Manny Ramirez coming to the Bay Area

By Vince Cestone

According to Pedro Gomez of ESPN, the Oakland Athletics have agreed to sign free-agent slugger Manny Ramirez to a minor league deal.

Ramirez is expected to report to spring training by the end of the week. The deal is worth about $500,000 if he makes the club out of spring training.

There is a slight catch to the deal. Ramirez must serve a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy for the second time in the last four years, making him eligible to join the A's on May 30--his 40th birthday.

Ramirez played in just five games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 before he was suspended. He announced his retirement shortly after, but has decided to come back to baseball in 2012 with the A's.

Ramirez's last good season came with the Dodgers in 2009, where he posted a .290 batting average, with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs in 104 games. He was traded to the Dodgers at the 2008 trade deadline from the Boston Red Sox.

Ramirez owns 555 career home runs (14th on all-time list), with a career .312 batting average and .411 on-base percentage in 19 big-league seasons. His Hall-of-Fame status is questionable due to the previous drug allegations.

Despite his recent struggles, Ramirez has always been an on-base machine, the type of hitter A's General Manager Billy Bean has been known for cherishing. Ramirez fits Bean's "Moneyball" formula, as he has maintained a .400+ OBP in his last three full seasons.

The A's have not reached the playoffs since 2006, where they were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 American League Championship Series. The A's hope to rebuild their offense after signing the Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who expressed interest in playing with Ramirez according to ESPN.

Will the signing of these sluggers be enough to compete in the American League West (Albert Pujols to the Angels, etc.)? Will Manny return to form? What effect will Mannywood have on the Coliseum and A's fans? Are you excited about the deal?

One more good question to discuss. Which offense is better? The A's or the Giants'?

Curious to hear your thoughts below!

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN were used in this report.

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