Aramis Ramirez Becoming A Desired Target

The All-Star break is finally upon us. Though, a break should be the furthest thing from general manager Jim Hendry’s mind. This week should be the beginning of what is likely going to be an eventful three weeks for the Cubs general manager. The All-Star break is when many trade discussions begin to intensify. No longer will teams put out feelers on players they may be interested in, instead, teams focus on finalizing the trade for the one player they feel they need in order to contend this season. One player that is at the top of a lot of teams’ wish list is Aramis Ramirez.

The Chicago Cubs third baseman has really heated up these past two months and is currently hitting .298/.346/.497/.843 this season to go along with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs. Prior to Ramirez’s offensive surge, it was unlikely that any team would be interested enough in the veteran third baseman to make a trade for him. Now, Ramirez is quickly becoming one of the most desirable players on the trade market.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Cubs would love to trade Ramirez before the deadline. According to Cafardo, the Los Angeles Angels have expressed the most interest in Ramirez. While the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, and Atlanta Braves all may have some degree of interest in the Cubs third baseman. The question will be whether or not Hendry can convince Ramirez to waive his no trade clause.

It’s hard to gauge how intent Ramirez is on remaining with the Cubs. Up to this point, Ramirez has stated that he has no intentions of waiving his no trade clause because of his family. Though, we are coming up on the time when Ramirez’s children go back to school in the Dominican Republic. Meaning Ramirez may be more inclined to accept a trade now than he was earlier in the season. To show how important family is to Ramirez, he was asked to join the All-Star game as a replacement but declined the offer so he could go back to the Dominican and spend time with his family.

It is interesting that the Angels have the most interest in Ramirez. Remember last season, the Cubs had a deal in place with the Angels that would have sent Derrek Lee to Los Angeles in exchange for what was believed to be two young major league players. Ramirez would seemingly have more value than Lee did last season, so you would have to imagine that the Cubs may still look at those two players they would have received from the Angels if Lee did not reject the trade.

My gut feeling is that Hendry will be able to convince Ramirez to waive his no trade clause. If that is the case, the Cubs should be able to get a decent return for their third baseman.