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Former major league outfielder Manny Ramirez is set to lace up the cleats overseas.

The Kochi Fighting Dogs—who play in Japan’s independent Shikoku Island League—announced Monday they reached an agreement with Ramirez on their official website.

According to the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports), the league Ramirez joined has just four teams in it. The AP noted this is not the first time the retired MLB star has played in a different country, since he was a member of the EDA Rhinos of Chinese Professional Baseball in Taiwan in 2013.

Brandon Schlager of Omnisport (h/t Sporting News) wrote Ramirez’s playing career has “been dormant” since he was a player-coach for the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in 2014.

TMZ Sports reported in December Ramirez’s wife, Juliana, said he was “training extremely hard.”

Ramirez last played in the major leagues in 2011 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays when he tallied 17 at-bats with just one hit and one RBI.

Despite the lackluster showing in 2011, he is one of the better sluggers of his generation. He played from 1993 to 2011 for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and Rays and finished his career with 12 All-Star appearances and nine Silver Sluggers.

He was a power hitter who hit for average as well, and he slashed .312/.411/.585 in his career with 555 home runs and 1,831 RBI. He finished with 12 seasons with more than 30 home runs and 12 seasons with more than 100 RBI during his MLB tenure.

While he was effective at the majority of his stops, Ramirez is best known for his time with Boston because he directed the franchise to its first title since 1918 as the 2004 World Series MVP. He was part of a daunting tandem alongside David Ortiz that helped the Red Sox overcome a 3-0 deficit in the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees and beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic.

Ramirez is 44 years old and is well-removed from his prime, but he gives the Fighting Dogs a name with star power who will theoretically draw fans into the stadium. He also gets to continue playing the game that made him famous, even if he won’t be making as many headlines as he did ending a curse with the Red Sox.

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For those who don’t remember, MLB used to feature one of the most vibrant, audacious and hard-hitting athletes in sport. Thankfully, Manny Ramirez hasn’t given up on his dream to once again star in the majors, this time as Super Manny. 

We warned that you would only encourage him, Chinese Professional Baseball League. 

ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas (h/t NESN) reports the 41-year-old former big leaguer who played 19 seasons with teams such as the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers wants back in the bigs. 

According to Rojas, Ramirez was featured on Grandes en los Deportes, a show on ESPN Radio 104.5 FM, which airs in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

That’s where he dropped the following: 

My qualities are still there, and I just need an opportunity to continue showing that the ‘Super Manny’ can help a team. For now, I have no team interested, but I’m still working. Maybe I don’t have anything this week, but who knows? Maybe next week I could get a call. 

We can only hope there is a cape involved for this Super Manny iteration of the player who was many times more character than athlete. 

Ramirez continued: 

Three weeks ago, I received a call from Taiwan to check if I wanted to return there, but I feel I can still help in MLB, in a role similar to Jason Giambi in Cleveland, for example. If it is God’s will, I could play in MLB this season. I just need a team to open the doors. I can help in the field and in the clubhouse for the younger guys.

Ah, so ManRam has come to the delusional portion of retirement, usually set aside for the later years when babbling relentlessly along the golf course takes place. 

It may seem harsh, but the declining skills of an older player aren’t the only worry of a potential organization looking at Ramirez. 

In 2009, while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ramirez was suspended 50 games. As the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez reported at the time, the test showed Ramirez’s system contained, “a female fertility drug that is used by steroid users to restore testosterone production to normal levels.”

In 2011, his time with the Tampa Bay Rays came to an end when the slugger decided to retire rather than face a second suspension under baseball’s drug policy. 

The itch to play and the ability to not only produce on the field but entertain remained, so Ramirez left for other ventures. 

As Rojas reminds, Ramirez recently ended his campaign with the EDA Rhinos of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League, wherein he not only hit “.352 with eight homers and 43 RBIs in 49 games” but also procured some memorable highlight videos: 

And really, that remains the legacy of a player whose mere mention sparks thoughts of the classic meme before there were memes: Manny being Manny: 

Ramirez was an unbelievable talent who hit 555 home runs, garnered a .996 OPS and drove in over 1,800 runs during his prolific career. But the numbers sometimes take a backseat to the positive tests and outrageous antics for one of baseball’s more enduring characters. 

And so the will remains.

However, the larger question is if there is any need left among the 30 teams Ramirez might target. 

Rojas does note Ramirez last enjoyed a stint with the Texas Rangers’s Triple-A affiliate, hitting a mere .259 before being released. He also attempted a comeback with the A’s in 2012, hitting .302 for the organization’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. 

The former slugger spoke about his time with the Rangers on ESPN Radio 104.5 FM, via ESPN: “I can’t complain about Texas. They gave me the opportunity. After my arrival from Taiwan, everybody was in game shape and I felt I was in spring training.”

Judging by those on Twitter, a Ramirez comeback is unlikely: 

NBC HardballTalk’s Craig Calcaterra believes MLB has seen the last of the outfielder: 

He’s had multiple chances to show that “his qualities are still there,” and he’s shown nothing. The A’s and Rangers gave him looks in Triple-A. He had a .697 OPS in 69 plate appearances in Sacramento in 2012 and a .698 OPS in 119 plate appearances for Round Rock in 2013.

The only thing we may see again is another report that Ramirez is in shape and ready to play in the bigs, because he seems adamant that his journey is not yet over. 

Much like throughout his career, Ramirez is going to deal with retirement in his own way, even if that means consistently pleading for a shot. 

With multiple opportunities squandered, there doesn’t seem to be anybody willing to listen. Super Manny sounds like a great character—one baseball fans would pay to watch and tune in to witness, but there isn’t one general manager out there who seems ready to believe this player actually exists. 

It’s just Manny Ramirez now, a man who had an unbelievable career, filled with amazing highs, unfortunate lows and hilarious highlights to fill out every last sentiment in between. 

Super Manny would be nice if he were real, but all that remains is a man wanting into a game that already moved on. It’s best if he does the same. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

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Manny Ramirez will not be playing for the Texas Rangers this season.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the organization has released the former All-Star slugger:

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels also issued a statement, via MLBlogs Network: “Based on our evaluation, there was not a spot for Manny on the club at this time. We released him so he could pursue other opportunities if he so chooses.”

The Rangers signed Ramirez to a minor league deal back in early July after he had been playing overseas in Taiwan, per Todd Wills of ESPN Dallas. The outfielder and designated hitter has been playing for Triple-A Round Rock ever since.   

In 30 games in the minor leagues, Ramirez hit .259/.328/.370 with three home runs, 13 RBI and seven runs. He walked 8.4 percent of the time and struck out 11.8 percent of the time. He wasn’t overly impressive in his time with Round Rock, but he still could’ve aided the Texas offense down the stretch.

Texas is in the midst of a tight battle for the American League West crown with the Oakland Athletics, but it recently lost a key contributor. Nelson Cruz was suspended for the remainder of the regular season for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, according to Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times.

At the time of the suspension, some may have gotten their hopes up that Ramirez was going to be promoted to help fill the void in Texas’ outfield. But that didn’t happen, as the organization decided to go with an external option instead of an internal one. The team traded for Alex Rios on Aug. 9, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

The Rangers are also awaiting the return of Lance Berkman. The slugger is currently making a few rehab starts in Triple-A and even hit a home run on Aug. 10, according to Sullivan. As Bleacher Report’s Will Carroll points out, the release of Ramirez may signal an upcoming activation of Berkman:

Ramirez has played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball and has been selected to the MLB All-Star Game 12 times in his career. He’s a .312/.411/.585 career hitter with 555 home runs and 1,831 RBI.

Whether he eventually makes a return to the big leagues remains to be seen, but it won’t be with Texas in 2013.

All statistics in this article were obtained via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted and are current through August 12.

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When Manny Ramirez signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers earlier this week it didn’t seem as though he could offer much help to the team as a 41-year-old.

That might not be the case.

Ramirez looks good in Triple-A, hitting the first pitch he saw for a line drive single and hitting his first home run on Tuesday night.

Manny Ramirez just homered for Round Rock. Maybe he can help Rangers (although word is he’s not coming up real soon).

— Danny Knobler (@DannyKnoblerCBS) July 10, 2013

Manny went 2-for-2 with a home run, a single and a bases loaded walk in his first three at-bats with three RBI.

Ramirez has been looking good after returning from Taiwan, where he hit .353 with eight dingers and 43 RBI in 49 games, helping the EDA Rhinos win the first half championship a year after finishing 31 games back.

Talk about production.

While the pitching Manny was facing in Taiwan wasn’t exactly MLB-caliber, it was still good to watch his bat come back to life and start belting home runs like this one:

Ramirez has come back a changed man. Not only has he appeared to become wiser with age, but he is now content to help others learn, as seen by him helping Mike Olt correct his swing.

Ramirez sounds completely different than the sideshow we came to know and love, instead sounding much more mature when talking to USA Today.

We all do a lot of things when we are young, but if you can make it through the fire, you are changed, made better and ready for anything else.

I am just happy, my wife is happy. I am working very hard and we’ll see where it goes. But it is a fun ride.

The future is greater than the past.

We’re dealing with a different Manny Ramirez than we’ve known in the past, and the transformation can be seen on the field as well, where he’s playing much better than he did with the Tampa Bay Rays the last time he was in the MLB.

But can he really help the Rangers this season?

With Lance Berkman hitting the DL and the team in desperate need of runs, why not?

After losing Josh Hamilton and his .285 batting average with 43 home runs and 128 RBI, the Rangers offense isn’t the same group that led the MLB in runs last year with 808. The team is down from 5.0 runs per game last year to just 4.4 this year, and that spells trouble.

The Rangers are currently a half game back of the Oakland Athletics and are in a dogfight for the AL West crown. However, without some help on offense it might not happen for Texas.

This is where Ramirez comes in. The team needs a DH, and he might be their best option at this point.

Ramirez batted .315 with seven home runs and 41 RBI in 62 games in Texas, finding more success at the Rangers’ home park than most others. He has also gotten off to a fast start in the minors, showing that he could be MLB-ready soon.

If the Rangers drop a few games without Berkman and are desperate for some offense, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Man-Ram gets called up earlier than expected. Even if he’s not called up soon, he should put up good numbers once he makes it to the MLB.

Follow @JoshSchoch

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Manny Ramirez has descended baseball’s ranks.

Since his release from the Red Sox in 2008, Ramirez has gone from feared slugger to a selfish waste of roster space.

The 12-time All Star was once one of baseball’s most intimidating presences at the dish. He had a flawless swing, ineffable approach and incredible raw ability.

There wasn’t a pitch Ramirez didn’t like, and there wasn’t an offering he couldn’t punish.

Now, Ramirez is worse than a washed-up veteran. On top of that, he is selfish, greedy and his usual lazy self. 

I’ll preface this by saying I am a long-time Ramirez supporter. I forgave him for his unforgivable baserunning errors on the 1997 Cleveland Indians, and I overlooked his unforgettable cut-off of Johnny Damon’s relay throw from left-center field of Fenway Park. 

Ramirez’s talent allowed for such oversights. Now, the nine-time Silver Slugger winner’s talent pales in comparison to his off-field atrocities. 

Any team thinking about approaching Ramirez in insane. It’s as simple as that. There’s nothing he could possibly offer any squad. 

He is a veteran lacking leadership and a hitter who’s lost a step. 

Besides leadership and a few timely hits, what could a player his age have to offer?

The answer is nothing. 

Ideally, the headline of this article provided obvious insight into the state of Ramirez’s career. If it didn’t, you are still living in the mid-1990s or early 2000s. 

Last year, Ramirez played for the Tampa Bay Rays. He went 1-17 at the plate, and fell way short of any one-year expectations riding on his $2.02 million deal. 

This year, he had 14 RBI in Triple A Sacramento, but Oakland couldn’t guarantee his promotion.

He obviously wants to make it back to the major leagues, but what value remains?

Is he a real piece for a contender, or is he a sideshow who’s sole use is ticket sales?

I vote for the latter.

Ramirez has always been tagged as a lazy, selfish player who’s lone intent relies upon personal gain and achievements. He hasn’t changed, and teams do not need his presence polluting their clubhouse.

Maybe Ramirez can find his stroke for a pennant race. Maybe he will put his self-absorbed leanings aside and help a team come together at the same time.

For anyone thinking this, I have one question. 

Have you watched Ramirez play? That just isn’t him. 

He is one of the best right-handed hitters to ever take a hack at the major league level. He is a lot of other things as well. 

But Ramirez will never be selfless, and he will never be a leader. Outside of prodigious ability, why else would any team pick up a 40-year-old outfielder who literally can’t, and won’t, play defense?

They shouldn’t, and I hope they wouldn’t. 

Baseball fans have heard “it’s just Manny being Manny” countless times. When he delivered at the plate with ruthless authority, that was fine. 

But now, Ramirez should be swathed in yellow caution tape as he toils in baseball purgatory.

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Manny will soon be Manny again.

Any day now. Maybe. Possibly.

OK fine, nobody except Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane has any real clue when Manny Ramirez might be ready to join the big club, thus ending a lengthy absence from Major League Baseball made up of a sudden retirement in 2011 and a 50-game PED suspension this season. Beane will know when Manny is ready when his scouts say Manny is ready.

Nobody should hold their breath. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported this on Monday:

The A’s do have one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time at Triple-A Sacramento, but scouts and baseball executives who have seen Ramirez recently agree with Oakland’s assessment that he is not ready for the majors. In addition, Ramirez has been bothered by left hamstring tightness that limited him to one at-bat in the past four games, but Ramirez is hanging in there, he said Sunday.

Technically, Manny is ready. He’s not actually ready, though, because he’s old, out of shape, out of form and, well, washed up.

So, as a lot of people expected it would, Manny Ramirez’s triumphant return to baseball in 2012 is turning into a not-so-triumphant joke. I’ll tip my hat to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News for summing it up best by writing that Manny is “a pipe dream of a powerless team.”

This was meant to be. Though it’s turned into a sort of dark comedy, the Manny Ramirez story has been absurd ever since he washed his hands of baseball in 2011. The saga itself is a mockery of Major League Baseball’s longstanding problem with performance-enhancing drugs.

Manny’s first 50-game suspension in 2009 was a bittersweet storyline for MLB. It was bitter because one of the game’s biggest stars had been nailed for PED usage, and it was a sweet storyline for that exact same reason.

For years, the league had been forced to endure criticism for how it thrived on the exploits of cheaters for so many years. With Manny’s suspension in 2009, MLB got to show (a) that its testing system works and (b) that even the game’s biggest stars can’t escape punishment. The fact that the league got to punish Manny for testing positive for a female fertility drug (see Los Angeles Times report) made him look like a particularly twisted villain.

Major League Baseball was a winner when Manny was suspended, and the league continued to be a winner after he came back. He hit just .269 with a .492 slugging percentage in 77 games after returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009. Before his suspension, he was hitting .348 with a .641 slugging percentage in 27 games.

That huge drop-off in production was, in essence, proof that juicers won’t be the same if you take their juice away. Score one for MLB.

Manny failed to prove otherwise in 2010, as he hit just .298 with a .468 slugging percentage and nine home runs in 90 games with the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. He was even worse in 2011, collecting one hit in 17 at-bats with the Tampa Bay Rays before abruptly retiring.

And Manny retired, of course, because MLB caught him again. Since it was his second violation, he was facing a 100-game suspension (see New York Times report). Instead of serving it, he washed his hands of a sport that he could no longer play without, ahem, help.

MLB’s victory should have been complete. Bud Selig should have said, “Good riddance,” and walked away. That should be have that.

This didn’t happen. When Manny came crawling back, MLB was welcoming. Worse, the league allowed the union to talk it into giving Manny a break.

As reported by Fox Sports, the MLB Players Associated believed that Ramirez had effectively served his 100-game suspension when he retired and forfeited his 2011 salary. The league and the union ultimately came to a decision to reduce Manny’s suspension to 50 games.

A punishment of this magnitude is still significant, to be sure, but by giving Manny a second chance and slicing his penalty in half, Major League Baseball removed itself from the winner’s circle. In the eternal battle between MLB and Manny Ramirez, Manny now had the edge.

The league had one of the sport’s most notorious cheaters broken and beaten, and it let him off the hook.

In doing so, the league showed that its PED penalties are not set in stone, but flexible. There are ways around them, even if players have to do drastic things (i.e. retire) in order to exploit these loopholes. That’s not the kind of message MLB wanted to send to the rest of the sports world, and things only got worse when Ryan Braun beat the system a few months later (which, admittedly, is an entirely different headache).

The message, in so many words, was this: “Yeah, we’re cool with known cheaters. What of it?”

Manny is going to get called up eventually. The A’s are desperate for offense, and Manny is a guy who at least has the potential to help them score runs. They’ll also call him up because, frankly, they need somebody who can help fill seats.

When Manny does get called up to the big club, the resulting circus will further embarrass MLB. Just as he did when he first joined the Rays, he’ll crack some jokes, make reporters laugh, and generally do everything in his power to make everyone fall in love with the lovable version of Manny Ramirez.

It’s been a while since the old lovable Manny has been glimpsed, and A’s fans should eat him up just as much as the press. A’s fans like a good personality just as much as fans of other clubs, perhaps even more so.

Will the two positive PED tests be forgotten? That’s doubtful, but few are going to care enough about them to make a scene. For many, Manny’s troubled past will be water under the bridge.

If so, that will be another victory for Ramirez, and another defeat for Major League Baseball.

The league should not be in any kind of hurry to forgive known PED users, and it did that with Manny. The league also shouldn’t want fans and the media to forgive Manny, and that’s going to happen too.

This is not to say that baseball clearly needs Manny more than Manny needs baseball, but baseball clearly doesn’t mind Manny’s continued presence. There are no hard feelings where there should be a lot of hard feelings.

After what happened last year, Manny should be done with baseball right now. He should be out of the news. His tragic saga should be over.

But he’s still around. Still swinging it. Still being Manny.

Alas, Major League Baseball is still a refuge for cheaters.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

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Everybody has been waiting four months for this day to arrive: The date that Manny Ramirez is eligible to rejoin a major league ballclub.

Last December, Ramirez hinted that he was interested in un-retiring from baseball, following a seven-month absence in light of his positive drug test result during May of 2011, while he was playing for the Tampa Bay Rays.

This past February, Ramirez agreed to a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics, allowing the beleaguered slugger to attempt to add to his 555 career home runs, pending his service of a 50-game suspension to start the 2012 season.

Fifty games later, and here we are, about to embark on Manny Being Manny: The Summer in Oakland.

Ramirez becomes eligible to play in the big leagues on Wednesday, May 30th—which happens to be his 40th birthday. But as CSNBayArea.com reports, Ramirez will not be activated for the Athletics’ game that day versus the Minnesota Twins.

There are several reasons why he will remain with the A’s Triple-A team, not the least of which is essentially to get his timing down. After all, he has only appeared in eight minor league games, after several weeks working out with the Athletics’ extended spring training squad.

From an individual standpoint, Ramirez simply wants to get himself into perfect major league conditioning—health-wise and hitting-wise. “The more I play, the better I get,” he said to CSN Bay Area.

From the team’s standpoint, however, there are several other factors for keeping Ramirez back for a little while. Specifically, Oakland has quite a few roster and lineup decisions to make as a result of Ramirez’s impending call-up. Who will be moved down for Ramirez? How will the 25-man roster be altered?

Let’s take a look at some questions the A’s will have to answer when Ramirez joins the team—whenever that may be.

Begin Slideshow

I might as well be up front about this before I go into much detail. Signing Manny Ramirez is not a good idea.

Manny just isn’t the answer for any team.

Period.

If I were Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette, I would be going nowhere near Manny Ramirez at this point in time. Or ever, for that matter.

Despite being in the cellar of the American League East, the Orioles are a team with potential. Top prospect Manny Machado is not far from being a part of the Orioles’ lineup, and the rotation is chock full of a bunch of young hurlers that could put it together at any moment.

The O’s won’t be competing this year—and probably not next year either—but why throw the walking distraction, Manny Ramirez, into a group of unseasoned, young talent?

Manny won’t have any positive influence in the clubhouse and, more importantly, probably won’t even produce enough to be a consistent member of the lineup.

Signing Manny would be like bringing back another former slugger, Sammy Sosa.

On Feb. 2, 2005, the Orioles and Chicago Cubs pulled off a trade that sent Jerry Hairston, Mike Fontenot and David Crouthers to the Cubs and Sosa to the Orioles.

Sosa was coming off a .253/.332/.517 season with 35 home runs and 80 RBI. Clearly on the decline in his career, Sosa had previously tested positive after a drug test in 2003.

Needless to say, he produced at a level much less than expected in his one-year stint with Baltimore. He hit .221/.295/.376 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 380 at-bats.

Manny, should a team actually sign him, will miss the first 50 games of the season because of a failed drug test. He most likely won’t be playing in every game following, so is 90 games of a possibly non-productive Manny Ramirez worth it?

Ramirez has brought nothing but negative media to himself over the past few years of his career, and GM Dan Duquette should think twice before extending a contract his way.

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The Oakland Athletics would be smart to sign Manny Ramirez to a one-year contract if and when the former major leaguer makes a return to the big leagues. It’s a no-brainer.

Oakland, reported to be heavily interested in signing Ramirez, is known for acquiring former sluggers like Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza and Hideki Matsui in their autumn playing days.The thing is, Ramirez has only produced positive results for performance-enhancing drugs twice. He retired days after the test results were made public.

What’s the big deal if the Ramirez project fails? He goes away. Oakland has players that can fill the designated-hitter slot, but Ramirez has produced power numbers that no one else on the roster has come near.

Do A’s fans want more utility players platooning at designated hitter, or would they rather watch someone who’s known for having potential pop in their bat?

Which has more appeal? That shouldn’t even be a question.

Commenters on a story that was posted about the Ramirez-A’s connection yesterday said “Yes, it would be a bad decision,” “He’ll be a cancer in the clubhouse” and “The A’s don’t have any pride.”

To commenter No. 1, the only bad decision in this case would be if Oakland did absolutely nothing to try to sign Ramirez. Baseball is a business and the risk versus reward in this case is too good to pass up.

To commenter No. 2, who’s there for Ramirez to have problems with in the clubhouse?

He’s going to be a designated hitter. It’s a one-person position. He’s not going to have to catch Dallas Braden or relay throws to Chad Pennington from the outfield. He can be a loner. As long as the production is there, nobody is going to care what he does. If there’s no production, he gets cut.

Simple.

The A’s cut Jason Giambi when he faded away a few years ago.

To commenter No. 3, how can the A’s lose PRIDE when they’re already near rock bottom?

This is an organization that PRIDES itself on covering off the third deck of its stadium and boosting the prices of its mediocre second-deck seats on every day other than Wednesdays.

This is a club that PRIDES itself on FedEx-ing any player that has a promising future to a team that’s willing to pay for it.

This is a team that PRIDES itself on signing aging stars and making them their power hitter, and that’s the case with Ramirez potentially coming here. He’d be here to swing a bat, not play the outfield or first base.

Not to be forgotten, he has to serve a 50-game suspension (reduced from 100) once he returns, but that won’t be a problem in Oakland. Something tells me that if he signs with the A’s, fans will be begging for him to be batting cleanup come game No. 51 of the regular season.

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Manny Ramirez is plotting a comeback and while he will undoubtedly find a team to take the bait, no team in the bigs should be drinking the Manny Ramirez Kool-Aid.

The guy has way too much baggage.

We’re talking about a guy who has been busted for using PEDs, sat out the 2011 season and presents a huge distraction to any team that signs him.

While, for a time, his dominant play grossly outweighed the repercussions and backlash of “Manny being Manny,” it doesn’t anymore.

According to NBC’s D.J. Short, Ramirez has been reinstated from the retirement list.

There are teams that are going to be interested in working out the 39-year-old slugger, but he’s the sort of high-risk, low-reward addition that can cripple a baseball team.

He’s a media circus and he’s coming off a mini-sabbatical from the sport. There was a time when bringing in Ramirez would have given a team a .300 hitter that was guaranteed to go yard at least 40 times in a season.

That time is long gone.

Ramirez is a shadow of the player he once was and any team who is willing to gamble on him is going to get nothing more than a big name and has-been baseball player who takes away from the team.

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