Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Manny Being Manny A-La Taiwan Style

Manny Ramirez has popped up once again in the Baseball news circuit. Not content with staying out of the public eye, it was announced by Enrique Lopez of ESPN Deportes that unless Ramirez gets a contract with a MLB team by March 7th, he will sign a contract to play for the EDL Rhinos (formerly the Sinun Bulls) of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. This is after Ramirez played Dominican Winterball with Las Águilas Cibaeñas. Ramirez put up decent numbers with Las Águilas hitting .298 with eight homers, 27 RBI and 21 runs in 181 innings.

What I find amusing is how in the video footage Lopez seems to be astonished  that there is not an MLB team that needs Manny Ramirez. How Ramirez was quoted as saying:
"My agents called almost every team in the AL with apparent needs a veteran to use as a designated hitter and occasional pop and nobody was interested,"
Well why would any team stick their necks out to sign him. He's a two time offender under the performance enhancing drug rules and in his last stint with the Tampa Bay Rays batting .059 with no homers, 1 RBI and no runs scored in 17 at-bats before he retired due to a second violation of the PED policy. Clearly with the whole Biogenesis scandal and the announcement of in season HGH testing the  teams, the players union and the league are showing that they are tired with the whole steroid mess that seems to be rearing its ugly head once again. Why bring back a shamed player who many believed was one of best right handed hitters in the history of the game. Why take the chance of being the team that signed Ramirez to a contract and have him fail a third test which would lead to a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball. Ramirez had already served a 50-game suspension for his first violation and retired from the game instead of serving a 100-game suspension for his second violation. The stipulation for his reinstatement was that he serve a 50-game suspension, which Ramirez did while under a minor league contract with the Oakland A's. Knowing the back story of Ramirez and his suspensions, its no wonder why any team would not sign him to any kind of a deal. No team needs that kind of negative press. 

Maybe the best thing for Ramirez would be to play abroad during the summer and play in the Dominican during the winter. Out of sight...out of mind would be the best for all parties involved. What do you think.