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Friday, January 20, 2012

Source: A’s interested in Manny Ramirez

Just BillybeingBilly.

The Oakland Athletics are “very interested” in making Manny Ramirez their designated hitter next season, a source told ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com.

Ramirez, 39, has been working out in Miami since December and has plans to have open workout sessions for clubs interested in his services at the end of January.

Last week, ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reported that the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays had a look at Ramirez batting in an indoor cage.

“The Orioles and Blue Jays saw Manny work and Baltimore liked what it saw, but Oakland has been the team that has expressed the most interest, even before having him work out,” the source said.

Ramirez, a .312 lifetime hitter with 555 home runs and 1,831 career RBIs over 19 seasons, was reinstated by Major League Baseball from the “voluntarily retired” list after the Dominican player opted to leave the game instead of serving a second suspension for violating the league’s banned substances policy in 2011 while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays.

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 20, 2012 at 05:22 PM | 31 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: athletics, rumors, steroids

Reader Comments and Retorts

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   1. Srul Itza Posted: January 20, 2012 at 07:44 PM (#4041644)
It is to laugh.

It is to cry.
   2. cHiEf iMpaCt oFfiCEr JE Posted: January 20, 2012 at 07:54 PM (#4041650)
Would it have killed Rojas to indicate whether the "source" was close to Manny or the A's or, even Jonah Hill? It is not as if this info is incredibly sensitive.
   3. Fred Lynn Nolan Ryan Sweeney Agonistes Posted: January 20, 2012 at 08:02 PM (#4041654)
If it's for the minimum with lots of incentives, why the heck not?
   4. cardsfanboy Posted: January 20, 2012 at 08:32 PM (#4041672)
If it's for the minimum with lots of incentives, why the heck not?


exactly. Might just turn out to be the first good move Beane has made in three years. And of course it would also be a move that has absolutely zero to do with the next competitive A's team.
   5. Squash Posted: January 20, 2012 at 08:37 PM (#4041675)
Ha! If he can teach any one of the team's young bums anything to halt their decline into badness, why not?

And: Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Joe Morgan, Mike Piazza, Nomar Garciaparra ...
   6. Squash Posted: January 20, 2012 at 08:43 PM (#4041679)
Might just turn out to be the first good move Beane has made in three years.

This is I agree with. It's not Beane's moves this offseason that bug me, it's the moves since 2008 until now that do.
   7. smileyy Posted: January 20, 2012 at 08:54 PM (#4041684)
[4] Oh, I don't know, that Frank Thomas thing turned out pretty well the first time around.

Its not that he hasn't made good moves. Just that the good moves haven't been significant enough.
   8. JJ1986 Posted: January 20, 2012 at 09:07 PM (#4041693)
I think the Gio trade was a good move. It shouldn't be lumped in with his other dumps.
   9. Athletic Supporter is USDA certified lean Posted: January 20, 2012 at 09:52 PM (#4041714)
Oh, god, please no.
   10. base ball chick Posted: January 21, 2012 at 12:15 AM (#4041751)
IF it worked it would be the first even OK thing billy has done since signing frank thomas. i can't even remember the last time he has made an effing A trade
   11. Everybody Loves Tyrus Raymond Posted: January 21, 2012 at 12:49 AM (#4041759)
Billy can do whatever he wants now. He's immortalized on film as a handsome, contrarian genius. There's not going to be a Moneyball 2: My Sh!t Doesn't Work in the Regular Season. Although, frankly, I'd pay to see it.
   12. Brandon in MO (Yunitility Infielder) Posted: January 21, 2012 at 12:54 AM (#4041761)
"We want you at designated hitter"
"I've only ever played the outfield"
"It's not that hard, Manny. Tell him, Wash"
"It's incredibly hard"
   13. Walt Davis Posted: January 21, 2012 at 02:26 AM (#4041775)
Picking up Thomas the second time was also perfectly fine. And ... ummmm ... I got nuthin'.

EDIT: oh, wait, Sizemore's worked out well so far.
   14. Ron J Posted: January 21, 2012 at 02:56 AM (#4041780)
#13 What was wrong with adding McCarthy? I'm far from confident he can keep that walk rate, but he hasn't exactly failed yet.
   15. Joyful Calculus Instructor Posted: January 21, 2012 at 03:15 AM (#4041782)
Piazza and Nomar were the first guys to come to mind for me...
   16. Crispix Attacksel Rios Posted: January 21, 2012 at 10:47 AM (#4041821)
Manny deserves to join the "had his last gasp as an Oakland A" list, along with Kevin Mitchell, Tim Raines, Ron Gant, David Justice, Mark McLemore, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, Nomar Garciaparra, Shannon Stewart, Ben Sheets, Eric Karros, Mike Stanley, Tom Candiotti, Bip Roberts, Joe Morgan, Dave Parker, Willie Randolph, Don Baylor, Dusty Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Sax, Willie Wilson, Don Sutton, Tommy John, Mike Torrez, Goose Gossage, Dave Righetti, Eric Show, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams, Dick Allen, Orlando Cepeda, and Ken Phelps.
   17. Crispix Attacksel Rios Posted: January 21, 2012 at 11:11 AM (#4041829)
Also Todd Walker, Denny McLain, Reggie Jackson part II and Keith Foulke part II.

And all three Alou brothers, albeit a couple years before they retired.`
   18. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 21, 2012 at 11:36 AM (#4041840)
Would it have killed Rojas to indicate whether the "source" was close to Manny or the A's or, even Jonah Hill? It is not as if this info is incredibly sensitive.


His source is a Craigslist post advertising a grill for sale in Oakland.
   19. Bourbon Samurai stays in the fight Posted: January 21, 2012 at 12:16 PM (#4041864)
FIts right into the long A's tradition of having all the great players when they got nothing left. I look forward to his 200/380/300 line.
   20. Joyful Calculus Instructor Posted: January 21, 2012 at 01:01 PM (#4041891)
I read [16] and my first thought was "Didn't Raines end his career in Flordia?" And he did. Remove his name from that list.
   21. Bourbon Samurai stays in the fight Posted: January 21, 2012 at 01:12 PM (#4041899)
20, a lot of those guys didn't actually finish in Oakland, they just had a late career stop when they were past their prime.
   22. Squash Posted: January 21, 2012 at 03:31 PM (#4041958)
What's amazing is just how long it's been going on. I mean, Ty Cobb all the way through Mike Piazza and now prospectively Manny Ramirez? That's 100 years of beautiful culture.
   23. Crispix Attacksel Rios Posted: January 21, 2012 at 04:28 PM (#4041978)
Almost all those guys were there in their last season. If it was just guys who were washed up, you get everyone from the three Alou brothers and other ex-Dodgers and ex-Giants of the Finley era, up through Mike Sweeney. Dock Ellis, Jeff Burroughs, Dave Parker (38 but still an All-Star) ... everyone joins the A's when they're approaching 40.

Oh, Gary Lavelle is on the authentic Last Gasp team as well. And Ron Gant.
   24. rr Posted: January 21, 2012 at 06:09 PM (#4042021)
Where's Shooty? Need his .02 on this idea.
   25. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: January 21, 2012 at 07:43 PM (#4042065)
I look forward to his 200/380/300 line.

Don't you mean his 50/100/permanent line?
   26. valuearbitrageur Posted: January 22, 2012 at 01:13 AM (#4042231)
exactly. Might just turn out to be the first good move Beane has made in three years. And of course it would also be a move that has absolutely zero to do with the next competitive A's team.


It actually could be a nice help for the next As championship. If Beane can sell Manny to a contender he can convert some current payroll into prospects. If its important to spend a minimum level of payroll in order to placate the union while making a run at a top draft pick, spend it on a guy you have a good shot at flipping. The As are most logical destination, given they don't care that he'll be missing the first two months.
   27. Good cripple hitter Posted: January 22, 2012 at 03:01 AM (#4042248)
I really find it hard to believe that Manny Ramirez can be a flippable asset.I suppose anything's possible with Manny, but it the odds are probably strongly against it.

To be worth anything, he needs to rake , and Zips has him at a 101 OPS+ with not much power. Even if he does hit well, I can't imagine a team parting with a prospect who'd be 'a nice help for the next As championship' for two months of the Manny circus. Maybe a live arm/no command reliever, or a solid glove/no bat infielder, but he probably isn't worth more than a longshot lottery ticket.

That being said, as you say, it might be worth it for the As to try. They've got the money, Manny can't possibly be that expensive, and if he doesn't hit it's not like he will singlehandedly torpedo their playoff chances. bbut overall I don't think he's a better candidate for the sign-and-flip maneuver than (two pull two names out of the hat) Johnny Damon or Jim Thome.
   28. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: January 22, 2012 at 08:28 AM (#4042289)
If Beane can sell Manny to a contender he can convert some current payroll into prospects.


Maybe they could get Brandon Allen for him.
   29. valuearbitrageur Posted: January 23, 2012 at 12:16 AM (#4042850)
To be worth anything, he needs to rake , and Zips has him at a 101 OPS+ with not much power. Even if he does hit well, I can't imagine a team parting with a prospect who'd be 'a nice help for the next As championship' for two months of the Manny circus. Maybe a live arm/no command reliever, or a solid glove/no bat infielder, but he probably isn't worth more than a longshot lottery ticket.


Not sure why ZIPs is so down on him, he's never been below 126 in even a half season. I wonder if it's mis-categorizing the time he's missed as injury time.

But either way, he'll either be toast and unsalable, or he will hit close to like the Manny of old. They don't care about scenario one if they can afford eat his salary. That's the cost of the gamble..

Because of those 50 games, it's hard for a contender to gamble the money and roster spot on Manny, but for contenders at mid season needing more offense or to replace key injured players, he would be the ultimate DH upgrade, and maybe more.

The key is to not overpay. The more affordable the contract, the more they can get for him. He needs the As too, or someone like them willing to tie up a roster spot for 50 games on the gamble he isn't toast.
   30. valuearbitrageur Posted: January 23, 2012 at 12:19 AM (#4042853)
Maybe they could get Brandon Allen for him.


I'm sure they can do better than a 80 OPS+ first baseman.
   31. The District Attorney Posted: January 23, 2012 at 12:53 AM (#4042879)
Jose Canseco:
Just saw the movie money ball .it was awesome congrats billy I especially loved the part about you and your daughter.ps I would have played for you back then for free.I was one of those misfits who needed a second chance
Billy is probably as good looking as brad pitt
I am going to play this year
Billy beane call me would love to dh for you just give me a tryout that's all I ask
Billy beane email me Jc7264@yahoo.com
I am hitting at on deck baseball academy in Vegas ask Andy about me

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