Alexei Ramirez Drawing Interest From Dodgers Among Other Teams

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the qualifying offer to Hanley Ramirez on Monday, which the free agent shortstop is unlikely to accept. While it’s plausible Ramirez agrees to different terms with the Dodgers, the shortstop position is far from set.

Should Ramirez sign elsewhere, the Dodgers would have Erisbel Arruebarrena and Miguel Rojas as immediate replacements. With the free agent market of shortstops leaving some to be desired, the Dodgers are among teams interested in Alexei Ramirez, according to Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago:

The White Sox have heard from numerous major league clubs about the availability of shortstop Alexei Ramirez, the 33-year-old All-Star who has been high on the list of several big-market teams. The interested teams include the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. All of these franchises are looking for a reliable shortstop to anchor their infields.

Alexei is under contract for $10 million in 2015 and 2016, though the final year is a team option that includes a $1 million buyout. Although Alexei is two years older than Hanley, he’s played two less seasons and appeared in a minimum of 150 games over the last five years.

Where Alexei may provide a boost for the Dodgers is defensively, as he holds a higher range factor according to Baseball-Reference. Hanley’s glove and range was a point of criticism and he’s widely regarded as being a shortstop on the decline.

Given that Hanley didn’t live up to the offensive standards he’s set, the shortstops were relatively comparable at the plate in 2014. Alexei drove in more runs, but trailed in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage; Hanley also holds the edge in career averages for those categories.

Perhaps not as much of a threat at the plate, to Alexei’s credit, he’s led AL shortstops in RBIs, hits and total bases since 2009.