Aramis Ramirez has exercised his end of the $14 million mutual option in his contract and will remain with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team announced via Twitter.
Ramirez, 36, spent the last three seasons manning the hot corner for the Brewers after signing a deal during the 2011 offseason. He’s enjoyed a decent amount of success in that span. In 2012, Ramirez led the National league in doubles with 50 and made his first All Star team with the Brewers this past season. He’d twice been an All Star during his tenure with the Chicago Cubs (2005 and 2008).
Despite making an appearance in the All Star game, 2014 was somewhat of a down season for him. Ramirez hit .285/.330/.427 with 15 home runs and 66 RBI – the lowest HR/RBI totals of his career dating back to the 2002 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he hit just .234/.279/.387 with 18 HR and 71 RBI. For his career, Ramirez boasts a .285/.344/.496 line with 369 home runs and 1,342 RBI.
Paul Kinzer, Ramirez’s agent, commented on the decision to remain with Milwaukee in speaking with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"He is comfortable in Milwaukee and obviously Aramis has made a lot of money in his career and he has invested wisely and is in very good shape (financially). He told me he wants to control his own destiny. He’ll decide after next year if he wants to keep playing."
Although not the threat or player that he once was, Ramirez still has a quick bat and can get around the ball well enough to record his fair share of extra base hits. The key to Ramirez having a productive season will be his ability to remain healthy, as injuries have been an issue the last few seasons.