Aramis Ramirez will be back in Chicago next year. The third baseman had suggested he might not return, but he told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday that he’s not considering opting out of his contract.
''I'm staying here,'' he said. ''Put it that way.''
Ramirez has a 2011 player option for $14.6MM and the Cubs will have to pay him $2MM more even if they buy him out in 2012. That's a lot of money, likely more than Ramirez would be able to find as a free agent, but the Cubs are getting a player who has recovered from a slow start to hit well in the second half. Ramirez had a .550 OPS heading into July, but has since posted a .940 mark and now has 22 home runs in total.
As a Cub fan, Aramis is one of the few guys that I can say “money well spent”. Yes, he missed a good portion of 2009 with injury and a terrible start to 2010, but when he is on, he carries the team. For a team that lacked a 3rd baseman with any ability for so long, he has done a great job. It will be good to have him back in 2011!
As a Cubs fan, I am sorry to hear this. Sure, he usually hits when he’s healthy (not this year though) but he hasn’t truly been healthy the past two years. And, at 32, he’s not getting any younger. A .296 OBP is awful. Even with n expected upturn in 2011, that’s a lot of money to pay a guy who gets hurt so much and lacks hustle. The Cubs need salary relief if they are going to turn this thing around.
I had no idea that Ramirez was making this kind of money. Let this be a lesson to all the young players out there: sign long contracts, because you never know what you’re going to look like in 3 years.
If the Cubs were smart, they would have benched him for the rest of the season in hopes that he’d seriously consider opting out.
Too much emotion being invested by some people. He has been the most productive Cub in the last eight years.
well put, blue catuli.
well put, blue catuli.
But you aren’t paying him in 2011 for what he did in the previous 8 years. The discussion isn’t what Ramirez HAS meant to the club, it’s what his nearly $15m commitment in 2011 will do to the team going forward.
I do agree that this has generally been a solid signing. However, like most long-term deals, the pain comes in the end of the contract.
I’d put my stock in him hitting .275 with 100 plus RBI and 25 HR next year. Obviously injuries can’t be forseen, but he has shown that he can still put up those numbers. The guy has clearly not taken very good car of his legs. I was at the game last night in STL and he was literally hobbling around the field. He has had bad quads for as long as I can remember. I’m just saying it would be silly for people to way to get rid of him. Who would replace him?
I’d put my stock in him hitting .275 with 100 plus RBI and 25 HR next year. Obviously injuries can’t be forseen, but he has shown that he can still put up those numbers. The guy has clearly not taken very good car of his legs. I was at the game last night in STL and he was literally hobbling around the field. He has had bad quads for as long as I can remember. I’m just saying it would be silly for people to way to get rid of him. Who would replace him?
But you aren’t paying him in 2011 for what he did in the previous 8 years. The discussion isn’t what Ramirez HAS meant to the club, it’s what his nearly $15m commitment in 2011 will do to the team going forward.
I do agree that this has generally been a solid signing. However, like most long-term deals, the pain comes in the end of the contract.
Too much emotion being invested by some people. He has been the most productive Cub in the last eight years.
Aramis HAS been good, but not this year and certainly not for most of last year. He could make a comeback but he seems kind of lazy. A few friends saw him out clubbing here in Chicago the same weekend he broke his arm last year. He’s been the most productive 3B the Cubs have had in my lifetime (26), but that doesn’t mean he’s always going to be. One last year will be nice, but just like with Lee, it’s time.
Aramis HAS been good, but not this year and certainly not for most of last year. He could make a comeback but he seems kind of lazy. A few friends saw him out clubbing here in Chicago the same weekend he broke his arm last year. He’s been the most productive 3B the Cubs have had in my lifetime (26), but that doesn’t mean he’s always going to be. One last year will be nice, but just like with Lee, it’s time.
No duh he takes the money. He probably couldn’t even find a starting job elsewhere, let alone a $14.6 million salary.
Cardinals and Red Sox would almost certainly look in to making him their starting 3rd baseman.
Cards want Freese to start. How is that almost certainly taking A-Ram if they could?
What’s the Cardinals biggest weakness? It’s depth. If they had a chance to sign a 3rd baseman of that caliber to a deal he could realistically command (no more than 6mil), they would absolutely be getting an upgrade over David Freese. Besides I said they would look in to it. They would be dumb not to. Aramis Ramirez or David ?. I think just about everyone would go with Ramirez. They looked in to Beltre this past offseason.
Cardinals and Red Sox would almost certainly look in to making him their starting 3rd baseman.
Dude makes more in one game than ~90% of people make in a year, and he was thinking about opting out? Glad someone slapped some sense into him. Or maybe I’m not.
Gee…what a shock…lol
Another year of seeing Aramis wave at ground balls as they pass each side of him.
Dont dare get in front of any of them Aramis…those hard hit balls hurt when you can no longer catch them
Gee…what a shock…lol
Another year of seeing Aramis wave at ground balls as they pass each side of him.
Dont dare get in front of any of them Aramis…those hard hit balls hurt when you can no longer catch them
Methinks that Aramis must’ve had a chat with his agent after his silly comments about possibly opting out. He is now wise to what he might get as a free agent, given his recent production, or lack thereof.
Stop saying he sucks and has been horrible this year. He was horrible in the first half, sure. But look at his second half numbers, his team lead in Homers and his team lead in RBI’s. And he isn’t that bad at 3rd.
And how to do you figure he was horrible last year. .317 with 15 blasts (in only half a season) is horrible?
That’s horrible news.. There goes 2011 Cubs season and Soriano and Zambrano are coming back unfortunately too.. I am not shocked by any means no one in their right state of mind would ever give Ramirez 14.6 mil He’s not even worth half that and he’s getting worst on D too..