Former MLB All-Star Manny Ramirez, 41, plans to leave his team in Taiwan, the EDA Rhinos, after the team released a statement Tuesday saying they will part ways with the veteran. Ramirez is expected to leave the country sometime Thursday.
"We regret [Ramirez's] decision to leave Taiwan, but we would also like to wish him all the best for what he has brought to us and to the prosperity for baseball in Taiwan," the team said in its statement.
While playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, the veteran slugger hit .352 with 43 RBIs and eight home runs, which ranked him in the top-three of each category, according to the Taipei Times.
The newspaper claims that the team was looking to re-negotiate a deal to keep the former Major League superstar in Taiiwan and gave him several raises. Ramirez is interested in moving closer to his family, however, the Times reports that he has drawn interest from several teams in Japan.
Likely a future Hall of Famer, Ramirez currently owns a career .312 average, 2,574 hits, 555 home runs and 1,831 RBIs. Ramirez was a 12-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion, with both wins coming while a member of the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007. He was the named the World Series MVP during Boston's first championship win.
Ramirez was also a nine-time Silver Slugger Award winner and the 2002 American League batting champion. Ramirez began his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1993. After signing with the Boston Red Sox in 2001, Ramirez spent time with the Dodgers, White Sox and Rays before signing with the EDA Rhinos earlier this year.
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