Acquisition of Aramis Ramirez for the cost was a no-brainer for Pirates

The Pirates losers of five of six and ravished by injuries to the left side of their infield, acquired 37 year old third baseman Aramis Ramirez from the Milwaukee Brewers today, in-exchange for minor league pitcher Yhonathan Barrios, a prospect who wasn’t even one of the Pirates top-30 prospects.

Ramirez is no longer the offensive force he use to be, but the acquisition for the cost was a no-brainer for Pirates GM Neal Huntington.

Ramirez remains a quality player, hitting .343 with 3 home runs and 16 RBIs this month, and batting .247 with 11 home runs, 42 RBIs on the season.

What the Ramirez acquisition does for the short-term is immediately upgrade the third base position with Josh Harrison injured and Jung Ho Kang moving over to shortstop with Jordy Mercer out.

The Pirates believe based on Josh Harrison’s latest checkup, he could be be back before the original 7-8 week diagnosis. The Pirates now have options regardless of whether they add another bat or not before the deadline.

When Harrison and Mercer are back, Ramirez at worst would upgrade the bench, a career .275 pinch hitter, and if Ramirez continues to hit at the level he is this month, the Pirates could keep him as the starting third baseman and move Harrison into a super-utility role and give him regular starts in right field.

The Ramirez acquisition isn’t a game changer but the Pirates are a deeper, better ball club than they were yesterday.