MLB Rumors: Manny Ramirez Is Not a Risk the Oakland A's Should Take

Manny Ramirez has spent the last two months trying to find a team that is willing to take a chance on signing him.

The Oakland A's are making big changes to their roster late in the offseason, so it is no surprise that they would jump in on the disgraced slugger. 

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's are going hard after Ramirez and expect to strike a deal with him soon:

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"Crisp might find himself welcoming another new teammate soon, a man he knows well. The A's are likely to sign former Boston star Manny Ramirez just before or soon after the start of spring training.

Ramirez wouldn't add to the A's outfielder total. He'd come aboard as a designated hitter after serving a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. Crisp, though, has played next to Ramirez, and he's had Ramirez, playing left, cut off one of his throws from center field."

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The A's need more power in their lineup, and there are not a lot of great options left out there that they can afford after giving Yoenis Cespedes a $36-million deal earlier this week. 

But, Ramirez is not the hitter he used to be.

He can still be productive—in 2010, he hit .298/.409/.460 in 320 plate appearances. The problem is, his behavior has been so erratic that he has to sit out the first 50 games of the season. And, he hasn't played in nearly two years, essentially. 

Last year with the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramirez only played in five games and had just 17 plate appearances before retiring when he was suspended for 100 games. 

There is nothing that he can possibly add to the A's this season that would make him worth the risk. They aren't competing for a playoff spot, and Ramirez isn't going to find the fountain of youth by hitting enough when he does get back on the field to have any value in a trade. 

Even if it is a move to sell tickets, how many people are really fascinated enough by Ramirez to pay money to see him hit?

Ramirez isn't going to be a role model that Oakland's younger players can turn to for hitting advice; he will be a divisive force in the clubhouse when he gets bored—and you know he will.

So, where is the upside?

Billy Beane is a smart general manager and has done his homework with this situation, but Ramirez is not going to be the player that this team needs. 

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