Ramirez staying put after all
function BlogThisStoryTools() {
Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com Posted: 11 minutes ago
Rather than test free agency, third baseman Aramis Ramirez has decided to remain with the Chicago Cubs.
Ramirez, 28, has agreed to a five-year contract with a vesting option, FOXSports.com has learned. While exact terms of the deal were not immediately available, it was believed to be for at least $70 million.
Just in time, too.
The Cubs' exclusive negotiating period with Ramirez ran out at midnight Saturday. And the Angels were reportedly expected to make a big push for Ramirez as early as Sunday.
But the Cubs shouldn't be too fired up about keeping Ramirez in the fold, at least from a financial perspective.
Think maybe now the Cubs regret giving Ramirez an escape clause rather than additional money in the four-year, $42 million extension he signed at the start of the 2005 season?
If the Cubs had increased the size of that contract, by, say, an additional $10 million, Ramirez likely would have dropped his demand for the out clause. The Cubs then would have had him signed through '08, at a far lesser salary than they will pay him in his new deal.
Talk about a hollow victory: Proud as the Cubs might be that first baseman Derrek Lee is signed through 2010 and Ramirez through 2011, they still must pursue two starting pitchers, an outfield slugger, a center fielder and maybe a second baseman this off-season.
It seems doubtful the Cubs would sign free agent Alfonso Soriano to a deal in the $100 million range when they've already got big money committed to Ramirez and Lee.
It also seems doubtful that they would expend their trade chips on a hitter such as Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells, who is eligible for free agency after next season.
Then again, in a market short on quality starting pitching, overpaying for hitters rather than pitchers might be the right idea — particularly when the Cubs are bracing for a major investment in right-hander Carlos Zambrano, who is a free agent after next season.
The Cubs likely will attempt to trade for one starting pitcher and sign another in free agency. Right-hander Jason Schmidt is a logical free-agent target, but if his price grows astronomical, the Cubs might need to settle for an under-the-radar veteran on a short-term deal.
If nothing else, at least they won't need to replace Ramirez, who triggered his escape clause in part because few quality third basemen are available. Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa are among the leading free-agent possibilities, followed by Pedro Feliz, Aaron Boone and David Bell.
If the Cubs had lost Ramirez, they might have chosen to tap into the deep second-base market - which includes Ray Durham, Adam Kennedy, Mark Loretta and Ron Belliard - and gone with a lesser third baseman.
The team's current second-base options, Ronny Cedeno and Ryan Theriot, both are unproven. The Cubs likely will pursue a veteran infielder to complement them, but no one too expensive.
They just sunk in the neighborhood of $70 million into Ramirez. They need to sign Zambrano to an extension. And they've got a whole lot of work to do in between.
AFTER ALL THE BAD THINGS I SAID HE COMES THROUGH!!! LOL THANK YOU ARAM YOU ARE A CUBBIE AFTER ALL!! BOTH CORNERS COVERED THROUGH 2011!
-->
