AL
East **tes: Ramirez, Ortiz, Britton, Hardy
Manny Ramirez last saw MLB action with the Rays (briefly), and of course will always be associated with the Red Sox. As he continues to look for a**ther chance at the bigs, the slugger
spoke with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, admitting and expressing contrition for his prior PED use. Ramirez says he could play a role similar to that of
Raul Ibanez on the field and in the clubhouse. Here are some **tes from around the American League East:
- Always-interesting*Red Sox slugger David Ortiz says that he faces an unprecedented amount of responsibility to lead the way in the lineup, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.*"I'll give it a try, but I don't think there's a baseball player that has lived through this pressure at my age," said Ortiz. "Think about it. Guys my age are supposed to be complementary players. **body signs guys my age to be 'The Man.'"*The 38-year-old, of course, is entering the final year of his current contract, and there has been ** word of progression on extension negotiations.
- The*Orioles are looking at out-of-options pitcher Zach Britton in different roles in anticipation of a possible move to the pen, reports Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Britton, a 26-year-old lefty, has been mentioned as a possible trade chip for Baltimore. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently explained in addressing the O's out-of-options players, the team faces a roster crunch that will require it to make some tough calls on a number of players, Britton among them.
- There is still ** movement on the extension situation of*Orioles*shortstop J.J. Hardy, writes MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski. Hardy*comes across as somewhat frustrated with having to deal with speculation, **ting that his previous extension came about in short order. "There has been **t much talk at all," he said. "I don't k**w what they're thinking. The ball is in their court if they want me. They k**w I like it here." Hardy also added that he would want to address his long-term position before inking a new deal. "If there are any intentions at all of signing me to a long-term deal and wanting Manny to move over to short I would definitely want to k**w that before," he explained, "because, yeah, I still feel like I can play shortstop and that is what I want to do."
AL East **tes: Ramirez< Ortiz< Britton< Hardy