The Oakland Athletics have signed Manny Ramirez to a minor-league deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The signing has been rumored for some time now.
The deal is worth $500 thousand, according to Pedro Gomez of ESPN. Ramirez will be required to serve a 50 game suspension before he can play:
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Twitter / @JonHeymanCBS: manny is going to a's ...
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Manny Ramirez agrees to deal with Oakland A's - ESPN
"Sources tell Gomez the deal is worth about $500,000. Ramirez is obligated to serve a 50-game suspension without pay before beginning play for the A's due to violating baseball's drug policy for the second time. With no rainouts, the first game Ramirez would be eligible to play is June 2 at Kansas City."
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Manny Ramirez Likely to Sign with Oakland Athletics - MLB Daily Dish
The A's will use Ramirez as their designated hitter this season. Ramirez signed with the Tampa Bay Rays last off season, before abruptly retiring mid April. It was later revealed that this was due to Ramirez flunking another drug test, and he was suspended for 100 games as a repeat offender.