MLB News: Chicago Cubs Bring Manny Ramirez Aboard As Team Consultant

The Chicago Cubs are bringing in a pair of former Boston Red Sox players to act as team consultant and batting coaches. Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis are joining the team in an effort to lift the fundamental skills of the major and minor league players specifically on the hitting area.

The development lays to rest all talks that Ramirez is eyeing a return to the big leagues and confirms his commitment to transitioning to mentoring full time. The Cubs and the former Dominican-American outfielder formed a partnership last year when Ramirez served as both player and coach for the organization’s Triple A squad. On the other hand, Youkilis is being brought on board to focus on scouting and player development and will focus on the Northern California region to scour prospects.

Despite the checkered past of Ramirez, in particular his involvement in performance enhancing drugs, or PEDs, in 2009, the club took on the man who tallied 555 career home runs. Ramirez was suspended by the Major League Baseball, or MLB, for 50 games after testing positive for a fertility drug. PEDs also played a vital part in his decision to leave the game for good after the league informed him that he would face a 100-game suspension for testing positive yet again for PEDs. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native chose to retire in Apr. 8, 2011 rather than serve the suspension.

Another major name and former player that the Cubs are considering is Sammy Sosa. Sosa is the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs with 609, 545 of which were recorded when he was with the Cubs. In 2004, the team and the renowned hitter parted ways with the apparent last straw falling when Sosa requested not to play in the last game of the season against the Atlanta Braves. Despite the cold relationship between the club and former player, Cubs team President Theo Epstein relayed that the club may be open to adding Sosa in a mentoring capacity but several internal discussions must be made first.

“Assuming things get worked out, certainly we’d be open to having him around in some capacity and working with our young guys,” Epstein told the Chicago Tribune. “I don’t know him personally, but I’m sure he has some things to offer.”

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