Why Not? ManRam Signs With Oakland

The likely outcome of the Oakland Athletics' signing of soon-to-be 40-year-old Manny Ramirez is a great deal of unfulfilled hype. But for $500,000 (what they are paying him if he makes the big league club), isn't that the worst thing that could happen?

Manny's one-year deal is a minor league contract, but he heads into Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Chances are he will make the A's roster for the regular season, and will be able to play after serving a 50-game suspension for PEDs (this was his second offense; he normally would have had to wait 100 games, but him sitting out last season negated half of them).

For the (very) small market A's, this can only be a positive. $500,000 is almost nothing to a pro sports team, even the A's, and can be made up in a few days by the extra ticket sales Manny will bring in. They are also starving for offense; they finished 12th of 14 AL teams in runs scored a season ago. While Manny will be turning 40 around the time he'll be able to play, it is hoped that he will be able to provide a spark from the DH spot.

He's also been working out all winter, something characteristic of him, even if it doesn't seem so. He's in playing shape currently, although not being juiced up on PEDs could have an impact to his power numbers along with age.

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, the highest-paid player on the A's roster (four years, 36 million), has expressed interest in playing alongside Manny. It's been perceived Ramirez would be a positive clubhouse addition with a group of young guys, as opposed to a distraction. Based on all he's been through, the Manny being Manny act will probably tone down.

If Manny can come into Oakland, be half the hitter he was, and sell some tickets, that will be all owner Lew Wolff and the rest of the Athletics organization can ask for.

Manny Calls it Quits

It is really quite a shame. "Manny being Manny" is now a thing of the past. Caught for the second time taking performance-enhancing drugs, Ramirez chose to retire rather than fight the 100-game suspension he would have received as a result of being a second-time offender. Not only does this discovery further taint his legacy, but it also puts his future Hall of Fame status up in the air.

Us fans all know Manny as the guy who took a cell phone call in the Green Monster during a game at Fenway, or the jokester who ran on the field with an American flag when he became an American citizen. He dreads became iconic in the baseball world, as did his indifferent defensive approach and happy-go-lucky attitude. And boy, could he tear the cover off of a baseball.

One of the greatest right-handed hitters the game has ever seen, Manny's stats rival baseball's all-time greats. Registering 2,574 hits, 555 homers, a .585 career slugging percentage, and a .996 OPS, Manny would have been regarded as a legend, had it not been for the PEDs. After all, the above stat line was only also accomplished by the one and only Babe Ruth, and the also tainted Barry Bonds. Sure, Manny's stats are real, they happened, but they will be forever marked with an asterisk in the eyes of the fans and Hall of Fame voters. Just like, courtesy of Marc Ecko, Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball has one branded into it.

All of Manny's escapades always seem to have a bitter end: the fallout in Boston, the one-pitch ejection in his final game as a Dodger, and now this. Manny will be missed in baseball by many for sure, and rightfully so. One can only wonder, however, if Manny would have been such a stat machine if not for the PEDs.

Ramirez, Damon Reunited, now in Tampa Bay

In 2004, Johnny Damon looked like a caveman and Manny Ramirez' dreads were the same as always when, as members of the Boston Red Sox, the two cornerstone players won a World Series. The Boston Curse was over at last. Those days are long gone for the 37-year-old Damon and 38-year old Ramirez, both far past their prime, but looking to prove they both have something left in the tank.

The small-market Tampa Bay Rays haven't exactly had the best of offseasons this winter, losing the top dogs of their 2008 World Series team, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. Rafael Soriano, the team's lights-out closer last season, recently signed with the Yankees. Tampa's window seems to be closing. Evan Longoria, the team's centerpiece, remains, but the Rays look to be headed back to where they've been for years: at the bottom of the standings, or at least watching from home in October.

They still possess a solid starting rotation, led by up-and-coming superstar ace David Price, who started for the American League and this past season's All-Star Game, as well as the aforementioned Longoria. But without Crawford and Pena, will the Rays be able to produce nearly enough offense to contend with Boston and New York in the AL East?

GM Andrew Friedman showed he at least wants to try with the signings of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. It would be a dream for him and the 50 fans that go to Tampa Bay games if they could relive what the two did as teammates in Boston, a World Series championship. Could the 2011 Rays be the 2008 Rays, or better yet, 2010 Giants? All of the signs say no, but there is certainly a chance.

Damon will take the place of Crawford in the outfield, where the Rays can expect a slight drop-off in every statistical category. But Damon is still a solid MLB player at this stage in his career, who can almost guarantee a .350 OBP.

In Ramirez' case, one really doesn't know what to expect. He still seems to be, while not the Manny Ramirez of the past, one of the better hitters in the game. .280/25/75 or so, while seemingly slightly exaggerated, does seem realistic for this season (if he can stay healthy) considering what he's done with the bat the past few years.

While the signing of Damon and Ramirez certainly doesn't make the Tampa Bay Rays once again contenders for an MLB crown, it gives them a fighter's chance. Damon is a veteran clubhouse leader while Manny will be Manny, regardless of location. What would be nice for the Rays organization is if these signings could bolster attendance for the team a bit, but we all know that's not going to happen anytime soon.