Manny Ramirez just won’t let sleeping dogs lie.
According to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, the twelve-time All-Star is seeking one more shot at the big leagues.
Manny being persistent. Ramirez is working hard & looking surprisingly good as he seeks 1 more job. http://t.co/VP9HkmVgON
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 9, 2014
Ramirez recently worked out at a ballpark near his South Florida home. The 41 year-old, considered in his prime as one of the most dangerous sluggers in baseball, looked “impressive,” according to an MLB scout.
He certainly didn’t impress during his last MLB stint. In 2011, Ramirez went 1-for-17 at the plate with no walks in five games with the Tampa Bay Rays before abruptly announcing his retirement.
During Spring Training that year he reportedly tested positive for a banned substance, his second such failed drug test. Instead of facing a 100-game suspension, he just called it quits.
Ramirez’s steroid-aided fall from grace was quite remarkable. Before being traded to the Chicago White Sox at the 2010 July 31st deadline, he clubbed 8 home runs and a .915 OPS with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went on to homer just once in 88 plate appearances in Chicago’s South Side.
That Ramirez is so determined to return to MLB with his blatant and repetitive PED use speaks to his character. It’s understandable that clubs are apprehensive to invest in an aging past-his-prime product with an alarming disregard for the league’s doping policy. Couple that with his practically nonexistent ability on defense and the fact that he hasn’t consistently faced MLB-caliber pitching in over three years, and, well, I just don’t see it happening.
Although apparently “a few teams” have reached out to Ramirez and recently scouted him, Heyman says.
At this point, an offensively inept American League team could make a last-ditch effort to spark their lineup and sign him to a minor league deal as a DH. But I think even that is a wishful thinking scenario. He turns 42 later this month, and would be the second-oldest player in MLB behind Jason Giambi.
Manny Being Manny was one of the best shows in baseball years ago. Now, after being condemned to nothing more than stints with the Triple-A affiliates of the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers over the past two seasons, I think the writing is on the wall.