The Oakland Athletics are open up to signing slugger Manny Ramirez but the team is not actively pursuing the free agent.

That was the announcement from assistant General Manager David Forst, who talked during Athletics Fanfest released at the Oakland Arena, next to the Coliseum. A’s owner Lew Wolff had suggested the move last week. Betting lines

“We’re open up to it,” Forst recounted. “We do possess other things going on and we do expect other inclusions between now and Opening Day. We haven’t ever been in a situation where we had too many excellent players.”

Ramirez requested restoration to Major League Baseball last month. He was suspended for 100 games last year but the ban was trimmed to 50 as he sat out virtually all of last season. The cessation would start with the 1st game he’s able to play after signing with a club.

“I consider it’d be interesting,” Wolff related. “This should be viewed on the basis of ability. Once he’s served the penalty he ought to be free to do what he wants. I don’t know what type of shape he’s in, though I hear he’s in great shape.”

Manny Ramirez, who will be 40 year old on May 30, ranks the14th on the career list with 555 home runs. He was 1 for 17 (.059) in five games last season for Tampa Bay, which had signed him to a 1 year deal worth $2.02 million. He retired from baseball instead of serve his longer suspension. Sports scores

“I never actually met him,” A’s outfielder Josh Reddick related. “But have a veteran hitter like Manny? That encounter can only help us. We are a new team and I would look forward to a guy like that, someone we can learn from.”

Josh Reddick was in the Red Sox franchise when Ramirez was traded from Boston to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2008.

He assembled his top debut with the Red Sox precisely 1 year later.

Reddick announced Ramirez left “a fascinating” bequest behind.

Wolff additionally voiced some impatience with Major League Baseball’s study committee regarding the A’s planned move to a new stadium located in San Jose.

“We need to be in it now rather than waiting for it,” he revealed. “It’s hard to bide your time when it has hurt us everywhere. The only site obtainable to us primarily based on our research is the downtown site in San Jose.”

Forst also denied statements that signing Jonny Gomes doomed OF prospects Michael Taylor and Chris Carter to the minors.

“That is not true,” he said. “There is a 5th outfield spot and the DH spot. They’ve got an occasion to be on the 25-man roster.”

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said he sees Gomes, Reddick, Seth Smith and Coco Crisp as an element of a revolution for the outfield and included Collin Cowgill as a possible applicant for the fifth spot.