What the hell did Aramis Ramirez ever do to you?

Aramis Ramirez has been booed relatively frequently so far this week in his first trip to Wrigley since he declined arbitration from the Cubs in December.

Why?

I don't have an answer.  No, seriously, want to know why.  Someone please tell me.

For 30 years, Cubs fans had been looking for a player to replace Ron Santo at third base.  Ramirez did just that...he replaced Ron Santo and it could very well be argued that he actually led the Cubs to more success than Ron Santo ever did.  In Ramirez's 8 1/2 years in Chicago, the Cubs had a winning record 4 times...in Santo's career, 13 years, the Cubs had a winning record 5 times.  Ramirez had 3 playoff appearances.  Santo had none, though divisions didn't exist for the first half of his career.

Santo had Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, two hall-of-famers on his team to help him.  Ramirez had a corked up Sammy Sosa for a couple years, the much maligned Alfonso Soriano pretending he could hit leadoff for 4 years, and the oft-injured Derrek Lee for much of his stay.  No one is going to put any of those guys (perhaps Sosa...some day) into the Hall of Fame.

Ramirez averaged 28 home runs and 97 RBIs in his years with the Cubs.  He only had one season that could be seriously considered sub-par, that being 2010.

People complained about his defense, and though he never had great range, the truth was, after being chastised in 2003 for his poor defense, ended up only committing and average of 13 errors per season for the rest of his Cubs career.  (Just for reference, perennial gold-glover, Ron Santo averaged 23 errors per season at third base.)

Ramirez was relatively soft spoken and was criticized for not speaking up when thing started going a little haywire with some of these Cubs teams.  But neither did Derrek Lee or Alfonso Soriano.  Lee was paid more than Ramirez for most of those seasons in Chicago, paid to be that team leader, yet, after Derrek Lee was traded, he got a standing ovation in his first appearance at Wrigley.

Ramirez was criticized for not being clutch, but that really wasn't true either.  In fact, from my recollection, no player in a Cubs uniform since Sammy Sosa had been more "clutch", with a number of game tying or game winning home runs, especially during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Nope...this never happened...never.
(photo via Getty Images)

Then there is the argument that he really didn't try that hard and didn't hustle.  Ramirez was never a fast runner, but if you actually go back and watch footage of it, he ran out ground balls harder than many of the other Cubs players did, and did it even more so after being criticized about it.  He just wasn't very fast.  To say he didn't try is just wrong.  He had a wonderfully loose, easy swing that generate a ton of power, but made it look like he really wasn't swinging hard.  He was relaxed and for the most part, never let the pressure of a moment affect him.

He did have injury issues, but for the most part, he played through them and at times did so when he probably shouldn't have.  He was out for a significant amount of time only once in his Cubs career, in 2009.  He played defense on a shoulder that was likely to pop out an any moment, and it actually did a few times when he dived for balls.

The Cubs consistently underachieved on offense during his time in Chicago...in fact they did practically every year except 2008...but that was in no way due to Aramis Ramirez.  In fact, it's amazing Ramirez was able to put up the RBI numbers he did (over 100 in 4 of his seasons in Chicago).  The Cubs offense would have been historically horrible without Ramirez on the team during that time period.

Ramirez has simply been the best player on the Cubs over the last 9 years.

It's an embarrassment that he has been booed these last two games.

I don't blame him for not wanting to play here anymore, and I'm glad for Aramis that he rejected the arbitration offer the Cubs made to him this past off-season.

The fans didn't want him any more, and Ramirez was sick of being a scapegoat.  And it's all an awful shame.

The 2012 Cubs...the same as the 2011 Cubs?

Last year, I made a post where I warned people that the 2011 Cubs were likely to look a lot like the 2010 Cubs...and they they would again be kinda crappy. And that is exactly what happened.

Well the emergence of both Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Peña over the last month should make Cubs fans a little concerned over the potential composition of the 2012 Cubs roster.

As of right now as far as position players are concerned, Castro, Barney, Soriano and Soto are all pretty much locks to return.

Depending on how things pan out as the trade deadline approaches, Marlon Byrd may also return for the final year of his contract.

That's 5 of the 8 position players returning.

At this point, I believe the likelihood of Aramis Ramirez returning is extremely high for one and only one reason...there is no one else out there that is any cheaper/better. At the very best, the Cubs may pay off his $2 million and then re-sign him at a lower amount ($10 million?).

That's 6 of 8 position players.

What about first base? Well, it's more than a pipe dream for the Cubs to acquire Albert Pujols. That really only leaves Prince Fielder as an option. I honestly don't think the Cubs are going to meet Fielder's contract demand of around $22 to $25 million for 5 to 6 years. Signing Fielder also means a huge reduction in 1st base defense, which, as this season has progressed, is quite important with Castro at shortstop.

So with that said, Carlos Peña's power surge since April seems to have made him a viable option for the 2012 Cubs in the eyes of Jim Hendry.

That would mean that the Cubs could very well return 7 of their 8 starting position players, with right fielder Kosuke Fukudome not returning.

So the Cubs of 2012 could very well be Castro, Barney, Ramirez, Peña, Byrd, Soriano and Soto. It is very easy to see Jim Hendry thinking that this group of players should return next year.

The problem is that this group sucks! With the exception of Soriano, the other seven guys here are considered, for some reason, as decent players.

And, unfortunately, replacing Kosuke Fukudome isn't going to put this team over the top.

Let's move over to the pitching staff quickly.

Zambrano, Garza, Dempster, Wells and Cashner are all likely to return. Zambrano is the most tradeable commodity with Dempster a close second. Hendry's comments would indicate that he'd probably keep these guys. Kerry Wood...even if he is traded, is returning. Sean Marshall is considered an important part of this team's future for some reason. And I can't imagine the Cubs would be willing to trade Carlos Marmol.

The result here is that the Cubs would retool in right field, middle relief and their bench.

That isn't going to accomplish anything.

While it appears there are some really good components to this team, according to Jim Hendry's analysis, this team should be competitive next year...and that might be true if you look strictly at old outdated statistics...but these players, combined, create a really crappy team. We saw it last year. We are seeing it again this year.

I know it, you know it...everyone knows it. Blow this team up!

If that means trading Marmol, then do so. If it means trading Zambrano, then do so. If it means trading Byrd, Ramirez, Peña, Marshall and Soto, then do so!!!

Both Jim Hendry and Tom Ricketts have mentioned that they want to keep players that they think are key components to competing next season. Everything we've seen indicates that they might very well think that just about every one of the players on this year's opening day roster could be a key component to the 2012 World Series champion. They aren't.

A two or three year plan is what this team should be building toward, not to make some pathetic shot at pointless playoff appearance next year. Blow this thing up. Please?

A-Ram to return in 2011. Did you expect something different?

Aramis Ramirez told Gordon Wittenmyer today that he intends to use his player option for the 2011 season.

Now, for the most part, I look forward to Ramirez leaving at some point in the future. I will forever identify him as belonging to a group of core players that has under achieved almost every season since 2003.

But this is a good thing for the Cubs for now…and here is why.

First, Ramirez is taking a pay cut next season. Ramirez makes almost $16 million this season, but will ‘only’ take home about $14.5 million next year.

Second, the Cubs don’t have much of any alternatives right now to play 3rd base. Josh Vitters, after a disappointing and injury plagued 2010 season, appears to be at least another year away from even being considered as a replacement at third. The rest of the roster contains no one that could remotely replace Ramirez, even in his worst season.

Third, the third base free agent market is week this year. Most of the third basemen that are available offensively are not any better than Ramirez, and, while many of them might come cheaper, likely won’t contribute significantly to a team that is trying to rebuild.

Fourth, if Vitters still isn’t ready by 2012, the Cubs can bring Ramirez back for that season since there is a team option that year.

For Ramirez, the advantage of picking up this option is obvious. Even if he had a good offensive season this year, in the current economic climate, it would be unlikely he would get a contract that would pay him more than the $14.5 million he would get from the Cubs in 2011.

So, be happy that the best third baseman since Ron Santo is returning to the Cubs next season. And remember, it is highly unlikely that he will have a season as bad as this one has been.

And while I'm in a bad mood...A-Ram

Let me preface this by saying this, the few times Ramirez has actually made contact with the ball this year, he has hustled around the bases.

That is where my positive comments end.

Ramirez is terrible right now...and he is terrible in virtually every aspect of the game.

We have seen how bad he has been at the plate.

Here are some just frightening statistics for Ramirez so far this year:

• He has 1 multi hit game...and that was the first game of the season.
• His OPS is currently .481...last year Aaron Miles had an OPS of .466...so he is just a little better than Aaron Miles right now
• He has 32 total bases this year.  Carlos Zambrano, the pitcher, has 32 total bases last year.
• His strikeout percentage is at 22% right now.  That is almost a strikeout per game.
• His groundball to flyball ration is .38...which means that when he is making contact, he's popping the ball up a lot.  (League average is .78)
• The percentage of runners on base who have scored from his at-bats is 12%.  The league average is 15%.  (But compared to Milton Bradley last year, he's better...Bradley was 10%).

So Ramirez is hitting about has well as Aaron Miles and has been about as clutch as Milton Bradley was.

And now to fielding.  He has committed 6 errors already this year, and has been flat out sloppy so far this season in the field.  It is traditionally said that if you are slumping at the plate, you shouldn't let it affect your play in the field.  That has not held true with A-Ram this year.  In fact, in watching the games, I have noticed that he has appeared extremely tentative in the field and at times very lax in his fielding.  With the obvious problems Castro has the shortstop, and previously with Theriot's lack of range and of an arm, the defensive void on the left side of the infield right now it rather large (and that doesn't include the joke of a defender that Soriano is in left field). Ramirez's fielding percentage is .920...which means he commits an error on just about 1 out of every 12 attempts right now. 

So what do you do here?  The Cubs are actually in a really bad position with Ramirez.  He has a full no-trade clause in his contract (assuming he had any trade value what-so-ever) and has a player option for next season.  Once again, because of a contract, the Cubs are in a bind.

And is anyone surprised that Ramirez is actually only 32 years old.  Yes...he is younger than Soriano, Lee, Byrd, Kosuke, Dempster...and just a few months older than Xavier Nady.  But is he actually that young?  He is from the Dominican Republic, where a number of players have actually falsified their age to be more attactive to major league scouts.  Ramirez was only 20 years old when he came up with the Pirates.  But was he?  He is sure playing older than his 32 right now.  Could he in fact be 34, 35 or even 36 years old?  It shouldn't be out of the question.

I don't have any solutions here...but Ramirez is on pace to being historically bad this year.  He is typically a slow starter...but he's never been this slow or this bad.  On the positive end, on the few balls he has actually made contact with over the last few days, he has hit the ball hard.

Is Ramirez's slow start guaranteeing he will be in a Cubs uniform next year?

 A-Ram...will he stay or will he go?

Aramis Ramirez has often times been a slow starter.

Statistically his worst two months throughout his career are April and May.

This year has been exceptionally bad.  In fact, this was the worst April of his career.

It's very possible as the temperature warms up, Ramirez's bat will as well.  June, July and particularly August are his best months out of the year.

With that said, statistically this season he is going to have a really hard time getting his numbers up to his career averages by the end of the year.  So...this will probably end up being a below average year for Aramis.

Why is that so important for the Cubs?

Technically there are two years left on his contract...two option years.  The first year is a player option.  Yes, Ramirez can become a free agent at the end of the year if he wants to.  (The second, with some vesting conditions, is a team option if Aramis stays in 2011.)

Judging by the handling of the Derrek Lee situation right now (Lee's contract expires after this season...and the Cubs appear in no rush to extend him right now), the Cubs might be looking to move Ramirez out if this season begins to go south and the team starts looking to rebuild after the season.  He is the 3rd highest paid player on the team next to Soriano and Zambrano.  In theory, he would be the easiest to clear from the books of these three players as well.

Ramirez is set to earn $14.6 million if he decides to play out that option year.  If he leaves, would he be able to command much from a the free agent market?  That's hard to say right now...but I'm thinking that it would be unlikely.  

The big position in 2011 free agency is predicted to be 1st base, and a significant amount of money may be thrown around to these potential free agents.  That likely is to mean that Ramirez, coming off a below average season, and an injury prone season before that, will have a hard time getting that $14.6 million that he would automatically make staying with the Cubs.  Financially, his best bet may be to stay with the Cubs.  One counter-argument to this is the fact the Ramirez would likely be the best 3rd baseman in free agency in 2011.  If a team is very desperate for a middle of the order hitter that plays third, you never know. 

The truth is, the Cubs would be foolish to let Ramirez go...he is going to recover and have a productive final 5 months of the season.  He has brought stability to a position that had been unstable for this franchise for 30 years. Offensively he's excellent, and plays well enough defensively at third base to make Theriot look even worse than he already is.  He's also only 32 years old right now...younger than Soriano, Lee, Fukudome and Byrd.  Ramirez's potential replacement, Josh Vitters, appears to still be a few years away from being able to make a contribution to a big league club...but that could also change quickly as was have seen with Starlin Castro, and, even better, Tyler Colvin. 

The often silent Ramirez hasn't said much about staying or going.  (On a side note, it is a shame that he doesn't talk to the press more...he comes across as one of the smartest and most pleasant players in baseball in the few interviews I've seen of him.)

But the longer this slump goes for A-Ram, the more likely it is that he will be playing for the Cubs in 2011, whether the Cubs want it or not...unless they can get him to agree to a trade.