Prior to being suspended due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, Ramirez was off to a fast start. In 27 games, Ramirez had six homers, 20 RBIs, 22 runs, nine doubles, a batting average of .348 and an on-base percentage of .492.

The 37-year-old outfielder will return to the team with the best record in all of baseball. At 50-29, the Dodgers already have a 7.5 game lead over the second place San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

Expect Ramirez to go right back into the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup. While they are good without him, Ramirez turns Los Angeles into a legit World Series championship contender.

And even though his first game back is technically a road game, expect many Dodgers fan to take the trip south to San Diego.

Manny Ramirez Returns to Action (Image: Zuma Press)

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Despite the name of the website, Jason Rosenberg (the site’s founder), is adamant that he doesn’t want Manny Ramirez to actually play in the All-Star game. Instead, he started the website to “illustrate the joke that the voting, World Series home field advantage rule, the mandatory representation, the still-soft PED rules…has become”.

Currently, Ramirez is the fourth leading vote-getter in the National League for outfielders. The top three outfielders start the All-Star game. If Ramirez finishes in the top three, there is no current rule against him playing in the contest.

Prior to being suspended due to testing positive for a banned substance, Ramirez was well on his way to making the All-Star team. He was batting .348 with six homers and 20 RBIs in only 27 games.

It’ll be interesting to see if this “Vote for Manny” campaign is successful. And if it is, will commissioner Bud Selig let him play?

Vote for Manny? Manny Ramirez could be an All-Star again (Image: Zuma Press)

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Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (Image: Newscom)

Ramirez’s manager Joe Torre said that Ramirez was uneasy prior to the meeting.

Said Torrie: “We spent some time together before we went into the meeting room and he was a little anxious. That’s the human side of this thing. He basically went around, shook everybody’s hand. I think guys were happy to see him. I think there was a little uneasiness on both sides.”

Most teammates who spoke to the media following the event said that they accepted Ramirez’s apology. Prior to his suspension, Ramirez was hitting .348 with six homers and 20 RBI.

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Either way, Ramirez being away from the team is going to help. The team had planned a lot of its marketing around Ramirez. On the field, the Dodgers were off to a great start due to his play.

The Dodgers should be able to hold their head above water while Ramirez serves his suspension but the chances of having a magical season — both in the standings and in terms of making money — seem to be shot.

Ramirez was suspended after failing a drug test for performance enhancing drugs.

Manny Ramirez Suspended (Image: Newscom)

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Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games (Image: Newscom)

Due to his 50-game suspension, Ramirez will be forced to forfeit about one-third of his 2009 salary of $23.9M. On the season, he’s hitting .348 with six homers and 20 RBI. After winning on Thursday, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 21-9.

As could be expected, Ramirez denied that his positive steroid test was due to him trying to enhance his baseball performance. Here is the statement from Ramirez following the announcement of his suspension:

“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”

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Right now, the plan is to see if the pain will go away. If it doesn’t, the Dodgers will perform tests to make sure there isn’t anything major wrong. At this point, Ramirez hasn’t ruled out the possibility of missing regular season games.

Ramirez got hurt in the outfield when he was playing in the field for the first time this spring. Chasing a ball into the corner, Ramirez felt a pull near his hamstring. Although the injury seems to be similar to a pulled hamstring, the Dodgers think it’s probably a tendon and not his hamstring.

Expect the Dodgers to bring him back slowly. Having a healthy Ramirez in the beginning of the season isn’t nearly as important as having Ramirez healthy heading into the postseason.

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Ramirez, who was traded during the middle of the 2008 season to the Los Angeles Dodgers, helped the Red Sox win two World Series championships. However, his breakup with the team didn’t go smoothly by anyone’s account.

A free agent this offseason, Ramirez ended up re-signing with the Dodgers. His contract makes it possible to become a free agent next year if he wishes. If not, he can opt to pick up a second-year option.

Papelbon also said that no teammates have told him to stop making comments about Ramirez. If Papelbon and the Red Sox meet up with Ramirez and the Dodgers in the 2009 World Series, expect to see fireworks.

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The deal is valued at $45 million over two seasons. However, it’s much more complicated than it appears on the surface. First of all, Ramirez has the ability to void the second season and re-enter the free agent market again next offseason.

Another unique aspect about this contract is the amount of deferred money. Over the next two years, Ramirez would take home $10 million each year if he doesn’t void the second year. The deferred money is due in installments starting in 2010.

Re-signing Ramirez is a huge win for the Dodgers. They made a late season push in 2008 after acquiring the slugger from the Boston Red Sox. To continue that momentum into this year, it was necessary to retain Ramirez’s services.

He’ll once again play in the outfield and bat in the middle of the lineup. If he can have a huge season in Los Angeles, and assuming the economy recovers, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Ramirez free agent drama all over again at this time next year.

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The offer from L.A. is believed to be $45 million over two seasons. However, Ramirez’s camp feels that the offer isn’t that impressive because it calls for a portion of the salary to be deferred.

Although Ramirez is a player almost every team in baseball would love to have, the struggling economy has put a damper on free agency during the offseason. And though teams like the San Francisco Giants have reportedly shown interest in Ramirez, it is believed that the Dodgers are the only team going strongly after the slugger at this point.

Most likely, Ramirez will end up with Los Angeles when this is all said and done. With the regular season a ways away still, expect Ramirez and his camp to stretch this out as long as possible to squeeze every dime possible out of the Dodgers.

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Ramirez, who we have rated as the best free agent in baseball, is a player who can carry a team on his back — as we saw last year with the Dodgers. After going to Los Angeles in a midseason trade with the Boston Red Sox, Ramirez hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games.

Although Ramirez’s possible destinations are somewhat limited these days, one possibility is Ramirez signing with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants desperately need a bat in the middle of their lineup and Ramirez could definitely answer that bell.

While the Dodgers appear willing to wait for Ramirez, there is growing sentiment that the franchise has grown frustrated with the process. They’ve yet to be given a number for Ramirez’s camp and one of their previous offers was simply ignored.

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