In an effort to improve their moribund offense, the Oakland Athletics announced earlier this week that they had signed Manny Ramirez to a minor-league contract valued at around $500k. One of the most enigmatic characters in the game, Ramirez is widely regarded as one of the finest pure hitters in MLB history. However, his reputation has taken a serious beating over the past few years thanks to a pair of positive tests for PEDs. Some viewed this as a low-risk, high-reward move that could give Oakland an effective DH at a very low cost. Others believe that the Athletics—or any ...
As a Giants' fan of 20-plus years, many people—Athletics' fans chiefly—have openly wondered why my favorite player of all-time is Rickey Henderson.He is best known for his 12 seasons with the cross-bay rival Athletics. A San Fran devotee with an Oakland idol isn't quite the sacrilege of a New Yorker worshiping David Ortiz, but it's close.Truth be told, I would have loved Rickey no matter what uniform he wore—given the chance. Ironically, it's because he played for Oakland, not despite—that I became a fan. Living in the Bay Area meant plenty of local-Rickey coverage, and I soaked it all up—his ...
It's been a confusing offseason for the Oakland Athletics.First, it looked like they were going through an extreme fire sale as they traded Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey for prospects.Then, it took a crazy turn last week when the Athletics signed Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes and Manny Ramirez.So it would be easy to question just which the direction the Athletics are taking. Don't worry, baseball fans. You shouldn't be fooled.While on the surface it looks like the A's are filling the holes on what they expect to be a surprising team in the American League West, the reality ...
A week ago, the Oakland Athletics shocked many with the addition of 26-year-old Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes.Naturally, ESPN, being the biggest sports source on television, ran a story covering the signing. What's surprising, however, is that the only footage they were able to show of the Cuban was a single home run highlight, on loop. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the young Cuban outfielder, which is why it's so surprising that a team like Oakland would throw so much money his way, $36 million to be exact. Coming into the 2012 season, Cespedes will be expected to immediately produce for ...
It’s certainly not that I am not intrigued by the idea of “Manny being Manny” in Oakland and what it could mean to an offense that finished 12th in the American League in 2011. It’s also not that I don’t agree the A’s needed a threat in the middle of their lineup; they certainly needed to replace the offense lost with the departure of free agents Josh Willingham, David DeJesus and Hideki Matsui. The signing of Ramirez to a very affordable $500,000 salary is certainly the ultimate no-risk, high-reward signing by Billy Beane, but what does it mean to a ...
Manny is back and could be a great steal for the Oakland Athletics.Ramirez signed a minor league deal with Oakland that will give him a chance to serve out his 50-game suspension while helping mentor young outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and providing some power to the Athletics' lineup.It's true: no one really knows what Manny has left. He was awful in his 2010 stint with the Chicago White Sox and was then suspended by Major League Baseball early last season when he violated the drug rules for the third time. It was "Manny being Manny" in the worst way.Yet this signing ...
Yesterday, the Oakland Athletics agreed to a one-year deal with Manny Ramirez that could be worth $500,000 next season.Manny is expected to serve as the DH for the A's for the latter two-thirds of the season. He must first serve a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy for a second time. Keep in mind, shortly after he was found to violate the policy last season, he abruptly retired from baseball.Some question if Ramirez will still be able to produce at the major league level. He turns 40 this year on May 30, and has not played professional ...
The Oakland A's signing of Manny Ramirez to a $500,000 Minor League deal has brought strong reactions from fans.In reality, the addition of the 39-year-old slugger is no big deal.The last time we saw Ramirez, he failed his second drug test and was facing a 100-game suspension. Since he missed an entire season, his suspension has been reduced to 50 games.In his last two seasons, Ramirez has only played in 29 games and hit one home run. His batting average was down from his career numbers with his average at .261 with the Chicago White Sox in 2010.In a small ...
Billy Beane must have loved TinkerToys when he was a kid. Actually, no, maybe that's not true. It had to be harder to calculate the OPS+ for a TinkerToy than for today's toys.Did you know Manny Ramirez has a career OPS of .996 with an OPS+ of 154? Yes, both those numbers include the five-game, 17 plate-appearance stint with the Tampa Bay Rays last season before seemingly quitting the game instead of facing his second suspension for failing a drug test. Still, both numbers are awesome. Was last year a final sign of decline for Manny, or was it a bad fit ...
Me, myself and I have always been the only three people on the planet that newly signed Oakland A’s Manny Ramirez has ever cared about. And baseball fans, not only in Oakland but around the country, should be dreading what this dastardly designated hitter will do next in his unexpected return to Major League Baseball. Yesterday, the oft-maligned, mercurial Manny made many murmur when the Dominican-born slugger inked a $500,000 per year minor league contract with the Oakland A’s, his sixth and hopefully last major league team. The recalcitrant Ramirez’s return to MLB was met with the same mix of cynicism ...