Manny Ramirez done playing in Taiwan, may sign in Japan

Manny's tenure with the EDA Rhinos will end this weekend, but his time in East Asia may not.

By Nate A Jun 19, 2013, 10:58am EDT

Manny Ramirez's playing career in Taiwan is nearing an end. The former MLB slugger informed his team, the EDA Rhinos, that he plans to leave the club this Friday, June 21, report Lin Hung-han and Jamie Wang of Focus Taiwan.

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Ramirez's original three-month contract with the club was set to expire on June 30, so his departure from the CPBL club is not a complete surprise. Manny performed very well in his short time with the Rhinos, batting .352/.422/.555 with eight home runs in 49 games, but Taiwan was always a stopgap for the veteran.

The official statement from the Rhinos says that the 41-year-old decided to leave the team because he was beginning to feel homesick, but there is also speculation that Manny is being pursued by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.

If Ramirez does indeed relocate to Japan, he would make much more than the $25,000 a month he was earning in Taiwan, but would also be up against much tougher competition.