Manny Ramirez isn't done with baseball just yet, but for him to get back into the game that made him a celebrity, he's going to need to get some things cleared up first.
Chief among those things is that Ramirez, who has shown interest in playing in the Dominican winter league, must be reinstated by Major League Baseball.
Ramirez retired earlier this season after he was handed a 100-game suspension for another failed drug test. Rather than serve the suspension, Ramirez walked away from the game.
Now, according to ESPN.com, the slugger is willing to take his punishment for the failed test in order to return to baseball.
"I would comply with my pending sanction and I would be available for any major league team," Ramirez told ESPN. "I already informed Scott Boras of my decision to return and begin the process.
"If any team wants to sign me, I would play. If no one does, I would look to play in Japan or any other place. I was not prepared for retirement."
It's uncertain whether or not Ramirez would return to the bigs, but even if he wants to play in the Dominican league, he still must be reinstated. The Dominican league is associated with MLB, so Ramirez would need to get things squared away before he could even play in the Dominican.
An MLB official also told ESPN that Ramirez would need "the consent of the commissioner" to return to MLB.
Ramirez's case may be futher complicated by a recent run-in with the law. He was arrested earlier this month and charged with battery following an alleged dispute with his wife in Florida.
