The Tampa Bay Rays showcased the newest additions to their roster today. Former Boston Red Sox teammates Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon will be donning Rays jerseys this season and the pair seems ready for the new challenge.
Damon who lives about an hour away from Tropicana Field told MLB.com, “This is home for me. This is my dream team. My family and friends are always out there supporting me. I’ll see much more of them. I really love this opportunity to come back home and hopefully help this team win a championship.”
Both veterans agreed to sign just a one-year deal that will only obligate them to Tampa Bay for the 2011 season. Damon is said to be making $5.25 million with a $750,000 attendance bonus thrown in and Manny is set to make $2 million.
The opportunity for Damon and his wife Michelle to be close to home in Orlando seemed to play a huge part in the team working out a deal with the outfielder. Damon played for the Detroit Tigers last season and batted .271 with eight homeruns, 51 RBIs and 81 runs scored in 145 games. The outfielder is known for his hustle and has two World Series rings on his resume; one with the 2004 Red Sox and the other while playing with the New York Yankees in 2009.
The other part of the tandem, Ramirez averaged .311 last season with the Dodgers and hit eight homeruns and added 40 RBIs in 66 games then was dumped off to the White Sox late in the season. With Chicago, Manny hit .261 with one dinger and two RBIs in 24 games. Ramirez is expected to be used as the designated hitter for Tampa.
Damon and Ramirez were teammates in Boston from 2002-05.
Used with permission of the author.
Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.
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