Manny Ramirez Rumors: Oakland A’s Likely to Sign Manny
By Editorial Staff
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Oakland A’s are expected to sign free agent Manny Ramirez “just before or soon after the start of Spring Training”. The A’s have been one of several teams tied to Ramirez this offseason, joining a list of clubs that includes the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.
During the first week of February it was reported that Ramirez and his representation were deciding between three clubs; the Blue Jays, Orioles and A’s. Toronto and Baltimore were two of the first clubs tied to Ramirez, as they sent scouts to watch Manny hit after he was officially reinstated by the league. Oakland joined the party a little later on, but they have also been viewed as one of the clubs most interested in Ramirez.
Monday we passed on news that the Blue Jays and Orioles ducked out of the Ramirez sweepstakes. Both clubs have backed off of Manny publically as negotiations apparently failed to progress.
This would seem to leave us with a one-team race for Ramirez. Slusser’s report seems to confirm this, indicating that it’s no longer a matter of if the A’s will ink Manny but when an agreement will be reached. Ramirez is likely to receive a minor league contract and an invite to Spring Training.
At this point, is Ramirez worth taking a flier on?
For more on the Athletics, be sure to check out Swingin’ A’s.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.