Major League Baseball star Manny Ramirez announced on Tuesday that he officially signed a contract to play professionally for a Taiwanese team.

The 40-year-old player signed on to play with the EDA Rhinos, part of Taiwan's professional baseball league. Ramirez spoke at a news conference about his "blessed" feeling for having the opportunity that he called "a new beginning," according to The Associated Press.

The new contract gives Ramirez a $25,000 a month stipend from now until November 2013. The figure is a change from the $22.5 million he made in 2004, which was also about his average salary during his prime years. 

Ramirez played a total of 19 seasons with eight as a part of the Cleveland Indians. He then signed to play for the Boston Red Sox and went on to win the World Series twice with the team. The 12-time All-Star was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series in 2004 when the Red Sox won their first title since 1918, according to ESPN.

He has also experienced a fair amount of trouble to go along with his success. The slugger was suspended 50 games as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 for using a banned substance and again in 2011 with the Tampa Bay Rays, which ultimately forced him to retire.

Ramirez filed paperwork to return to the league and serve a 50-game suspension in December of 2011. He eventually signed with the Oakland A's in 2012.

He has not had too much game experience as of late - his last appearance was a 17-game sting playing in the A's minor league system, where he hit a .302 with 14 RBIs in 63 minor league at-bats.

Taiwan has a small baseball league that is comprised of only four teams. The league was accused of bribery and faced allegations of fixing the games, according to Global Post.