The Red Sox are nearing a minor league agreement with right-hander Erasmo Ramirez, per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (Twitter link). If the deal is completed, the ISE Baseball client would head to Major League Spring Training and compete for a spot on Boston’s 2019 staff.
Ramirez, 28, should be a familiar name for Red Sox fans after spending parts of three seasons with the Rays and pitching to a combined 3.98 ERA in 323 1/3 innings with the Tampa Bay organization. Unfortunately for the right-hander, the 2018 campaign was effectively a nightmare. Shoulder troubles limited Ramirez to just 45 2/3 innings of work, and he was woefully ineffective in that time.
Ramirez, pitching in his second stint with the Mariners organization this past season, posted a 6.50 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, a staggering 2.76 HR/9 and a 39.6 percent ground-ball rate. The effects of the injury on Ramirez were evident when looking at his velocity; after sitting at 91.6 mph with his heater a year prior, his average fastball in 2018 checked in at just 89.8 mph. Those red flags prompted the Mariners to outright Ramirez rather than retain him through arbitration. He’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn a $4.4MM salary in his final trip through that process.
Certainly, the Red Sox will hope for a healthier version of Ramirez — the version who proved adept as both a starter and a multi-inning reliever prior to the 2018 season during a separate stint with the Mariners and a two-and-a-half year run in Tampa. From 2015-17, Ramirez logged a solid 3.97 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.21 HR/9 and a 47.3 percent grounder rate. Both his 10.3 percent swinging-strike rate and 32.9 percent opponents’ chase rate were solid marks that underscore his ability to keep hitters off balance when he’s at his best.
While the Sox won’t be counting on Ramirez for anything unless he proves capable of a show of faith in Spring Training, he can serve as a long option in the ’pen or a depth piece in the rotation beyond Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez. Ramirez is just shy of six years of MLB service, so if he makes the roster, he’ll be a one-year option before reentering free agency next offseason.
That second paragraph is weird to read.
What do you expect from an Australian who plays basketball for the Thunder?
* New Zealander
Teres major… marinate, sear, thin slice across the grain, good to go.
Wow, what a splurge. Sox getting cheap..
Yep, they’re getting cheap. So cheap, they went over the luxury tax line.
They haven’t been cheap up to now, They’re getting cheap now so Henry can invest in Nascar.
I doubt they want to invest long term big contracts into anybody this off season with A.) them being over the luxury tax and B) They’ll see Xander Bogarets and possibly JDM hit free agency next season. Plus, this is a depth signing. Just because a rich team goes out to acquire a guy who probably will either start the season as a long relief pitcher out of the pen or in Triple-A doesn’t make them cheap.
Appears that the Sox are getting BP pitchers ready for spring training in Putnam and Ramirez throwing 90mph.
Y’all at MLBTR need to change your commenting policy regarding dv. Here’s what I wrote earlier, only to find subsequently that posting was disallowed. Very lame:
“Hoping comments are allowed and those posting are sensitive to the realities of dv. Very serious issue. As horrible as it is, public awareness seems to be increasing, as does help/support/rehabilitation for those who’ve perpetrated it. “
Wrong platform and as a result invites trolls and heated conversation.
94yanks, heated conversation need not in and of itself be a problem. As for trolls, with your logic so much commenting here should be shut down.
You can hope those posting will be sensitive to the realities of dv. Sadly from past experience it turns ugly fast and nasty even faster. Its not ideal to shut off commenting for any reason but Tim and the gang are more than busy enough without having to try to keep up monitoring a runaway thread – it happens.. My only issue ( and it is a minor one) is that it only seems to be Addison Russell stories that are shut down – I would prefer any post that references DV be shut down or none – but they are far wiser than I am at situations like this so I accept their judgement…as should you
Meanwhile, back at the Rasmo…..
Good pickup. If healthy, he’s Yusimero Petite-lite….he starts, he middles, he closes, he does the wash…….not a bad arm to have, even if it’s not til July or so….
Who’s dv?
Domestic Violence
Good pick up
Rather sign Jake Peavy…or Kit Hinson…
Pomeranzish?
Bartolo Colonish
Would rather have Colon
Big difference typing. comparing a tall lean Poms to a roundish Colon.
If he makes the Majors,Ramirez will be good for about one HR per every 5 innings or so. He allows too high of a slugging % to be a servicable reliever,even when healthy.
This is like going to the track and placing a minimal wager on a horse with long odds against him. It didn’t cost you much but if you win you get a handsome return and if you don’t win you don’t feel too bad about it.
If you don’t have money to spend, stay away from the track.