Athletics Grant Manny Ramirez His Release

Manny Ramirez might still make his comeback, but it isn't going to be with the Oakland Athletics. From the A's official Twitter account:

Manny Ramirez has requested his outright release from the #Athletics and the team has granted his request.
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) June 16, 2012

The last we heard, Manny Ramirez was in Triple-A Sacramento, not impressing the scouts. His stats in Sacramento weren't overwhelming, either:

Year	Age	AB	2B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2012	40	63	3	0	5	17	.302	.348	.349	.697

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 6/15/2012.

It depends on the curve you want to grade him on. What you'd expect from Manny? No power, and an ugly strikeout-to-walk ratio. Not the same hitter at all. But from a 40-year-old after a year away from the game? Well, not that bad, I guess.

But when the A's signed Manny in the offseason, they might have been hoping he was a part of a surprise contender -- a veteran thumper that could help a pitching-heavy team. With the rough start to the season, and an outfield that's hitting, the A's might have figured there was a better use for their DH spot.

Now we get to see if there's another team interested in a 40-year-old, twice-busted DH who used to be one of the greatest right-handed hitters in history.