Ok...before I automatically throw out another FU to Hendry, I figured I would ask a few questions first. So cubs hold a 16M option on Ramirez otherwise there is a 2M buyout. Correct? Ok...certainly heard of this situation before...nothing unusual. Then, several weeks ago it gets reported that if the cubs pick up the option...then Ramirez has 4 days or whatever to accept? What the fuck is that? So who has the damn option? Now I hear Ramirez and his agent saying bunch o crap about being done, etc... Is this yet another hendry "give in" similar to all his no trade clauses? I don't think I have EVER heard of a club option where the player can choose whether or not to accept it. What the fuck kind of contract is that??

So can someone enlighten me?? Any details or is this common place and I have just missed it all these years?

All that said....I guess I don't much care if Ramirez comes back or not. He was a stud for many years...but last few years, not so much...and as for this year...who cares? He played dead for 2 months right along with the rest of the team.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Mutual options are common but it usually works that the player invokes the option and the team decides either to accept or deny with a buyout.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It's a mutual option that Hendry put in the contract so Ramirez can and will opt for free agency. I agree he has sucked big time in the first 2 months of the last few seasons helping to bury the team. The problem is the lack of quality 3rd basemen in all of MLB. Ramirez will easily get 2 yrs 24M or 3 yrs 30M somewhere, possibly even the Cubs.

If he does re-sign with the Cubs, expect him to again blow prior to June.

Yes, he has like 5 business days after the World Series to accept the option if the Cubs exercise it.

Been dropping this issue for Years on Hendry, the guy was a terrible businessman in these deals. It was like he never said NO. You look at all the deals he did and it was like, every turn the agents came back at him and asked him for more and he would give in.

Just look at every way that Aram could have locked into that 2012 $16 mill? It was like Hendry just could never say NO
2012 option becomes guaranteed if Ramirez:
wins one MVP in 2007-11, or
places 2nd or 3rd in MVP vote twice in 2007-11, or
wins LCS MVP once in 2007-11, or
is an All Star 3 times in 2007-11, or
is traded at any time & Ramirez exercises 2011 option

It was like every player he ever did a deal with got the final word and they got paid top $$$$$ as well.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Ahhh....mutual Option. Yes heard of that I guess. Just pisses me off like BF indicates that the players always have leverage over the club.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

I would really love to see the guy gone, whatever it takes. He is one of the greatest hitters when it matters the least. There is nothing worse than watching a guy fail when you know has the talent to be a dominating hitter. He disappeared in the 07 and 08 playoffs and hasnt done much of anything the past two years. No argument that this is another bad Hendry deal.

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From Aaron Miles to Milton, we never got a guy on our terms!!!!!!! Never got a good deal on ANY player. Sure, we pick up a Reed Johnson for a good price and Byrd is decent, but like I said I always wish I could sell this guy a house.

Oh you want paint? that will be $67,000 more and if you like the paint, it will be $10,000 more and if you don't like the paint it will be $5,000 more....sign here!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Aramis Ramirez is one of the greatest Cubs hitters of all time.

People seem to forget how he was the goods in 2003 putting up like a .1000 OPS is the two series. For sure he shit the bed like the entire team in 07-08, but at the end of the day, he's in rare air in terms of pure offensive numbers in Cubs history.

That said, he's not worth multiple years at 15m + which is what I'm sure he's going to ask for. Wish him nothing but the best.

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Team Cutler.

Well that's a bunch of baloney (yes I know that is spelled incorrectly). Ramirez was probably the Cubs best hitter in the 03 playoffs and his numbers have been basically the same every year since he got here other than 2010.

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Git on back there.

ARam was big in the '03 playoffs when he had Alou and Sosa taking the pressure off. With the pressure on, this guy has disappeared. I can't honestly remeber a guy at his salary level with as overated a stat line as this guy. And he doesn't even rate as a Type A free agent, which is hard to believe but true. So the Cubs will get nothing but salary relief if they don't resign him.

Has Aramis Ramirez gone through like four or five contract options already, or does it just seem that way? Fucker can probably opt out in the middle of an at-bat.

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+1

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most everyone disappeared with the pressure on...u just dont judge a great player simply on that

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the details are not commonplace, u just missed what Aram said a couple days ago

he didnt say he was done

he was asked, as he is everyday, what his situation is, and he said he hasnt been approached by anyone in the Cubs front office...he was only speculating he was done...he is not in the driver's seat, the Cubs are...if the Cubs want him, believe me he wants to stay...he just at this point doesnt think they do because he hasnt been approached...he said the Cubs have 5 days aftyer the season...I took that to mean regular season, otherwise he wouldnt speculate with such certainty

I want Aram back and I will greatly miss him if he leaves...its hard to find great hitters for 9 years who cause no controversy...to me, he is a guy u want on ur team...u can even see he has taken a little more leadership role this year as well...maybe not completely out of his shell, but I have seen him be a little more vocal this year

big mistake if we let him go, but thats the Cubs for u

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I hated Hendry for this back in 2007 when everyone was on the "spend money" bandwagon...nice to see people have caught up...he could never hang with the big boys when it came to making trades and signing people....he gave in, and then had to be a bully to the homegrown players as a way of self-psychological compensation...thats one reason we havent develeoped our own players...u can say theyve all sucked, but bottom line is, we never gave many people a chance either and stunted their growth

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First thing that NEEDS to happen, is that the Cubs invoke the option for 2012. That way they are off the hook for the 2 million dollar payoff. Plus, they may then be eligible for compensation when Ramirez signs elsewhere as a free agent-having declined the final year of the contract. But if they do not invoke the last year, they are on the hook for the payoff and get nothing when he goes to another team.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Thanks ES...I was wondering about the payoff and I assumed they would be off the hook for 2M buyout.

I think if I am the Cubs, unless I TRULY wanted Aramis gone, I would do just that...pickup the option and the worst case scenerio is that you have him for one more year at 16M. Otherwise they get out of the 2M buyout and pickup a draft pick or two. That is not the worst thing in the world. They have "worse" money tied up with Soriano and Zambrano for next year and future years (soriano).

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

i do not want aram back, he has been a very good player for a long time..but this team needs to get younger and this team is not close to contending for a world series next season..this team needs pitching and when the time comes and they have a contending rotation and bullpen,aramis ramirez will be retired

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I agree it would be best to have a change at 3rd....if they had anyone half decent ready to take over there. They don't. The bottom line is that Ramirez WILL have teams interested in signing him to at least a 3 year deal. There is no danger in invoking the final year of the contract. If no team were to offer him a multi-year deal he could decide to stay and he would again be in a situation where he needed a big year to get another contract. So he would probably produce well again. That would make the 16 million he would receive alright. But thats not gonna happen. He will get a deal and by virtue of the Cubs invoking the final year they will save the 2 million and get the draft choices. If they decide not to invoke the final year they are plain stupid....not to be dismissed.

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Go Cubs!!!!