After Losing Out on Jim Thome Is Manny Ramirez in the Rangers Line of Sight?

With the Rangers losing out on Jim Thome, a third potential prospect for the 2011 MLB season after Cliff Lee as well as Matt Garza, Texas is now turning to get in the bid for signing yet another palyer – this time another DH.  There are several media sources claiming that they have heard that Manny Ramirez is now in the Rangers’ line of fire.

The Rangers aren’t the only ones interested in Ramirez, though, as four other teams (unless there is a “mystery team” out there) have their sights set on the free agent as well including the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays.

He had a good season last year hitting a .298 average while hitting nine home runs and 42 RBIs between the Dodgers and the White Sox. He was then struck with an injury that kept him out late in the baseball season and has been in Arizona for a training center in order to get himself back into shape so that he’s ready to get back on the field this upcoming season.

Speculation states that Ramirez would like to be signed by a National League team, but that isn’t keeping the American League Rangers out of the hunt. He would be a good fit for the Rangers as his numbers are decent and he could play outfield when and if needed.

However, he is nearly 39 years of age and he could request a significantly higher salary than what the Rangers are willing to pay. The latter of which could prove to be an issue with the Rangers needing to work out deals with arbitration eligible players (of which have filed for such) such as AL MVP Josh Hamilton and starting left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson. These players should be the Rangers primary concern especially since they do have a DH in Michael Young for the time being.

If the Rangers can afford to keep their current top players while also shelling out money for Ramirez then by all means, I’m for it. Otherwise, I think it’s a bad idea.

What are your opinions? Do you think Ramirez would be a good fit? Do you think Texas should hold off on signing a player that could possibly request a large salary when they need to take care of their current players – actually some of their best players?