Manny Ramirez has a verbal agreement to sign with the EDA Rhinos of the China Professional League, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (Spanish link). However, the agreement won't be completed until March 7th. Ramirez has until that date to reach a deal with an MLB team, but he expressed optimism about playing in Taiwan.
"It will be a new experience, experience another culture while I keep doing what I love and all I've done in my life, playing baseball," Ramirez said.
Ramirez, a client of agent Barry Praver, told Rojas that his representatives called almost every American League team that could use a powerful bat. However, "nobody was interested" in the words of Ramirez. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported earlier this month that Ramirez was in talks to play for the Rhinos.
Ramirez recently played in the Dominican Winter League, but he last played at the MLB level with the 2011 Rays. He signed with the Athletics last winter, only to be released in June, before he played in a big league game. Ramirez has 555 home runs and a .312/.411/.585 batting line over the course of a 19-year playing career that includes 12 All-Star Game selections and multiple suspensions related to performance enhancing drugs.
