BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles are no longer interested in free agent slugger Manny Ramirez.
Dan Duquette, the Orioles vice president of baseball operations, told The Associated Press on Tuesday, “I don’t know that Manny Ramirez is a fit for our club right now.”
The 39-year-old Ramirez retired last season rather than serve a suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy. He was suspended for 100 games in 2011, but the ban was trimmed to 50 games because he sat out nearly all of last season. The suspension would start with the first game he is eligible to play after signing with a club.
A week ago, Duquette said he had conducted exploratory talks with Ramirez’s agent. At the time, Duquette acknowledged there were “challenges” in adding Ramirez to the team.
