Aramis Ramirez Seeks Multiyear Deal

Aramis Ramirez might be the best third baseman available this offseason and he knows it. The 33-year-old told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com that he’ll be looking for more than the $16MM option that’s on his current contract.

"If I hit the marketplace I should end up with a two or three-year deal," Ramirez told Levine. "The reason is, there aren't a lot of third baseman available this offseason. But if [the Cubs] approach me, I'm sure we can get something done. But probably not for one year."

Ramirez repeated that he wants to stay with the Cubs, who have a $16MM option for 2012. If they choose the option over a $2MM buyout, Ramirez will have to choose whether to accept the option or decline and become a free agent. Since the Cubs don’t have a permanent GM at the moment, it’s difficult to predict how they’ll approach the option or whether they'll have interest in a multiyear extension.

Ramirez hit his 25th home run of the season tonight, joining Billy Williams as the only players in Cubs history with 30 doubles and 25 homers in six different seasons. Earlier in the month, agent Paul Kinzer said Ramirez will seek a multiyear deal and suggested a return to Chicago would have been more likely if Jim Hendry had remained the Cubs' GM.