FRIDAY: Ramirez is deciding between the Orioles, A's and Blue Jays, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports (link in Spanish). Once he decides on a club, his agents will negotiate a possible deal.
THURSDAY: The Athletics and Orioles are the teams who are "most interested" in signing Manny Ramirez, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The extent of either team's interest is unknown, as Rosenthal notes it's "unclear" if either team has made Ramirez a contract offer. In a follow-up tweet, Rosenthal says it's possible other teams could also be pursuing Ramirez.
The A's have been linked to Ramirez on a few occasions since the slugger announced he was returning to the Major Leagues. Both managing partner Lew Wolff and assistant GM David Forst have said the team is open to signing the embattled Ramirez, who will face a 50-game suspension for violating the MLB drug policy should he sign a new contract. Rosenthal notes that the A's are also still looking for relief help.
Oakland already has Chris Carter, Jonny Gomes, Seth Smith, Collin Cowgill and others in the mix for DH at-bats, so they could use Spring Training and the 50-game suspended period to evaluate what Ramirez has left in the tank. The O's, likewise, have Wilson Betemit, Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds as DH candidates, so Ramirez wouldn't be a pressing need for them either. Baltimore (and Toronto) sent scouts to see Ramirez hit in a batting cage last month.
One advantage in Ramirez's favor is that his asking price would be little more than $1MM, whereas other DH-types like Johnny Damon and Vladimir Guerrero are said to be looking for $5MM contracts.
please take him orioles…please
i was all for the a’s signing manny last offseason when the a’s were intent on contending, and he would’ve helped them (before the knowledge of his steroid use).
this year, a’s aren’t contending, no reason to sign him other than “oh my god! people know him!”
Edit: rosenthal also says a’s are looking at relievers, wouldn’t mind them adding one more reliever. trading deadline, there’s always a team desperate to trade for one. someone on another site mentioned todd coffey, that’d be interesting
i mean at this point, does it really make a difference about ANYONE the a’s sign? if they sign him, its only because they believe there is a decimal of a chance he can regain some trade value and they can flip him in july.
he’d only have played in 40+ games after his suspension is up before the deadline, that probably wouldn’t be enough time for him to develop enough trade value to flip him
thats about 13 series..if he’s signed for cheap, he can make a good enough impression for a team thats desperate enough.. im really just trying to reason why they would want to sign him at all, since they’ve clearly already packed it in for the season.
yeah, the only reasoning i can come up with signing manny is “oh my god! people know this guy!”, plus they’ve been trying to catch another frank thomas (part 1) in a bottle ever since….well….frank thomas (part 1), with little luck
when we were in contending mode, i understood signings like this, but now, in rebuilding mode, i absolutely don’t get it
lol you got a good chuckle out of me..it does seem like every year they try to bring someone back from the grave
I think the Orioles should take him to, and then they could swap Davis to the Jays for a reliever. I have always like Davis and with proper playing time I think he could be a stud.
You give us the Lowrie kid and you’ve got a deal. Honestly, Chris Davis is a disaster everywhere and you want no part of him.
Jed Lowrie? Sure I bet we could get him and flip him to you.
The A’s were contending last season?
they intended to before the season started, hence why they got willingham, dejesus, etc
Manny Ramirez was 1 for 17. He was booed mercilessly by Ray fans.
Why am I not surprised Dan Duquette has some interest here.
If the O’s sign him Duquette should be fired and Peter Angelos should be thrown in jail for contempt! Also, if I were a member of the 25 man roster and/or team captain, I would be looking to start mutiny. This is a disgrace! I am serious!
“Peter Angelos should be thrown in jail for contempt!”
Haha, classic Lefty.
If you’ve read Duquette’s comments on Manny, it doesn’t really seem as if he’s all that interested.
Problem is Duq doesn’t seem all that interested in working out a long-term deal with Jones nor keeping Guthrie in house (referring to him as “the player”). This guy sucks with the media.
Come on Lefty.. You just want to see The Duke sign Ramirez 2x, only this time around, it won’t be that 8/160m deal that could have eventually became 200m with team options and everyone said was horrible.. But a minor league deal so he can release him in ST and snicker behind closed doors at him and get his long coming revenge…
The contract turned out to be pretty good for the Sox I think. He was paid market value for a top 5 offencive player at the time. And there weren’t any suspensions until he was traded for Bay. From who the Red Sox got 1 1/2 pretty good seasons from. There was lots of drama but all in all not a bad signing.
Not to mention two rings.
Oh no.. But don’t forget Boson putting him on waivers so that any team could have picked him up for Nadda… Just pay his contract and nobody did also… The contract was not viewed all around baseball as such a good deal when the Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde also known as Manny Ramirez would sometimes go off on one of his weirdness binges.
That was LA…
The Orioles realllly make me hate my life sometimes.
The Orioles, or Ken Rosenthal?
The orioles
Honestly, having Manny on the team next year, gives me more of an incentive to watch the team than the current DH options (Betemit, Davis, Reimold). Just saying.
He is Mr. Excitement and does things his way. They can make an exit door in LF for instance where he can have a quick trip to the stands, or to the potty, or wherever else he likes to disappear between innings.
Maybe Angelos could even mass produce some Manny wigs like they did in LA, or even buy some of the thousands of leftovers they must have lying around still for pennies on the dollar and then make a buck off of them.
Nope.. No one ever said Ramirez was dull…. It’s the type of excitement he brings that can be detracting.. Do the orioles have any people like Youk on the team who don’t care for his antics? Maybe think of that angle also. Some of his new potential team mates may grow tired of him always skipping meetings, constantly late and general flippant attitude.
Haha but come on, would you rather watch an average movie, or a really really bad movie. I’ll take the latter every time. Just give me some kind of entertainment next year besides Fred Manfra trying to convince everyone the O’s are doing good things.
He would fit the bill of player type The Duke likes to bring in and he does have a good enough upside.. it’s the baggage that will crop up as sure as night comes around that he will have to remember and you can be sure he knows of it from a 1st hand basis.. Then you also know that Ramirez WILL sell tickets..
My money is on The Duke tendering him some sort of miniscule amount contract and making it plain that he will be a DH only and serving notice his past antics will not be tolerated..For whatever good it will do..
There is a past track record with them and it could help, then it could hurt the O’s chances in getting him.
Both. and no i do not think it is a coincidence that Rosenthal started as a Baltimore reporter…
oh geez… they’re not STILL interested are they?… is not the character of a player important to a team? if it was for every team then no team would be interested in this guy. I don’t care how good his bat has been in the past he’s not a player I would want on my team not to mention the fact that he still has a 50 game suspension to serve. If I could slap a bit of common sense into the people interested in him I would but I guess I can’t… I’m just glad it’s not MY team that’s interested.
Bring back Vlad before even considering Manny. Vlad actually played last year and has been better than Manny since 2009, when Manny put up barely higher numbers.
Better yet, neither.
Well duh, just saying is all.
The O’s will have a good old time with all the circus clowns if they sign Manny. Hey, why not try and get Milton Bradley to sign if Markakis isn’t healthy?
As an O’s fan, this is a facepalm. Then again, If he is willing to sign a minor league deal, in which we stick him in AAA barring an injury or a new coming out for the 40 year old, then Im fine with it. Nothing wrong with organizational depth.
Sorry, but a player of his caliber (even with baggage and age) should not and would not sign a minor league deal with the orioles. He has the potential to be a decent dh.
You’re nuts.
No, have you seen the Orioles?
He really has to take whatever he can get at this point. He doesn’t exactly have a lot of options.
I think the main problem is that he has to serve his suspension first and he has to be on the major league roster to do that so the minor league signing is pointless.
please tebow no
do they really want to go that low? really?
To play devil’s advocate, if all Ramirez wants is a one-year deal for $1MM (pro-rated to about $700K due to the suspension), then why shouldn’t the O’s consider him?1) He wouldn’t be eligible to play until the end of May, giving the team 50 games to look at Chris Davis and Nolan Reimold as every day players.
2) You’d think that if he is serious enough about playing to have tried fertility drugs, then perhaps he’s taken some advice and isn’t going to do the “Manny being Manny” act.
3) For the sake of argument, let’s say he actually has something left to give. Who would he be blocking if he picked up 350 at bats as a DH?
4) Remember, he’d cost less than $1MM. That’s about 15% of what they paid Vlad last year, and when the season started most O’s fans were ecstatic to have him.
5) We just watched Edwin Jackson take a one-year deal with the Nationals for the primary reason of setting himself up for a multi-year deal next offseason. If Ramirez is serious, isn’t Baltimore (cozy ballpark, desperate need for an intimidating offensive player, no regular DH) an ideal fit, especially if Davis or Reimold or Betemit or someone else is not hitting?
As an O’s fan, I’m certainly not saying we should go give him a Vlad contract. In fact, the only reason I’m willing to give him a major league contract at all is to get the 50 game suspension out of the way and because we still have guys like Zach Phillips on the 40-man roster. I’m intrigued, is all.
I’ll agree, if it is only a minor league contract. Let him prove he is worthy of PT.
I don’t think the suspension starts if he signs a minor league deal. I could be wrong, however.
I wonder how much he would sign for if MLB deal — would he settle for $1MM?
If any team offers him more than $1MM prorated they’re nuts.
Wieters, Teagarden, Davis, Reynolds, Betemit, Hardy, Andino, Reimold, Jones, Markakis, Chavez, 2 of Roberts/Flaherty/Antonelli
If you know for a fact that Roberts is gonna go on that long DL train ride for the season, you can get away with having Flaherty and Antonelli fighting until the 50 game suspension is up and then using Manny as a platoon DH with Betemit, but it is seriously risky having two no glove guys between him and Betemit on the bench. Especiallly when you already have 2 no glove guys in Davis and Reynolds out in the field.
Could Angelos please relocate the franchise please, uugghhhh this organization reeeekkkkeeeesssss
Really? Relocate the franchise? Yeah, that’s a fair way to treat a long-suffering fan base. You’d think Red Sox fans would have some perspective considering their own miserable championship-less odyssey. Its becoming harder and harder to distinguish between a New England area sports fan and a New York area sports fan — the symbols on the hats are different, but the insufferable attitude is the same.
Did you guys enjoy game 162? I sure did.
Andrew…On the money. That game was worth the price of admission for the whole year!
I like how O’s fans freak out about every single report.
You’d think we signed Manny to a $10MM deal the way people are reacting.
You, also! Off to the “Pokey” for Contempt!
You can keep Angelos company.
I am sure Duquette would visit the both of you.
Considering this is the org that signed Vlad for eight million as well as two-year contracts for Gregg and Gonzo, I’d say we have reason to.
I really really want to see Manny jobless and forced into retirement, or playing in Japan. That’d be awesome.
Signed,
Red Sox fans
I’m having trouble digesting the few GMs who are showing some interest. I would love to see at least a few say “Manny? Uh, no….there’s no way I’d sign him”
I’m having trouble digesting the few GMs who are showing some interest. I would love to see at least a few say “Manny? Uh, no….there’s no way I’d sign him”
Cowgill and Smith are going to play in the outfield for the A’s. Gomes will DH and play a bit in the field as did Matsui last year. Don’t see where Ramirez fits in. I’d rather have Damon.
Orioles you have zero shot at the playoffs. Please do not bring this freak show to town and corrupt the young players.
Most a’s fans don’t want Manny since Chris Carter needs the at bats. The A’s are not going for the division so just play the young guys.
this x 1000
I don’t want Manny because he’s Manny. I’d much rather have a guy like Damon to platoon at DH with Gomes.
The Carter man-love is a real mystery to me. Bad in the field, nothing at the plate. Michael Taylor at least has a position and is better than Carter. But, no love for him?
I also don’t think most A’s fans understand what Beane is doing re: position players. Those that can play at the major league level—Weeks, Penny and the 3B’man Service are gettting AB’s. Those that Beane knows can’t cut it (Carter) and the young outfielders have already been replaced by Smith, Cowgill, Reddick and Gomes.
Players like Choice, who are a year or so away will be the youngsters to be given a chance when the time comes.
the problem with carter was that he was horribly mishandled by geren, who had no idea how or when to use him. Taylor just needs to regain some of that strength from pre-wrist injury times.
carter, even when he made the jump to AA and AAA, always takes a while to heat up, but once he gets settled in he starts raking. geren never let him have a chance to settle in. carter’s problem is, at the majors, if you can’t settle in right away, then you’re sent right back down, or benched. the potential is all there, especially with the ruthian power, just takes a little patience, and now that we’re not intent on contending, we have a full year of patience to work with. and if he doesn’t settle in within a third of the season, let kila takeover.
why pay $5 million for a guy like damon when there’s really not a roster spot for him? and like you said, no love for taylor, who could possibly produce similar to damon, better on the defensive side, slightly worse on the offensive side, for league minimum.
Geren did let him settle in the first time—remember he started 0-33 and then perked up. The second time, I agree, Bobo (or Bean?) brought him up and let him rot on the bench. Really, how many chances do you give one player, at the expense of the others?
I agree on no Damon at $5 million, too, and he probably wouldn’t want to return to oakland, anyway.
The guy is a cheater and has declined over the years.
Let alone the fact he will be suspended for the first 50 games of the season.
No Thanks from this Orioles fan.
Not even for a penny
Agreed.
Hopefully, Dan Duquette will realize that the Orioles are too classy a franchise to waste their time on a two-time cheater. Ramirez has thumbed his nose at MLB too many times.
Yikes. Since it couldn’t have come from the Jays’ FO, I’m going to assume Enrique Rojas just added the Jays to the list to make a story and pretend it never happened.
Why isnt he serving 100 games?
because he missed all of last season, so the powers that be decided to reduce it to 50
FYI, Around here, it is common knowledge that Manny is known to make trips into Toronto in the off season. This has been going on for a few years. He says he loves the city. I’m sure he does, there is a huge Caribbean population here, well over 1 million at least. The scuttlebutt is that he loves the TO women too.
It is hilarious that writers link Toronto to every player that isn’t signed yet. Toronto has nowhere for Manny to play, unless the fans are eager to watch Lawrie spinning his wheels in triple A in 2012, so E5 can play third. That is the only way they open up the DH spot for Manny. The front office isn’t known for stupidity, which would rule out the Lawrie demotion for a 39 year old has been that wouldn’t only serve a 50 game suspension, but he would also spend a month in the minors, since he hasn’t played in over a year and a half by the end of the suspension. Personally, I want to see Rasmus, Lawrie, Snider, Lind, have a productive 2012, so they will contribute in the future. Manny at best is a 90 game fill in with no guarantees that he would add even one win to the teams status. He could create a circus atmosphere though and block players progression. He isn’t worth the risk, since he would also force another young prospect OFF the 40 man roster to accommodate him. He also blocks a player on the 25 man roster, since he has to be on the restricted list out of spring training.
Um Manny and E5 share DH duties and since Lind is a platoon player, he sits against LHP and E5 plays 1B.
Lol @ sending down their 2nd best player for Manny
I’m guessing you’ve never heard of a DH platoon…
And I take it that both of you have never heard of player options. The only Jays with options left for triple A are Thames, Rasmus, Lawrie, Arencibia, and Alvarez. If you want to replace anyone else on the roster, you have to expose the players to waivers and there isn’t one player that would pass through waivers unclaimed. That is the only way the Jays add another player. You then have to throw away another player from the 40 Man roster just opening a spot for him and who do you choose to throw away on a 39 year old DH that will give you 90 games, where the two players you are throwing away could be all stars = for another team. Oh, I guess no one ever thinks about that part of the game. lol. That is why Lawrie would be odd man out. Encarnacion can play third, opening the DH. Either that or you send down Alvarez and take an arm out of the bullpen to start, leaving the pen one arm short for three months. Whoops, I guess no one thought about that either. lol.
And I take it that both of you have never heard of player options. The only Jays with options left for triple A are Thames, Rasmus, Lawrie, Arencibia, and Alvarez. If you want to replace anyone else on the roster, you have to expose the players to waivers and there isn’t one player that would pass through waivers unclaimed. That is the only way the Jays add another player. You then have to throw away another player from the 40 Man roster just opening a spot for him and who do you choose to throw away on a 39 year old DH that will give you 90 games, where the two players you are throwing away could be all stars = for another team. Oh, I guess no one ever thinks about that part of the game. lol. That is why Lawrie would be odd man out. Encarnacion can play third, opening the DH. Either that or you send down Alvarez and take an arm out of the bullpen to start, leaving the pen one arm short for three months. Whoops, I guess no one thought about that either. lol.
Please take him o’s or jays
im with you on that
i’m with both of you
At this point Manny should play for free, just to prove that he wants to play.
I used that on the plumber last week… he did all the work for free to prove he wanted the job.
I used that on the plumber last week… he did all the work for free to prove he wanted the job.
I think jays are a great fit sorry right behind bautisa