The Baltimore Wire
Fansided

Baltimore Orioles Considering Signing Hanley Ramirez

By Ben Palmer

BOSTON, MA - MAY 14: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park on May 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Athletics defeat the Red Sox 6-5. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 14: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park on May 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Athletics defeat the Red Sox 6-5. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly considering signing free agent first baseman Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez was DFA’d by the Boston Red Sox.

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly considering signing free agent first baseman/designated hitter Hanley Ramirez, according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal on Twitter.

Ramirez started the season with the Boston Red Sox, the team he had been playing with since 2015, but was designated for assignment by the team on May 25 and ultimately released on Friday. Before being released, Ramirez was hitless in his last 20 at-bats.

Ramirez has been struggling a fair bit this year, slashing just .254/.313/.395 with six home runs, 25 runs, 29 RBI and four stolen bases in 44 games. He struggled similarly with the Red Sox last year, slashing .242/.320/.429 with 23 home runs, 58 runs, and 62 RBI.

More from Baltimore Orioles

At one point, Ramirez was one of the best hitters in all of baseball. During his time with the Miami Marlins between 2006 and 2010, he was easily one of the best shortstops playing the game, especially during his 2008 season when he slashed .301/.400/.540 with 33 home runs, 125 runs, 67 RBI, and 35 steals on his way to an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger award.

However as Ramirez has aged, he’s lost nearly all of his speed and a lot of his batting average, as his plate discipline has steadily gotten worse. He’s still maintained a fair bit of power and flashed some brilliance in 2016, slashing .286/.361/.505 with 30 home runs, 81 runs, and 111 RBI.

Exactly how Ramirez would fit in on the Baltimore Orioles is fairly uncertain. He’s a first base/designated hitter type, and considering the team already has Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, and Pedro Alvarez, it’s not exactly clear how he’d fit into the lineup.

It also doesn’t exactly make sense why the Baltimore Orioles would even consider signing him. He’s an old player with a declining skill set and the Orioles are a non-contender that needs to start thinking about rebuilding with youth rather than signing aging players.

The only way I could see this making sense is if the Orioles are somehow getting rid of Davis, but I still don’t see that happening considering he still has four years and $68 million left on his contract.

Next: David Hess Has Been Surprisingly Good

Hopefully the Orioles abandon the idea of signing Hanley Ramirez, considering it doesn’t really benefit the team in any way, but with the way things have gone in the front office the past couple years, anything is possible.

Home/Baltimore Orioles