Johnny and Manny come back together

Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, two of Boston's greatest hitters in 2004, have reunited, according to a major league source. The pair both signed one-year pacts with Tampa Bay, a new nemesis of Boston. Manny appears to be declining, as he only whacked 9 homers last year in 90 games while only managing a .261 average, well below his .313 lifetime pace. However, Tampa could be all set if they coax one more great year out of Ramirez. On another line, why would they sign him? This is obviously going to be a rebuilding year, with Garza and Crawford gone. What's the point of signing Mr. Manny being Manny? Also, who can forget his big suspension for steroids? Who likes Manny now? Even Boston fans have pushed him out of their mind.

Damon fell to a .271 BA with only 8 homers. Again, this guy was a monster in his prime, but now, he's old. The 37-year old will have another chance with a third AL East team. It seems like Johnny likes postseason teams. Red Sox win, then Yankees who stay in the postseason, now Rays, who won the AL East last year. The only good thing about Johnny is the fact that he managed to leg out 5 triples and steal 11 bases last season, keeping some resemblance of his old speed.

There are two more big pieces of news in baseball. As the first, Billy Butler, a 24-year-old Kansas City Royal, accepted a four-year contract from KC. Butler managed to put up a .318 average and nail 15 homers for another terrible KC team. Maybe the Royals hope that this young guy can help them climb out of the second division.

The final piece of news is one of the biggest. The Toronto Blue Jays got rid of their icon, their highest paid player, and their major star. One person. Here's a hint: He will earn $21.5 million over the next four years. Still no? Vernon Wells, the poster boy for Toronto, was handed to the LA Angels in exchange for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera. Why on earth would you agree to trade a great guy for two mediocre players? Other then money, I mean. Napoli only had a .238 pace last season, with a career-high in homers, 26, and a career high in strikeouts, with 137. I bet the two are related. Meanwhile, Rivera only managed a .252 clip with 15 bombs. On the other side, Wells posted his third All-Star season and competed in the Home-Run Derby. He finished the year with 31 homers and a .273 BA. He also laced 44 doubles. Well, the Jays will have more signing room in the years to come, but Toronto appears to have joined the Rays in a rebuilding year.

Trivia
Wells's 44 doubles last season was his second-most.