It’s official. Aramis Ramirez is now a Milwaukee Brewer. After the successful season the Brewers had in 2011, the team went out and grabbed the top free agent 3rd baseman in this year’s class. Ramirez decided to sign with a conference rival, and defending NL Central Champions.
Ramirez signed a three-year, $36 million dollar deal. He had another year on his contract with the Cubs, but had a player option for the final year. The possibility of Ramirez leaving had been rumored in Wrigleyville throughout the whole year. The hiring of Theo Epstein is thought to play a part in Ramirez’s decision.
The team is going in a different direction, and the Cubs did not try to convince Aramis to stay. They have now signed Ian Stewart as their new third baseman, and the team is not looking back.
Although sad to see such a big name and big-time player for years at Wrigley leave, this has been on the minds of Cubs fans for a few years. Ramirez though, started to change the talks at Wrigley the second part of this season. His numbers started to climb and he was representing himself as again a prime time player.
Cubbie fans looked at this and thought that if Aramis could put an entire season together, it could be a very productive year for him and the future Cubs under Theo Epstein’s control. Team management did not think the same.
Yet the Milwaukee Brewers did.
The Brewers are putting a lot on Ramirez’s plate for the 2012 season. Prince Fielder is not likely to return to Milwaukee, as his performance to this point in his career is about to land him a big-time deal in a big market. On top of that, news about N.L. Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun has recently surfaced, and the Brewers’ left fielder may soon be facing a 50 game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.
If both of those events occur, next season could have a strange look in Milwaukee. A former Chicago Cub will be the likely face of the Brewers for at least the start of the season. Ramirez will have to carry a lot on his shoulders if he wants to help the Brewers repeat as NL Central champs.
It will be an interesting season for the division. The Cardinals will no longer benefit from the presence of Albert Pujols, who recently signed a 10-year, 254 million-dollar contracts with the Anaheim Angles. According to Pujols, the signing was not about the money, but that’s a story for another day.
Arguably the second biggest name in the division, Fielder, will be out of Milwaukee. There is speculation that Fielder is interested in the Cubs, and if that interest continues to grow, we could be in store for a very interesting year. Aramis Ramirez, the former face of the Cubs, and Prince Fielder, the former face of the Brewers, swapping places?
The conclusion of the 2011 Winter Baseball Meetings gave us a lot of answers for the 2012 season, but there are still many questions. As for Aramis, the Brewers, and the NL Central division, this season will certainly be different than years past..
