Report: Manny Ramirez Drawing Interest From Japanese Team While Raking in Taiwan

Manny Ramirez is tearing apart the Chinese Professional Baseball League as a member of the EDA Rhinos. His success apparently is catching the attention of those in another professional league.

According to a report by the Japanese website Sponichi, the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League are interested in making a move for Ramirez.

Marines manager Tsutomu Ito said that he’d like to add power, and Ramirez has provided plenty of that while playing in Taiwan this year. The 41-year-old is hitting .352 and is second in the league with eight home runs for the Rhinos.

Ramirez reportedly signed a deal that allows him to opt out of his contract to sign with another team, as long as the team is outside of Taiwan. Ramirez probably had a return to the majors in mind, but he’ll have to keep proving himself before that becomes a possibility.

Ramirez, a 12-time MLB All-Star, hit 555 home runs over the course of 19 big league seasons.

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