Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez has accepted the mutual option on his contract and will remain with the franchise for the 2015 MLB season.
The Brewers’ official Twitter account announced the news Monday:
According to Bill Baer of HardballTalk, the one-year option is worth $14 million.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com broke down why it was a smart move for Ramirez:
Ramirez will be 37 years old in June and is coming off his worst offensive season since 2010. His .285 batting average, 66 RBI and 15 home runs would be considered solid output from an ordinary third baseman, but Ramirez has the talent to contribute more to the offense.
During his career, Ramirez has hit at least 25 home runs in 10 different seasons and has racked up 100 or more RBI seven times. There is no question that he has slowed as he has gotten older, but Milwaukee expects more offensive production from the veteran.
Prior to the announcement of Ramirez remaining with the team, principal owner Mark Attanasio spoke on the Brewers’ plans heading into free agency, courtesy of Adam McCalvy of MLB.com:
I wouldn’t say we’re quite at a crossroads, but we’re at [the point] where you can take a path in the woods, and you take one direction or the other. We do have a lot of talent, we have experienced players. We need to identify what’s missing.
With the Brewers locking up Ramirez early in the offseason, the franchise can now focus on filling other needs at the middle-infield positions and in the starting rotation.
Stats via MLB.com.
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