News: The Pirates have acquired Aramis Ramirez from the Milwaukee Brewers in return for cash and minor league pitcher Yhonathan Barrios.
Views: Wow. In reflection, this one makes too much sense. The Pirates, as you know, are badly in need of someone who can play the left side of the infield. Enter old friend Ramirez, who remains a solid third baseman. And in case you didn’t notice last weekend, he can still hit. He’s got 11 home runs and has driven in 42 runs. Past his prime? Sure, but still a solid player, and a huge upgrade over anything the Pirates currently have.
Ramirez isn’t the hitter he once was, but he remains a solid run producer. The Pirates have struggled horribly with situational baseball all season. Ramirez is the kind of guy who will hit a sacrifice fly when the Pirates really need it. He’s always been that guy, a terrific breaking ball hitter who is better with runners on base. In that regard, he seems like a perfect fit. He will help the Pirates against southpaws, too, and that’s a potentially big deal.
So, what happens when Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison get healthy? It wouldn’t be a shock to see Harrison take over in right field, at least against lefties. Gregory Polanco has been better lately but isn’t having a great season. The Pirates could play Harrison in right field, Ramirez at third and Kang at short until Mercer comes back. Suddenly, depth wouldn’t be such a problem.
Ramirez, by the way, has stated that he will retire following this season.
Update 6:20: Just did a little research, and you’ll like this. There is a good chance the Pirates will play in the Wild Card Game, right? Should that happen, there is a good chance they’ll face the Giants or the Cubs, which means a date with Madison Bumgarner or Jon Lester.
Ramirez is hitting .429 lifetime against Lester. He’s also hitting .333 lifetime against Bumgarner (6 for 18) with two walks. Of note, Bumgarner has never struck out Ramirez in those 20 career plate appearances. If the Pirates find themselves in a showdown against one of those two aces, Ramirez figures to help.
Aramis Ramirez is coming back to the Pirates. -- GETTY
July 23, 2015
News/views: Pirates trade for Ramirez
by Josh Yohe • News/views • Pirates
News: The Pirates have acquired Aramis Ramirez from the Milwaukee Brewers in return for cash and minor league pitcher Yhonathan Barrios.
Views: Wow. In reflection, this one makes too much sense. The Pirates, as you know, are badly in need of someone who can play the left side of the infield. Enter old friend Ramirez, who remains a solid third baseman. And in case you didn’t notice last weekend, he can still hit. He’s got 11 home runs and has driven in 42 runs. Past his prime? Sure, but still a solid player, and a huge upgrade over anything the Pirates currently have.
Ramirez isn’t the hitter he once was, but he remains a solid run producer. The Pirates have struggled horribly with situational baseball all season. Ramirez is the kind of guy who will hit a sacrifice fly when the Pirates really need it. He’s always been that guy, a terrific breaking ball hitter who is better with runners on base. In that regard, he seems like a perfect fit. He will help the Pirates against southpaws, too, and that’s a potentially big deal.
So, what happens when Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison get healthy? It wouldn’t be a shock to see Harrison take over in right field, at least against lefties. Gregory Polanco has been better lately but isn’t having a great season. The Pirates could play Harrison in right field, Ramirez at third and Kang at short until Mercer comes back. Suddenly, depth wouldn’t be such a problem.
Ramirez, by the way, has stated that he will retire following this season.
Update 6:20: Just did a little research, and you’ll like this. There is a good chance the Pirates will play in the Wild Card Game, right? Should that happen, there is a good chance they’ll face the Giants or the Cubs, which means a date with Madison Bumgarner or Jon Lester.
Ramirez is hitting .429 lifetime against Lester. He’s also hitting .333 lifetime against Bumgarner (6 for 18) with two walks. Of note, Bumgarner has never struck out Ramirez in those 20 career plate appearances. If the Pirates find themselves in a showdown against one of those two aces, Ramirez figures to help.