The other day, we passed along a column from Sports Illustrated arguing that the Baltimore Orioles were by far the most sensible fit for Manny Ramirez. Now, from general manager Dan Duquette, we hear that the Baltimore Orioles are not a very sensible fit for Manny Ramirez. Roch Kubatko:
Manny Ramirez, Orioles Not Looking Like A Match
Duquette says he doesn’t see a fit for #orioles with Manny Ramirez.
Recently, reports suggested Ramirez would end up with the Orioles, Blue Jays or A's. The Orioles appear to be pulling out. We haven't heard much of anything about the Jays. And, also on Friday, we got the following tweets. Buster Olney:
OAK scouts saw Manny Ramirez work out recently and they are interested. Final decision whether to try to sign him will happen in next week.
Beane says #Athletics looking to sign middle-of-lineup DH -- most specific he's been on the record. But wouldn't address Manny or Magglio.
I don’t know about you, but it sure seems to me like the stars are aligning for Manny to end up with Oakland. It’s no guarantee, of course, and for all I know the A’s might be looking in other directions, but based on the latest information, or at least based on what’s been said most recently, the A’s look like the Manny favorites.
It would be weird, since the A’s have younger players you’d think they’d want to check out. But Ramirez will miss the first 50 games with a suspension, and he’s a pretty easy guy to move if he’s doing well, or if he’s not doing well. Additionally, the A’s could conceivably sign Ramirez to a minor league contract, which would mean zero commitment. God only knows what Manny has left in the tank, but it’s not a complete surprise that Oakland might want to find out.
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