A-Ram update

[USSoccer]

If ARam doesnt want to play in chicago because the manager will chew on his ass if he loafs, then it's okay with me if ARam is playing elsewhere next year.

 

Seriously, when are people going to stop making statments like these? He's not Manny Ramirez. He's "loafed" maybe 6 times all of last season. He's not some lazy malcontent who won't play for a guy who might yell at him.

 

Read the rest of his post. .

 

I did. I stand by my post. It's not the first time someone has insinuated that Piniella's "fiery" demeanor would make the "loafing" Ramirez opt out and chase FA.

 

It's a media creation. It's a strawman argument. Constantly implying your best offfensive player is lazy is insane.

 

I agree with you. I just was unasure if you were attacking his post or not. Because he goes on to say he really doesn't feel that way.

 

He may not think Aramis would delay because of Lou. Others do.

 

He may not think Aramis is a lazy oaf. Others do, and the more play it gets on any media outlet (nsbb included), the more it will fester.

 

Reputations in Chicago are hard to shake. This one is undeserved.

[jmajew]

I just thought i'd toss this out there.

 

With free agency looming in 2 weeks the Phillies have begun to compile their wish list. It appears to be headed by possible free agents Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez, big righthanded bats who could replace Pat Burrell in the order and hit behind lefty MVP candidate Ryan Howard.

-- Philadelphia Daily News

 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Sign me up for bringing Burrell over here.

[baseball7897]

Sign me up for bringing Burrell over here.

 

Overrated

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Sign me up for bringing Burrell over here.

 

Overrated

 

Overpaid, but a very good hitter.

[UK1679666180]

I've always liked Burrell, appears to be avail. for a somewhat reduced rate compared to his production. Hopefully Gillick wants to get rid of him and can be had cheap or a salary split.

[Rob]

Sign me up for bringing Burrell over here.

 

Overrated

 

Yeah, probably.

 

But he's still more productive than any of our current outfielders by quite a bit. Hardly a ringing endosement, sure... but take it for what it's worth.

[ToupeeOnFire]

Reason one-zillion-eleventh of why I hate the Chicago sports media:

 

Idiot example z~, Rick Morrisey:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-061023morrissey,1,700566.column?coll=cs-home-utility

 

Somebody explain to me why third baseman Aramis Ramirez will be such a hot commodity if the Cubs can't re-sign him. Did other teams happen to watch the first two months of the season? Did they watch him run out grounders all year? I've seen caddies pace off yardage faster.

 

Yes, those first two months of the season erase 3½ years of excellence.

 

And, if you speak media-ese, he has probably been the best Cub clutch hitter over that span.

 

No, I cannot reason why other teams would want him.

 

Oh, I forgot, the first two months of the season mean everything, August and September mean nothing.

 

And the Cubs need more hustle types...like Neifi.

 

Why am I writing one sentence paragraphs?

 

And why is a hack like Rick Morrisey still employed by a major metropoltian newspaper (let alone by a company that owns the Chicago Cubs)?

[frostwyrm]

Ramirez is an effete snob.

[CuseCubFan69]

Reason one-zillion-eleventh of why I hate the Chicago sports media:

 

Idiot example z~, Rick Morrisey:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-061023morrissey,1,700566.column?coll=cs-home-utility

 

Somebody explain to me why third baseman Aramis Ramirez will be such a hot commodity if the Cubs can't re-sign him. Did other teams happen to watch the first two months of the season? Did they watch him run out grounders all year? I've seen caddies pace off yardage faster.

 

Yes, those first two months of the season erase 3½ years of excellence.

 

And, if you speak media-ese, he has probably been the best Cub clutch hitter over that span.

 

No, I cannot reason why other teams would want him.

 

Oh, I forgot, the first two months of the season mean everything, August and September mean nothing.

 

And the Cubs need more hustle types...like Neifi.

 

Why am I writing one sentence paragraphs?

 

And why is a hack like Rick Morrisey still employed by a major metropoltian newspaper (let alone by a company that owns the Chicago Cubs)?

 

Sometimes I think the media or parts of them don't like a guy if he doesn't kiss their butt. Maybe Ramirez is kind of distant with them and now they jump on him for this. If he was all buddy/buddy with them it probably wouldn't be mentioned. He doesn't seem to be a quoteable guy and give them those soundbites that they really love.

[USSoccer]

Reason one-zillion-eleventh of why I hate the Chicago sports media:

 

Idiot example z~, Rick Morrisey:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-061023morrissey,1,700566.column?coll=cs-home-utility

 

Somebody explain to me why third baseman Aramis Ramirez will be such a hot commodity if the Cubs can't re-sign him. Did other teams happen to watch the first two months of the season? Did they watch him run out grounders all year? I've seen caddies pace off yardage faster.

 

This is beginning to sound like the Sosa smear campaign. Is the Trib trying to drum up support for his not being resigned?

[goonys evil twin]

Reason one-zillion-eleventh of why I hate the Chicago sports media:

 

Idiot example z~, Rick Morrisey:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-061023morrissey,1,700566.column?coll=cs-home-utility

 

Somebody explain to me why third baseman Aramis Ramirez will be such a hot commodity if the Cubs can't re-sign him. Did other teams happen to watch the first two months of the season? Did they watch him run out grounders all year? I've seen caddies pace off yardage faster.

 

This is beginning to sound like the Sosa smear campaign. Is the Trib trying to drum up support for his not being resigned?

 

It sure looks that way.

 

 

Ramirez has a couple things on his side, and a couple things that don't bod well for how Hendry evaluates players.

 

Last year he hit .293/.378/.611 with runners in scoring position. That's a 989 OPS, and quite good. His OPS dropped a little to 943, with RISP and 2 outs, still quite good. But he hit "only" .242. The 2003-2005 timeframe shows similar trends. Basically, Ramirez hits better with men on than with nobody on, and for more power. But men on/2 out his average is lower, although his power and OBP stays high (pitchers stay away from him, but when they make a mistake, he makes them pay).

 

If Ramirez is gone, Hendry is focusing on his AVG with RISP/2 out, and April/May 2006. If Ramirez stays, Hendry is looking at the big picture a little better.

[Guest]

If Ramirez is gone, Hendry is focusing on his AVG with RISP/2 out, and April/May 2006. If Ramirez stays, Hendry is looking at the big picture a little better.

That's a bit overly simplistic, isn't it? There's about 100 reasons why they may or may not be able to reach agreement on an extension, all of which will likely play much more of a role than his BA in any particular situation.

[daske17]

Ramirez is an effete snob.

 

Funny, I was going to say the same thing about Rick Morrisey.

[davearm]

Every voice we've heard at Wrigley in the last month, from McDonaugh to Hendry to Piniella, has delivered the same message: World Series. Now.

 

That task goes from difficult to impossible if Hendry lets Aramis Ramirez get away. Hendry knows it, ARam knows it, and the whole world knows it.

 

So doing whatever it takes to keep this guy is Hendry's only option here. He *has* to get this worked out. There's no other choice, plain and simple.

 

Fortunately, indications are that ARam's preference is to stay.

 

So the only question left to be answered is, how much $$$ will ARam hold the Cubs hostage for?

 

I expect this game of chicken to go down to the 11th hour, but it'll get done, because it has to for the Cubs' recent party line to hold any water whatsoever.

[goonys evil twin]

If Ramirez is gone, Hendry is focusing on his AVG with RISP/2 out, and April/May 2006. If Ramirez stays, Hendry is looking at the big picture a little better.

That's a bit overly simplistic, isn't it? There's about 100 reasons why they may or may not be able to reach agreement on an extension, all of which will likely play much more of a role than his BA in any particular situation.

 

Sure it's simplistic, but so is Hendry's managerial style. He has whined about needing guys to come through with RISP/2 outs almost as much as Baker whined for more speed in his lineup. He's clearly got the resources to keep Ramirez, if he chooses not to, it will be because he doesn't think Ramirez is clutch enough.

[USSoccer]

Every voice we've heard at Wrigley in the last month, from McDonaugh to Hendry to Piniella, has delivered the same message: World Series. Now.

 

That task goes from difficult to impossible if Hendry lets Aramis Ramirez get away. Hendry knows it, ARam knows it, and the whole world knows it.

 

So doing whatever it takes to keep this guy is Hendry's only option here. He *has* to get this worked out. There's no other choice, plain and simple.

 

Fortunately, indications are that ARam's preference is to stay.

 

So the only question left to be answered is, how much $$$ will ARam hold the Cubs hostage for?

 

I expect this game of chicken to go down to the 11th hour, but it'll get done, because it has to for the Cubs' recent party line to hold any water whatsoever.

 

Talk is cheap, though. The Trib, McDonough and Hendry can talk about a World Series all they want, but if they don't actually take steps to make that happen, it's just PR talk.

 

It's not unrealistic to think that Hendry would lose Aramis to FA, sign someone borderline average to play 3B and maybe sign Soriano and call it an upgraded offseason based on the Soriano aquisition. People who think critically would know better, though.

 

I don't have the faith in Hendry to believe that he knows that contending without Ramirez would be extremely difficult.

[Pinktermite]

This is an easy one really, if we don't have Aramis, the task of winning becomes precipitously harder. The Cubs need to finally learn that they are going to have to overpay to keep...and to get...players that are established stars.

 

Overpaying for guys like Zito...CLee...Soriano...etc, is just the way things are, and I hope they realize that the only way to win is to play that game. Kenny Rogers makes 8 million, and looks pretty worth it now...the same is true for Pudge...we could have had him too for the last three years.

 

And both of those guys would have probably helped us win. Maybe not, but it's a risk that teams need to take in order to win.

[goonys evil twin]

It's not unrealistic to think that Hendry would lose Aramis to FA, sign someone else to play 3B and maybe sign Soriano and call it an upgraded offseason based on the Soriano aquisition. People who think critically would know better, though.

 

He'd take it a step further and talk about whoever the new 3B is an upgrade somewhere as well. He's the ultimate glass half full guy, who always expects the best. That's why he can sign a guy like Jones and only think of the upside, or acquire Izturis and talk about how he led the lead in hits for 2 months. He will only look at the best aspects of a player, and ignore the likelihood/unlikelihood of that player actually performing at his best. He has yet to plan for setbacks with any of his acquisitions. He thought of Pierre as the guy who helped Florida with the WS, and not the guy he's been the majority of his career. He thought of Rusch and Neifi as the guys who put up career numbers in limited roles, and not the failures they've been throughout their careers. He's sees the topline potential, but not the bottom rung risk.

[USSoccer]

It's not unrealistic to think that Hendry would lose Aramis to FA, sign someone else to play 3B and maybe sign Soriano and call it an upgraded offseason based on the Soriano aquisition. People who think critically would know better, though.

 

He'd take it a step further and talk about whoever the new 3B is an upgrade somewhere as well. He's the ultimate glass half full guy, who always expects the best. That's why he can sign a guy like Jones and only think of the upside, or acquire Izturis and talk about how he led the lead in hits for 2 months. He will only look at the best aspects of a player, and ignore the likelihood/unlikelihood of that player actually performing at his best. He has yet to plan for setbacks with any of his acquisitions. He thought of Pierre as the guy who helped Florida with the WS, and not the guy he's been the majority of his career. He thought of Rusch and Neifi as the guys who put up career numbers in limited roles, and not the failures they've been throughout their careers. He's sees the topline potential, but not the bottom rung risk.

 

Happily, there are no 3B available on the market that can concievably be an upgrade over Aramis in any category except RISP w/2 outs.

 

You're right about Hendry. Nearly every aquisition in the last 2 years, he's trumped up some random positive and ignored the giant negatives.

[davearm]

Every voice we've heard at Wrigley in the last month, from McDonaugh to Hendry to Piniella, has delivered the same message: World Series. Now.

 

That task goes from difficult to impossible if Hendry lets Aramis Ramirez get away. Hendry knows it, ARam knows it, and the whole world knows it.

 

So doing whatever it takes to keep this guy is Hendry's only option here. He *has* to get this worked out. There's no other choice, plain and simple.

 

Fortunately, indications are that ARam's preference is to stay.

 

So the only question left to be answered is, how much $$$ will ARam hold the Cubs hostage for?

 

I expect this game of chicken to go down to the 11th hour, but it'll get done, because it has to for the Cubs' recent party line to hold any water whatsoever.

 

Talk is cheap, though. The Trib, McDonough and Hendry can talk about a World Series all they want, but if they don't actually take steps to make that happen, it's just PR talk.

 

It's not unrealistic to think that Hendry would lose Aramis to FA, sign someone borderline average to play 3B and maybe sign Soriano and call it an upgraded offseason based on the Soriano aquisition. People who think critically would know better, though.

 

I don't have the faith in Hendry to believe that he knows that contending without Ramirez would be extremely difficult.

McDonough and Piniella are brand new, and under pressure to make an immediate positive impact.

 

Meanwhile Hendry's job is clearly on the line.

 

So right away, this situation with ARam will be a defining moment for this new regime.

 

Pull through, and the PR talk is backed up.

 

Screw it up, and it's a major step backwards right out of the gate. Both fans and the media will immediately see right through the PR talk and realize it's business as usual for the lovable losers.

 

My gut says that everyone involved realizes that this absolutely cannot happen.

[goonys evil twin]

Screw it up, and it's a major step backwards right out of the gate. Both fans and the media will immediately see right through the PR talk and realize it's business as usual for the lovable losers.

 

A preliminary guess tells me the majority of the media is anti-Ramirez. And most of them would be more than fine with Hendry letting him walk. And if he replaces Ramirez with ARod or Tejada, or loses Ramirez and gains Lee and Soriano, I'd bet the majority of fans would be fine with that trade off.

[davearm]

It's not unrealistic to think that Hendry would lose Aramis to FA, sign someone else to play 3B and maybe sign Soriano and call it an upgraded offseason based on the Soriano aquisition. People who think critically would know better, though.

 

He'd take it a step further and talk about whoever the new 3B is an upgrade somewhere as well. He's the ultimate glass half full guy, who always expects the best. That's why he can sign a guy like Jones and only think of the upside, or acquire Izturis and talk about how he led the lead in hits for 2 months. He will only look at the best aspects of a player, and ignore the likelihood/unlikelihood of that player actually performing at his best. He has yet to plan for setbacks with any of his acquisitions. He thought of Pierre as the guy who helped Florida with the WS, and not the guy he's been the majority of his career. He thought of Rusch and Neifi as the guys who put up career numbers in limited roles, and not the failures they've been throughout their careers. He's sees the topline potential, but not the bottom rung risk.

 

Happily, there are no 3B available on the market that can concievably be an upgrade over Aramis in any category except RISP w/2 outs.

 

You're right about Hendry. Nearly every aquisition in the last 2 years, he's trumped up some random positive and ignored the giant negatives.

How do you know he's ignored the negatives? Did you expect him to focus on them when he introduces a guy at a press conference?

 

"We're thrilled to have Jacque Jones joining the Cubs! Hopefully his crap arm and pathetic OBP don't hurt us too badly, and we'll still be able to win some games despite having him in our lineup every day."

 

C'mon.

 

Just because he emphasizes a guy's positives publicly through the media, doesn't necessarily mean he's completely oblivious to the negatives.

[BigbadB]

There aren't many 3b's in the league, available or not available, that outproduced Aramis this year.

 

Only Miguel Cabrera outslugged him. Only Garrett Atkins and A-Rod had more RBI. If Aramis had Damon and Jeter hitting in front of him instead of Neifi and Pierre, no one would be ahead of him in RBI. No one had more HR's.

 

Aramis had the best fielding percentage at 3b in the NL this year. He's 5th overall, but none of the guys ahead of him played as many games as he did.

 

With his history of hammy problems, I don't want to see him pop it attempting to hurry a throw on a routine grounder.

 

It's amazing how poorly people think of Aramis. The Cubs have an incredible history of not being able to put someone respectable at 3b, and now we want to ship one of the best 3b's in the major leagues out of town because he sort of has a reputation of not running out a ground ball or poor AVG with runners in scoring position with 2 outs. Unbelievable.

 

I admit that I can't stand lack of hustle. But, the alternative to Aramis is decreased production. I can't stand decreased production a whole lot more than I can't stand lack of hustle. Period.

[davearm]

Screw it up, and it's a major step backwards right out of the gate. Both fans and the media will immediately see right through the PR talk and realize it's business as usual for the lovable losers.

 

A preliminary guess tells me the majority of the media is anti-Ramirez. And most of them would be more than fine with Hendry letting him walk. And if he replaces Ramirez with ARod or Tejada, or loses Ramirez and gains Lee and Soriano, I'd bet the majority of fans would be fine with that trade off.

Seems to me everyone agrees that the Cubs need ARam *and* ARod/Tejada/Soriano.

 

Lose ARam, and now you've got two major lineup holes to fill, instead of one.

 

Perhaps foolishly, I don't believe Hendry and co. are stupid enough to bank on those two major acquisitions, plus one or two major acquisitions needed on the pitching side, all being achieved. It's just highly unrealistic.