Alexei! Padres Target Former All-Star as Shortstop Solution

The Padres had a busy Thursday.

Pending a physical, the team reportedly signed former White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez to fill a glaring need in their infield.

Ramirez comes to the Friars after spending the past 8 seasons with the Chicago White Sox.

Ramirez was a 2014 All-Star and had a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) around 3.0 in 2013 and 2014 before struggling at the plate this past year.

Ramirez hit just .249 in 2015 but collectively over his 8 years in the Windy City he hit .273 and averaged about 13 homers and 16 steals per season.

He has a knack for getting clutch hits and playing exceptional defense which is something that should translate well to Petco Park.

White Sox play-by-play announcer Hawk Harrelson famously yelped "Uh-Lexiiiiiiiiiii" when Ramirez cleanly fielded the last out of Mark Buerhle's perfect game against Tampa Bay n July 23rd, 2009.

Like Jimmy Rollins did for years with the Phillies in the National League, Ramirez has been one of the best defensive shortstops for the past decade in the American League, routinely fielding his position with ease and making the difficult putout look insanely easy.

The Padres are expected to develop prospect Javier Guerra (a young infielder who they acquired in the Clay Kimbrel trade with Boston) in the minors for a couple years and have Ramirez be the stopgap at shortstop in the short term.

San Diego also avoided arbitration with multiple players Thursday. The team signed catcher Derek Norris to a one year deal and also agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz.

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