Aramis Ramirez to Return in 2015

[djoctagone]

brewers exercise their half of the option. ramirez has three days to accept or decline.

[JohnBriggs12]

brewers exercise their half of the option. ramirez has three days to accept or decline.

 

$10 million mistake....hoping Ramirez declines but I doubt it. If he's in the lineup in April batting higher than 7th, they are in big trouble.

[Outlander]

Don't have a link yet but Ramirez has picked up his end of the option. I am okay with this and am glad there is no multi year deal involved. Hopefully Ramirez has one more good year in him.

 

Edit: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/aramis-ramirez-exercises-option-to-remain-with-brewers.html

[bill hAll Star]

I am in favor of this. There are better ways to spend $10 million, but in this "one year of going for it and then decide what to do" mode, there isn't an incredible amount better to do with $10 million.

 

You're either going to not spend the $10 million for 2015, sign/trade for an equally risky $10 million, or take on long-term risk in a $10 million/year longer contract.

 

On the surface, he's absolutely overpaid, but with both he and Gallardo, I'm not sure what else you can do with the money in the position they are in for one year with what is available.

[Invader3K]

I am in favor of this. There are better ways to spend $10 million, but in this "one year of going for it and then decide what to do" mode, there isn't an incredible amount better to do with $10 million.

 

You're either going to not spend the $10 million for 2015, sign/trade for an equally risky $10 million, or take on long-term risk in a $10 million/year longer contract.

 

On the surface, he's absolutely overpaid, but with both he and Gallardo, I'm not sure what else you can do with the money in the position they are in for one year with what is available.

 

I believe it's actually for $14 million.

 

I have mixed feelings on this. I am not that upset he's coming back, and we don't have better options in the minors to replace him. Barring some trade for a decent 3B, bringing A-Ram backed seemed to be basically a forgone conclusion.

 

One other thing I saw brought up on Twitter: With Ramirez and Lind both having stints on the DL the past few seasons, it's going to be imperative the Brewers have a decent 1B/3B type on hand as a backup. And of course we already know Lind will probably need a platoon mate anyway.

[Bombers]

Don't have a link yet but Ramirez has picked up his end of the option. I am okay with this and am glad there is no multi year deal involved. Hopefully Ramirez has one more good year in him.

 

Edit: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/aramis-ramirez-exercises-option-to-remain-with-brewers.html

Yes. I agree. I didn't want to be saddled with another 3 or 4 year deal. We have a lot coming off the books after 2015. Lets keep it that way. In other news, I think this puts an end to any FA that will cost more than $1 million. Here is how our numbers shake up for 21 players which currently tally's up to $105 million:

 

[pre]Name 2015

Ramirez, Aramis $16,000,000

Braun, Ryan $13,000,000

Gallardo, Yovani $13,000,000

Garza, Matt $12,500,000

Lohse, Kyle $11,000,000

Broxton, Jonathan $9,000,000

Gomez, Carlos $8,000,000

Lind, Adam $7,500,000

Parra, Gerardo 6,000,000

Lucroy, Jonathan $3,400,000

Segura, Jean 534,000

Peralta, Wily 515,000

Henderson, Jim 512,000

Jeffress, Jeremy 512,000

Thornburg, Tyler 505,000

Gennett, Scooter 504,000

Davis, Khris 503,000

Maldonado, Martin 502,000

Smith, Will 502,000

Fiers, Michael 512,000

Nelson, Jimmy 502,000.00

TOTAL - MIL $105,003,000[/pre]

[markedman5]

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 2m2 minutes ago

Aramis Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said he "is very happy and comfortable" in Milwaukee and it was easy decision to accept $14 million.

[BrewBalls]

I am in favor of this. There are better ways to spend $10 million, but in this "one year of going for it and then decide what to do" mode, there isn't an incredible amount better to do with $10 million.

 

You're either going to not spend the $10 million for 2015, sign/trade for an equally risky $10 million, or take on long-term risk in a $10 million/year longer contract.

 

On the surface, he's absolutely overpaid, but with both he and Gallardo, I'm not sure what else you can do with the money in the position they are in for one year with what is available.

 

I believe it's actually for $14 million.

 

I have mixed feelings on this. I am not that upset he's coming back, and we don't have better options in the minors to replace him. Barring some trade for a decent 3B, bringing A-Ram backed seemed to be basically a forgone conclusion.

 

One other thing I saw brought up on Twitter: With Ramirez and Lind both having stints on the DL the past few seasons, it's going to be imperative the Brewers have a decent 1B/3B type on hand as a backup. And of course we already know Lind will probably need a platoon mate anyway.

I like the Jimenez waiver claim even more now that Ramirez has been retained. Rogers can start the season in AAA giving us two decent options in case both go down at the same time. Depth at the corner IF positions was something this team lacked the last couple of years. Ramon Santiago might be a cheap option to platoon with Gennett while giving the last bench spot to either Clark who can play 1B and both corner OF spots or Herrera, the super utility player with no power.

[gregmag]

I'm in the relative pessimist camp on Ramirez's health and production; I think all the points JohnBriggs made above are very sound. But this move doesn't bother me, because of how short the commitment is and the low opportunity cost. If Ramirez were obviously blocking somebody, it would be a different case, but we don't have anyone who's ready for a shot at 3b. I like Rogers, but I think the chance that he's an everyday 3b in the majors is very small. If a golden opportunity to get an everyday 3b falls out of the sky, this doesn't foreclose that. Any other FA option, assuming there is one, would cost more years. We don't have a burning need to put the $10 mil elsewhere. This is a pure "do no harm" move, and I'm okay with it on that basis.

[fondybrewfan]

He obviously had a really crappy 2nd half; but on a one year deal it is a reasonable gamble to take given the likely alternatives. Maybe his days of a 850-900 OPS are behind him but I would still gladly take a 750-800 OPS out of him again. Yes he probably will need some DL time but that is Melvin's job to plan for that. It just doesn't seem like there were any other sure bets out there on the market that could out produce Ramirez and would not have cost an arm and a leg. Rogers definitely seems like the logical guy to serve as the backup to 3B and 1B along with whatever other utility IF they break camp with.

[monty57]

He's not worth $14MM, but I guess you have to look at it as a future value payment on an inexpensive first season. He won't be as good as most expect, but he'll be better than anyone else they'd find to fill the position. I thought he might try for a multi-year deal with an AL team, but they must have realized that they wouldn't get anywhere close to $14MM on the open market.

 

At least this is over, so we know where things are headed, but Bombers' list above (thanks for that) shows that unless Gallardo or Lohse is traded, the offseason's pretty much over, because we're at the limit of our budget.

 

With that in mind, I'd say this is a "do or die" year, so I don't see a starting pitcher getting traded. Basically, the team goes all in and sees where it's at come trade deadline. If they're in the race, Attanasio will pony up money for someone else, and if they're out of it, they will try to get as much as they can for Lohse, Gallardo, Ramirez and Broxton, as they will all be gone for nothing after the season, leaving the team looking pretty ugly come next offseason.

[bill hAll Star]

Don't have a link yet but Ramirez has picked up his end of the option. I am okay with this and am glad there is no multi year deal involved. Hopefully Ramirez has one more good year in him.

 

Edit: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/aramis-ramirez-exercises-option-to-remain-with-brewers.html

Yes. I agree. I didn't want to be saddled with another 3 or 4 year deal. We have a lot coming off the books after 2015. Lets keep it that way. In other news, I think this puts an end to any FA that will cost more than $1 million. Here is how our numbers shake up for 21 players which currently tally's up to $105 million:

 

[pre]Name 2015

Ramirez, Aramis $16,000,000

Braun, Ryan $13,000,000

Gallardo, Yovani $13,000,000

Garza, Matt $12,500,000

Lohse, Kyle $11,000,000

Broxton, Jonathan $9,000,000

Gomez, Carlos $8,000,000

Lind, Adam $7,500,000

Parra, Gerardo 6,000,000

Lucroy, Jonathan $3,400,000

Segura, Jean 534,000

Peralta, Wily 515,000

Henderson, Jim 512,000

Jeffress, Jeremy 512,000

Thornburg, Tyler 505,000

Gennett, Scooter 504,000

Davis, Khris 503,000

Maldonado, Martin 502,000

Smith, Will 502,000

Fiers, Michael 512,000

Nelson, Jimmy 502,000.00

TOTAL - MIL $105,003,000[/pre]

 

I would enjoy an offseason where Broxton is "given away" for free to a large market team and we spend big on Jed Lowrie to finish things out. Lowrie can play every day (mostly SS and be the RH half of Scooter's platoon with some 3B sprinkled in) and we'd have an incredibly good platoon lineup.

 

Neither will happen as I don't know if anyone wants to take on Broxton's money (even if he's productive) nor do I think the Brewers are willing to give up on Segura.

[Roderick]

 

I believe it's actually for $14 million.

 

 

Yes, but if the Brewers didn't exercise their side of the option they had to pay a $4M buyout. Hence the net number of $10M is accurate when comparing what could the Brewers have done if they didn't go the ARam route in 2015.

[SRB]

Don't have a link yet but Ramirez has picked up his end of the option. I am okay with this and am glad there is no multi year deal involved. Hopefully Ramirez has one more good year in him.

 

Edit: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/aramis-ramirez-exercises-option-to-remain-with-brewers.html

Yes. I agree. I didn't want to be saddled with another 3 or 4 year deal. We have a lot coming off the books after 2015. Lets keep it that way. In other news, I think this puts an end to any FA that will cost more than $1 million. Here is how our numbers shake up for 21 players which currently tally's up to $105 million:

 

[pre]Name 2015

Ramirez, Aramis $16,000,000

Braun, Ryan $13,000,000

Gallardo, Yovani $13,000,000

Garza, Matt $12,500,000

Lohse, Kyle $11,000,000

Broxton, Jonathan $9,000,000

Gomez, Carlos $8,000,000

Lind, Adam $7,500,000

Parra, Gerardo 6,000,000

Lucroy, Jonathan $3,400,000

Segura, Jean 534,000

Peralta, Wily 515,000

Henderson, Jim 512,000

Jeffress, Jeremy 512,000

Thornburg, Tyler 505,000

Gennett, Scooter 504,000

Davis, Khris 503,000

Maldonado, Martin 502,000

Smith, Will 502,000

Fiers, Michael 512,000

Nelson, Jimmy 502,000.00

TOTAL - MIL $105,003,000[/pre]

 

Maldonado might be closer to $1M via arbitration.

 

I don't see how we can afford Parra at $6M. Really they need to trade one of Gallardo or Broxton, because we NEED some new bench pieces given that Lind and Scooter both need solid platoon partners. I'm going to be angry if we limp into the season again with a horrible bench (which is what we have right now). We probably need to buy a new RP too, preferably LHP, because Henderson and Thornburg are question marks, and Smith is the only lefty in sight.

[fondybrewfan]

The take away I for from those salaries are threefold:

 

1. Lucroy is ridiculously cheap; excluding pre arby and arby players he has got to be one of the best values in baseball

2. Its also kind of nuts Braun only makes $13 Million. The guy easily could have signed a contract for $20 Million a year depending on when he did it

3. I agree that it seems hard to justify paying your 4th OF $6 million.

[JohnBriggs12]

He obviously had a really crappy 2nd half; but on a one year deal it is a reasonable gamble to take given the likely alternatives. Maybe his days of a 850-900 OPS are behind him but I would still gladly take a 750-800 OPS out of him again. Yes he probably will need some DL time but that is Melvin's job to plan for that. It just doesn't seem like there were any other sure bets out there on the market that could out produce Ramirez and would not have cost an arm and a leg. Rogers definitely seems like the logical guy to serve as the backup to 3B and 1B along with whatever other utility IF they break camp with.

 

Beltran went from .830 in 2013 to .701 in 2014. Konerko went from .857 in 2012 to .669 in 2013. Carlos Lee went from .788 in 2011 to .697 in 2012.

 

The point his guys don't fade from prominence. They hit a wall. Hard. I believe Ramirez is going to have a hard time posting an OPS over .700 in 2015. Ramirez' post All Star OPS was .715 last year. That was with a hot August in there. The rest of the time he was awful. He simply cannot drive the ball with any regularity at all. That's not even mention his lack of ability to run at all.

 

From the Brewer perspective, I believe the sole reason they picked up their side was as a message to potential FA in the future that they give guys the benefit of the doubt at the end of careers. I honestly can't believe they actually believe Ramirez is worth the extra $10 million.

 

I hope the Brewers do the right thing and stick Ramirez in the 7th spot in the order. He's not a middle order of the hitter anymore and they've added Lind to the mix. Batting 7th, his base clogging should be less of a factor.

[bill hAll Star]

The take away I for from those salaries are threefold:

 

1. Lucroy is ridiculously cheap; excluding pre arby and arby players he has got to be one of the best values in baseball

2. Its also kind of nuts Braun only makes $13 Million. The guy easily could have signed a contract for $20 Million a year depending on when he did it

3. I agree that it seems hard to justify paying your 4th OF $6 million.

 

Braun will make $20 million/year for about 5 years starting in 2016.

 

I could see just non-tendering Parra, but I think their goal is to play 2015 baseball. Have 4-5 lefties or switch hitters so you aren't doomed when you face Latos, Lynn, etc...I think Parra will be more than a 4th OF. I think Davis' ABs will get cut into a bit, he's insurance for Braun having more nagging injuries, and Parra at the very least is a late game injury sub.

[jerichoholicninja]

Beltran and Konerko were both hurt.

[JohnBriggs12]

Beltran and Konerko were both hurt.

 

Konerko was hurt in 2014. I'm talking about 2013 when fell flat. Konerko missed 3 weeks in July of 2013. Prior to that his OPS was .682. He didn't miss any time once he returned on July 22nd. Konerko played for $2.5 million in 2014 as mostly a ceremonial goodbye season bench bat. I'd be fine with Ramirez off the bench for $2.5 million. That's about his worth.

 

Beltran missed about 6 weeks but he wasn't tearing it up when he got hurt either.

 

Regardless, Ramirez is hardly a great physical specimen. He protected his hamstring after getting hurt by running like a 60 year old man. I know, I'm 62. You won't win with guys so conscious of tearing a hamstring that they have to jog.

[Bombers]

He obviously had a really crappy 2nd half; but on a one year deal it is a reasonable gamble to take given the likely alternatives. Maybe his days of a 850-900 OPS are behind him but I would still gladly take a 750-800 OPS out of him again. Yes he probably will need some DL time but that is Melvin's job to plan for that. It just doesn't seem like there were any other sure bets out there on the market that could out produce Ramirez and would not have cost an arm and a leg. Rogers definitely seems like the logical guy to serve as the backup to 3B and 1B along with whatever other utility IF they break camp with.

 

Beltran went from .830 in 2013 to .701 in 2014. Konerko went from .857 in 2012 to .669 in 2013. Carlos Lee went from .788 in 2011 to .697 in 2012.

 

The point his guys don't fade from prominence. They hit a wall. Hard. I believe Ramirez is going to have a hard time posting an OPS over .700 in 2015. Ramirez' post All Star OPS was .715 last year. That was with a hot August in there. The rest of the time he was awful. He simply cannot drive the ball with any regularity at all. That's not even mention his lack of ability to run at all.

 

From the Brewer perspective, I believe the sole reason they picked up their side was as a message to potential FA in the future that they give guys the benefit of the doubt at the end of careers. I honestly can't believe they actually believe Ramirez is worth the extra $10 million.

 

I hope the Brewers do the right thing and stick Ramirez in the 7th spot in the order. He's not a middle order of the hitter anymore and they've added Lind to the mix. Batting 7th, his base clogging should be less of a factor.

I agree with the point that Ramirez is no longer a top 1-4 hole hitter. However, I disagree that he is going to just hit a "wall" and completely fall off. For every guy who has hit a wall at age 37, there are guys who have done fine. Bobby Abreu at age 37 - .253 / .353 / .365 / .717 - Clearly, the power numbers are down, but I will take an OBP of 353.

or Torii Hunter at 37 - .304 / .334 / .465 / .800

 

Ramirez line with 2 outs was .310 / .363 / .484 / .847. If he is batting 5th, I think he could succeed as that spot seems to be up with 2 outs often.

 

I guess the point is, each person is different. Power numbers will always decline as guys get older but a .350 OBP isn't something to sneeze at. In my opinion the deal is fine because it's only 1 year.

[monty57]

Regardless, Ramirez is hardly a great physical specimen. He protected his hamstring after getting hurt by running like a 60 year old man. I know, I'm 62. You won't win with guys so conscious of tearing a hamstring that they have to jog.

 

As long as Attanasio is able to get the DH implemented into the NL by the beginning of next season, they'll be just fine :-)

 

I think Parra will be more than a 4th OF. I think Davis' ABs will get cut into a bit

 

I think they'll get cut into a lot. There's no doubt about Davis' power, but with his arm, he hurts the team when he's in the field as opposing teams can run on him at will. Meanwhile, Parra is a gold glover. I wouldn't be surprised to see Parra starting, or at least winning a platoon role.

[JohnBriggs12]

monty,

 

If they can get Parra on a two year deal for less per year than he gets in arbitration, I'd be fine with bringing him back but I don't want him starting regularly. A good arm in LF isn't that big a priority in my book. Don't get me wrong. Parra brings a lot to the table and is useful. But having a guy who struggles to get an OPS over .700 in a corner OF spot on an everyday or nearly everyday basis as he would in a strict platoon doesn't do it for me, especially with Ramirez' diminished power.

 

If you are thinking semi-platoon in LF, I'd rather have Clark given a shot in that role now that 1B isn't an option for him. Clark clearly brings the power to play there if he can handle major league pitching and if he's adequate in the field. Those are big ifs. but if Parra's still around, there's plenty of insurance if he doesn't.

[reillymcshane]

Some notes on salaries that were provided above:

 

1. Maldonado will likely make closer to $1 million in his first year of arbitration.

2. Brandon Kintzler is not on the above list. He will likely make around $1 million in his first year of arbitration (should we keep him).

3. Braun is making $12 million in base salary, plus a $2.5 million installment of his signing bonus, for a total of $14.5 million in 2015.

 

Salary info via Cot's: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/national-league-central/milwaukee-brewers/

 

The totals are roughly the same, but a couple of things were updated.

 

Some future notes:

 

1. A-Ram will get $3 million in 2017 and 2018 via deferred payments.

2. Braun's salaries beyond 2015 actually are as follows: 2016: $15M; 2017: $15M; 2018: $15M; 2019: $15M; 2020: $13M; 2021: $15M option with $4 million buyout. Then, starting in 2022, he gets $1.8M every year for 10 years, for a total of $18M in deferred payments.

3. Lohse is due to get $7M in deferred payments between 2016-2018. The exact breakdown isn't provided.

 

The gist of things is that we have over $30 million in deferred payments due to players who won't be with the team. From 2015-18 will be the harshest when we are paying off A-Ram and Lohse.

 

Below is an updated list, with two infielders and one outfielder (all listed as TBD) slotted in at league minimum.

 

C Lucroy 3.0

C Maldonado 1.0

1B Lind 7.5

2B Gennett 0.5

SS Segura 0.5

3B Ramirez 14.0

LF Davis 0.5

CF Gomez 8.0

RF Braun 14.5

OF Parra 6.0

OF TBD 0.5

INF TBD 0.5

INF TBD 0.5

SP Garza 12.5

SP Peralta 0.5

SP Gallardo 13.0

SP Fiers 0.5

SP Lohse 11.0

RP Broxton 9.0

RP Thornburg 0.5

RP Henderson 0.5

RP Jeffress 0.5

RP Nelson 0.5

RP Smith 0.5

RP Kintzler 1.0

Total: 107.0M

[fondybrewfan]

I can't imagine the Brewers going in with a $107 Million payroll; that has to leave them with little to no flexibility. Broxton, Gallardo/Lohse, and Parra seem the most likely to get traded and reduce that number. The Brewers can probably support $107 Million; but MA and DM always want some in reserve at the deadline in case an opportunity comes up.

[BrewBalls]

I agree with the point that Ramirez is no longer a top 1-4 hole hitter. However, I disagree that he is going to just hit a "wall" and completely fall off. For every guy who has hit a wall at age 37, there are guys who have done fine. Bobby Abreu at age 37 - .253 / .353 / .365 / .717 - Clearly, the power numbers are down, but I will take an OBP of 353.

or Torii Hunter at 37 - .304 / .334 / .465 / .800

 

Ramirez line with 2 outs was .310 / .363 / .484 / .847. If he is batting 5th, I think he could succeed as that spot seems to be up with 2 outs often.

 

I guess the point is, each person is different. Power numbers will always decline as guys get older but a .350 OBP isn't something to sneeze at. In my opinion the deal is fine because it's only 1 year.

With Lind now in the mix, I think Ramirez will be best suited batting 6th (Gennett, Braun, Lucroy, Lind, Gomez, Ramirez, Davis, Segura). Batting Gomez 5th allows his free swinging power and speed to both be played up. He will likely always have the green light since Braun and Lucroy are not counted on driving him home while he will still have plenty of runners to drive in with our two top on base guys in front of him.