According to Nikkan Sports, the Softbank Hawks may be planning to keep an eye on Manny Ramirez until at least around July 2012.  The team likes what Ramirez can bring to the line-up offensively (as well as his potential marketability) and they think he might only cost them around 400M yen.  Whether or not they actually go after him will likely depend on how players like Hiroki Kokubo (40), Nobuhiko Matsunaka (37), and Alex Cabrera (39) do.  Wily Mo Pena's performance will also factor into their decision.