The Tampa Bay Rays have inked a deal with veteran shortstop — and former two-time Silver Slugger Award winner — Alexei Ramirez, who was recently released by the San Diego Padres after posting a -17 DRS on the season. The deal comes days after the news that shortstop Matt Duffy would undergo season-ending surgery to alleviate a nagging Achilles injury.
The decision to sign Ramirez, as opposed to recalling the recently demoted Tim Beckham, who was optioned to Triple-A Durham due to a series of base running gaffes a week or so ago, is interesting to say the least. Though Beckham showed some promise at the plate this season, slashing .247 BA/.300 OBP/.434 SLG/.734 OPS in 215 plate appearances, he’s yet to justify his first round draft spot or even cement himself into the Rays long-term plans.
Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors) made note of the interesting decision to sign Ramirez, writing,
The 34-year-old Ramirez inked a one-year, $4MM contract with the Padres on the heels of a disappointing 2015 season — albeit one that saw him finish with a strong .282/.329/.426 in the season’s final three months — but received woeful results from the longtime White Sox infielder. Ramirez batted just .240/.275/.330 through 444 plate appearances with the Friars, and while he’s long graded out as a plus defender at short, Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at -17 this season, with Ultimate Zone Rating offering a similar assessment (-15.1).
Details on Ramirez’s contract aren’t yet clear, but it’s presumably just a one-year Major League pact, meaning it would run only through the end of the 2016 season. The Rays, then, would be on the hook for nothing more than the pro-rated portion of the league minimum. While that’s a fairly negligible investment, it’s still something of a mildly unexpected bonus for the Padres, who will save about $70K due to the Rays’ unexpected expenditure.