Well, Friday afternoon just got more interesting. Manny Ramirez, now with the Tampa Bay Rays, has decided to retire. Per the MLB press release:
Major League Baseball recently notified Manny Ramirez of an issue under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Rather than continue with the process under the Program, Ramirez has informed MLB that he is retiring as an active player. If Ramirez seeks reinstatement in the future, the process under the Drug Program will be completed. MLB will not have any further comment on this matter.
If Ramirez was suspended again, he would have had to serve a 100-game suspension without pay. His salary was $2 million this season.
Manny ends his career 14th on the all-time home run list, with 555, and 18th in RBI with 1,831. In his career, Ramirez hit .312/.411/.585, a 154 OPS+. His 170 OPS+ in his 223 games as a Dodger is his best with any team, though obviously his eight years each in Cleveland (152 OPS+) and Boston (155 OPS+) were more impressive.
Thanks for the back-to-back NLCS appearances. You had a good, albeit interrupted, run.