The Dodgers have an opening on their coaching staff, and the name that jumps out most is a familiar one: Manny Ramirez.
Los Angeles moved on from longtime hitting coach Aaron Bates, creating a vacancy that could be filled ahead of the 2027 season. There will be other candidates in the mix, but Ramirez stands out as the most intriguing option because he’s actively looking to get back into MLB in a coaching role.
“Manny Ramirez is seeking a hitting coach job in MLB, agent Hector Zepeda said,” wrote Jon Heyman via X. “Ramirez, who hit 555 HRs and batted .312, last worked as a player/coach for the Sydney Blue Sox in Australia in 2020-21. He’s so determined to get back in the game he’s willing to go to the minors.”
Ramirez’s case is an obvious one for the Dodgers. He played parts of three seasons in Los Angeles from 2008-2010, and his impact was immediate when the club brought him in at the 2008 trade deadline in a three-team deal. In just 53 games that season, he hammered 17 homers, drove in 53 runs and posted a 1.232 OPS.
His postseason run that year was even louder. Ramirez collected 13 hits in 25 at-bats, with four homers and 10 RBIs, finishing with a 1.747 OPS.
His only full season with the Dodgers came in 2009, though it was limited to 104 games because of a suspension for violating MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Even with that interruption, he still produced 19 homers, 63 RBIs and a .949 OPS. His postseason that year wasn’t nearly as strong.
Ramirez’s final season in Los Angeles came in 2010, when he appeared in 66 games before the Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers. He hit eight home runs, drove in 40 runs and finished with a .915 OPS for the Dodgers that year.
Overall, Ramirez posted a 1.012 OPS in a Dodgers uniform, a reminder of just how dangerous he was at the plate during his 19-year MLB career.
Bates’ departure caught plenty of people off guard. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had said he wasn’t expecting any coaching changes this offseason.
“I expect status quo,” Friedman said to Dodgers Nation and the media. “Still working through things, but expect status quo.”
Bates later said the Dodgers offered him a multi-year contract, but told Maddie Lee of the LA Times that the offer wasn’t competitive. After he turned it down, he said the team didn’t come back with another proposal.
“Basically, they said, ‘I think we should go our separate ways,” Bates said. “I was just very taken aback, in a sense, by that.”
“…Processing it, I think that there’s always a time and a place, and I think that things run their course. But I have nothing but amazing things to say about the Dodgers organization and people.
“My kids grew up Dodgers, and I grew up a Dodger, as a coach. It’s just unfortunate the way it’s worked out towards these last few days.”
Bates also said he has already been in contact with other teams since the split and plans to try to land with a new club for the 2027 season.
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