Aramis Ramirez likely to retire following 2015 season

As SuperBaes already noted in the FanPosts, longtime NL Central third baseman Aramis Ramirez appears set to retire after the 2015 season. Ramirez was, of course, a Pirates product, having signed with the organization all the way back in 1994. Unfortunately, they rushed him to the big leagues, bringing him to the majors as an unripe 19-year-old in 1998, then traded him five years later for ... well, "pennies on the dollar" seems too kind, doesn't it?

The Bucs then faced the further indignity of watching Ramirez almost immediately blossom with a team in their own division -- Ramirez and Derrek Lee formed the offensive core of a good Cubs team for the better part of a decade. And then, of course, Ramirez headed to another NL Central team and kept hitting, posting one of his best seasons as a Brewer in 2012. For his career, Ramirez has hit .290/.374/.510 in about a full season's worth of plate appearances against the Pirates, blasting off for 31 home runs against mostly terrible Pirates pitching.

Ramirez has finally tailed off in the last couple years as his home-run totals have decreased, but he's still one of the better hitters ever to play his position. For the Pirates, though, he's less a great hitter unto himself and more of an incredibly embarrassing reminder of how bad things used to be. His impending retirement will be another page the Pirates finally get to turn.