious, maybe it was answered earlier, but why isnt he supposed to serve 100 games for it being his second failed test?
He was, but since he “retired” and then un-retired MLB and the players’ union made a compromise.
Thats bogus!
They figure that since he missed 145 games last season by retiring, that’s enough of a balance to half of the 100-game suspension he is serving.
Manny being signed will basically be proof that Bonds was blackballed right?
That was the first thing that popped in my mind as well…
Great question.
I don’t remember anymore ,but, was Bonds willing to sign a deal like ManRam is rumoured to sign for?
Yep, pretty sure Bonds offered to sign for league minimum at one point.
and he wasnt suspended/coming off suspension like Manny was.
exactly, he said he would play for free or something like that, as blacklisted as Canseco, great exhibit of MLB power over owners, sad as well…
I hope the Cubs sign him. Just for laughs.
Soriano and Manny in the outfield!
“Cubs to sign Manny Ramirez to a 4 yrs/$200M contract”
actually make it 10 yrs..
The only reason to sign Manny is to boost ticket sales by having a circus instead of a baseball team. Of the choices, which team is least likely to be a contender anyway. Figure that out and you have your answer where he signs.
I hope it’s a AL East team. Just so that I can see him strike out.
Jays for the lols
Gotta be OriLOLes
Did the Dodgers ever look into taking Manny Ramirez to court for Breach of contract? As for the subject matter, I can’t believe that this is even a topic. Manny Ramirez should simply retire and go away.
PS How many years did you really do steroids Manny?
Might lay off the Manny hammering there Lefty.. I would give good odds that he is headed to Camden yards and might be your DH next year 🙂
i hope it is orioles.
Not many players, at age 40, had a bounce back year in baseball. Dave Winfield is one of the few. He did it with Toronto in 1992 when they won their first world series.
AA has said he most likely will do a “Dave Winfield” kind of signing when he signs a free agent. A one year deal for a middle of the order bat.
am i the only one hoping he comes back and tests positive again? perfect ending
Only if he retires after testing positive again.
Shortest. Circle of life. Ever.
if he tests positive again he gets banned haha
who would want this washed up scrub?
I’m hoping the Marlins come out of nowhere and sign him, because that would be amazing.
Why would any team that even as a glimmer of a hope of competing consider signing someone that will miss the first 50 games of the season let alone the baggage Manny brings with him.
I don’t see a contending team signing him. But a non-contending team certainly could. You would get some people to show up just to see Manny. It is like a car accident. Everyone slows down to look.
I wish the White Sox would have resigned Manny after last year so they wouldn’t be stuck with Adam dunn…
There are so many negatives why would a team want to sign him?
1. He is 40 years old. That right there is a huge negative for any potential signing.
2. He is a has-been. Not that it means he can’t still hit but his best days are way behind him. He could still be serviceable but come on, he had a terrible year last year and he faded the year before. He would have a lot to prove. Maybe he can prove it maybe he can’t. Maybe he can hit well in batting practice and then suck during the season. Even if a team signed him for $1 million and he got dumped after a month, that’s still $1 million down the drain.
3. He has to serve a 50 game suspension right after signing. Geez, as a new employee that’s like taking a vacation for the first 1/3 of the year. Unless this guy is guaranteed to be a major contributor I don’t know that I’d want to sign him.
4. He is Manny. Does a team really want to put up with his shenanigans? Does anyone want this guy when things aren’t going his way? Wow…
5. The guy can only hit and that’s it. How many DHs are there anyway? He would have to be fantastic. What about coming off the bench? Okay, maybe but what about the above 4 points? I don’t think I would want a part time player with all the baggage that this guy has.
“Even if a team signed him for $1 million and he got dumped after a month, that’s still $1 million down the drain.”
-this makes a lot of sense..a team signing him to a contract, then releasing him before he plays a game. its a low risk, slightly higher reward move for a team like the a’s or orioles who really have no hope of contending this year and are looking through the scraps for offense. clearly nobody expects him to hit 30/100 anymore
missing a point, Vlad and Maglio are both out there unsigned, do they think, money being equal, that Manny can out-produce them both?
I dont.
Not missing the point. The guy has a lot of baggage. Period.
He’s coming back to Mannywood homes.
The A’s will sign him, even if he doesn’t end up playing for us. We’re going to end up starting Carter at DH this year (unless Kila or Allen randomly become good), who has a history of not being able to make the transition from AAA to the MLB. Manny is a great security blanket, just in case, 50 games in, the A’s find themselves with no viable DH options. If Carter is doing well, Manny becomes a trade chip for another team who has had a few hitters go down (and god knows Beane loves mid-season trade chips).
Besides, there really isn’t a giant negative to signing Manny in Oakland. The only fans we have left are the fans who will follow the team and attend games regardless of who is on the roster. He can’t hurt our attendance, but he will probably boost in. Plus, him and Coco may still have some chemistry left from Boston that will be good for the clubhouse. If there is no chemistry, and he’s quietly becoming a negative influence to the team, we just trade him, or even waive him. He’ll be dirt cheap anyways.
I just cant see AA doing a deal with Manny, I just cant. It makes no sense and doesnt fit with ‘The Plan’ that AA has. The Jays want young, controllable players with a high ceiling…Manny is old, uncontrollable and the ceiling conversation is 6 feet under the dirt in a dirty, creepy graveyard somewhere. I think he is just linked to the Jays because they were interested last year.
With that all being said, the Jays need to fill the stadium before they can spend big $$ on free agents. Maybe Manny does that for Toronto?
There’s plenty of good DH types that would be good fits for these teams on the free agent market… Don’t understand why they’re wasting their time with this loser.
Manny needs to bring some fire to Seattle giving Mariners lots of energy to compete in the division in addition of signing either Johnny Damon or Vlad Guerrero. Guys like Kyle Seager and either Travon Robinson or Casper Wells needs some work done in AAA before they are well prepared to play in the Major League level.
uughh as an Orioles fan I have a bad feeling about this.. they better not sign him!
seriously you now he’s gonna hit around .150 something and get caught using steroids thus ending his career.. AGAIN
I’m surprised more teams aren’t interested in him. He’s washed up, AND he’s missing 50 games. He doesn’t get to name the price, the owners do. He’s in too desperate a position to get a good deal, so if I were an owner, I’d see it as a low-risk high-peak deal because I would get to pay him cheap. This is an opportunity to sign a former all-star, maybe hall-of-famer to a tiny contract. Of course, then there’s the Orioles gonna go overpay him though. Too bad the Rox aren’t into him, our outfield is pretty shallow, and Coors would help make him look less washed up.
40+ year old Manny would far negate whatever offense value he brings if he had to play the outfield. He’s an older, slower, Brad Hawpe by this point.
You know what we can glean from this poll? The A’s are the most likely team to sign somebody that no other team wants.
To be honest I don’t think he deserves another chance he tested positive three times it’s time for him to just quit
being a orioles fan is tough enough!!! and just when you thought it could not get any worse…… well you get it!!!! ugh!!! well the good news is prince has agreed to sign with us after his deal in detroit is over!!!
Can’t believe the Red Sox are not in on him. A reunion of him and Big Papi would be priceless.
I am sure Cody Ross is better than him now, so why would they?
Blue Jays. The Orioles are teasers and the A’s can do better with Maggs. or Damon.
I think he will test positive a third time before anyone signs him. Manny Ramirez is a joke. He has no respect for the game, and not just because he’s failed to PED tests. Baseball is better off without him.
club house cancer, who was a one dimensional player when he was good and even that is now gone. My hope would be that even the ringling brothers and barnum & bailey circus that is the A’s do not sign him, oh how my once great A’s have fallen. As a Jays fan, I wouldn’t mind it all if the Orioles took him and then traded Chris Davis to the Jays or even left Snider as the full time DH.
we are humans and we all make mistakes, but it comes a time when you change.
Who thinks Toronto