Aramis Ramirez is returning to where it all started as the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league relief pitcher Yhonathan Barrios. Ramirez was signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1994 and made his Major League debut in 1998. He played for the Pirates until he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2003. He signed with the Brewers as a free agent after the 2011 season.
“It didn’t surprise me,” Ramirez said of this latest swap. “I talked to a few people, including my agent, and they told me it was a possibility that [the Pirates] were looking to upgrade the left side of the infield. I’m in the pennant race, and that’s what counts.”
The Pirates found themselves in a bind when utility infielder Josh Harrison and shortstop Jordy Mercer went down with injuries. Ramirez will take over at third base while Jung Ho Kang fills in at shortstop.
Ramirez got off to a slow start but has been red hot of late. He is hitting .352 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs in July. The Pirates are hoping that his hot streak continues on through October. They are currently 6 games behind the National League Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, but they hold the first Wild Card spot.
Ramirez has said that he is going to retire at the end of the season.
All stats and quotes are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
[…] Louis Cardinals in the National League Central, but they have a firm hold on a Wild Card spot. They added third baseman Aramis Ramirez in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to help them in their playoff run, as well as […]
[…] League Central, but they have a firm hold on a Wild Card spot. They added Aramis Ramirez in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to help them in their playoff […]