Cubs Sign Jason Jaramillo

by Al Yellon on Jan 18, 2012 5:11 PM CST in Chicago Cubs News

Justin K. Aller - Getty Images

Jason Jaramillo of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits an RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

This time, a MLB Trade Rumors link is appropriate, since they are the ones reporting the signing of former Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo:

The Cubs completed their minor league deal with catcher Jason Jaramillo, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. MLBTR reported in December that the Cubs were nearing a deal with the 29-year-old.

Jaramillo has hit .235/.293/.327 in 366 major league PA over three seasons, all with the Pirates. He'll compete in spring training for the backup spot behind Geovany Soto with Welington Castillo and Steve Clevenger.

Jaramillo is, as far as I know, no relation to Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. He's a native of Racine, Wisconsin and played college ball at Oklahoma State. He had an elbow injury that forced him to miss much of the 2011 season. This appears to be a low-risk signing simply to give new manager Dale Sveum and staff another catching option in camp this spring.

0 recs | 55 comments

Comments

I would have never guessed we would add

a veteran catcher. And, its a little surprising. Team Theo ia keeping us guessing.

mrcubsfan - January 18, 2012 via mobile reply

From that picture...

it looks like we’ll have another slap hitting catcher that’s coming back from an injury.

santoswoodenlegs - January 18, 2012 reply

Or not - he could be waived or sent to Iowa during/after ST

On a minor league contract, this looks like a deal for depth/competiition.

ClarkFan - January 18, 2012 reply

hope hes not a flop like the 1st Jaramillo

… when Jaramillo left texas and came to the cubs the texas hitters got better and the cubs hitters got worse

chit0wn - January 18, 2012 reply

yep

beartopia - January 18, 2012 reply

Really ChitOwn?

REALLY?! You gotta bring us all down _by speaking the truth?! What’s next…stats and facts?! :]

jeffstorm2 - January 18, 2012 reply

LMAO

… um, i’m not azjazzman ok!!!! Im chit0wn and im full of shit, im “clueless”, “dumb”, and I “dont know what im takling about”! lol

chit0wn - January 18, 2012 reply

LOL

Gotcha! :]

jeffstorm2 - January 18, 2012 reply

Sigh...

Couldn’t have anything to do with the Rangers getting better players and the Cubs getting worse, could it.

I’m not a fan of Jaramillo, but this angst directed at him is weird. I guess if you expected him to solve the Cubs hitting issues you’d be disappointed, but at the end of the day he’s just there to help with mechanics. Hitting coaches aren’t saviors or game changers, and to expect them to be means you’ll only be disappointed.

There is a reason they are the first person fired from a struggling team – they are an easy scapegoat that can be easily replaced from the pool of other hitting coaches.

Do you really think Theo/Jed would have kept Jaramillo on if he was hurting one of the fundamental aspects of their plan for the Cubs? And it’s not about the $800,000 he’s making, they’re already eating around $20 million in front office costs, they wouldn’t balk at that price if it hurt the team.

bdlugz - January 19, 2012 reply

I agree in principle

particularly that Rudy catches far too much grief.

However, I think it is oversimplifying to say that a hitting coach to say “he’s just there to help with mechanics”.

It’s pretty clear that a hitting coach will work on “approach”, too. Now, a player has a whole lot to say about that, too, as does/do all the coaches they’ve had along the way up until they get to the big leagues.

My surprise in keeping Rudy is how starkly his philosophy of being aggressive (to my knowledge, his teams have never been strong OBP / BB…. AL ranks: 12th in ‘09, 2nd in ’08 fueled by really high BA, 11th in ’07, 9th in ’06, 6th in ’05, 11th in ’04… I quit there just cause I got tired) clashes with Theo’s “patience is indeed a virtue” approach.

So given that the “Cub way” throughout the system will soon have a much greater emphasis on OBP, I find it a bit odd to have a hitting coach at the big league level who is not in line with that philosophy.

Now, it doesn’t “really matter” for one year in a largely lost season and the angst certainly is overblown. But given how little (relatively) he makes, it did surprise me that he was retained.

fsuapollo - January 19, 2012 reply

Neat

shoemile - January 18, 2012 reply

Hard to argue with

Ideally, he’s a solid MLB back so Clevenger and Castillo can get a little more experience in the minors.

Moving on…

wrigley's ivy - January 18, 2012 reply

We do not "move on" when talking about backup catchers...

carmen_fanzone - January 19, 2012 reply

nope, we can move on if he's making league/minor league minimum...

if he’s making 800,000.00 we’ll never forget.

epsilon - January 19, 2012 reply

First Maholm, now Jaramillo.......

We really are becoming Pittsburgh East! NBF is right!

jballgame - January 18, 2012 reply

i'm pretty sure the mets are pittsburgh east

jesus christos - January 18, 2012 reply

Yeah yeah......

meant west.

jballgame - January 18, 2012 reply

Being Pittsburgh West usually isn't a bad thing

They essentially are a minor league team for all of baseball.

Mulhollandmania - January 19, 2012 reply

SWEET

Dcr18 - January 18, 2012 reply

Just another example of "more"

that I was talking about. Give Sveum more options at catcher.

Josh Timmers - January 18, 2012 reply

Move to come

We are about to move a catcher. Probably as compensation for Theo. I’d guess Clevenger, but maybe even Geo.

KO Stradivarius - January 18, 2012 via mobile reply

I thought it's been established

that the compensation won’t be major league talent. Did I hear wrong?

jasperthepilot - January 18, 2012 via mobile reply

No, you didnt...

bdlugz - January 18, 2012 reply

We've heard all kinds of things

And we have no idea what Lucchino expects. Now it’s in Bud’s hands.

KO Stradivarius - January 18, 2012 via mobile reply

Lucchino is an idiot that expected someone like Garza in return.

Sources said MLB claimed it would not be a major league player for compensation. That is a precedent they do NOT want to set.

All the leverage lies with the Cubs, and Selig will have to recognize that.

bdlugz - January 19, 2012 reply

my question is,

how does Boston even have a leg to stand on? If Theo was so valuable, why let him talk to the Cubs to begin with? and even if they let him talk why let him sign? and why not set the cost of compensation before you let him sign…

epsilon - January 19, 2012 reply

All good questions you would hope Bud would find out.

bdlugz - January 19, 2012 reply

All good questions you would hope Bud would find out.

You’re talking about Bud Selig here, you know. That could take years, if it ever happens.

Al Yellon - January 19, 2012 reply

well, i mean Theo is very obviously valuable...

but if he was Matt Garza valuable, why let him go? Bud is an idiot, but he’s not an idiot, right?

epsilon - January 19, 2012 reply

You'd thnk.

Al Yellon - January 19, 2012 reply

It may be that the player offered in compensation has yet to be born.....

ClarkFan - January 21, 2012 reply

No, we signed catcher depth... this has nothing to do with compensation.

bdlugz - January 18, 2012 reply

Camp catcher, and insurance at Iowa

I think that one of Castillo or Clevenger will end up as the backup in Chicago, and the other will start at Iowa. Hoyer could even rotate them every 3-4 weeks to balance their workload and shop both of them.

I don’t think that Jaramillo starts the season in Chicago unless neither Castillo or Clevenger has an acceptable ST.

Invalid User - January 18, 2012 reply

Catchers are very busy

in the spring. Not only do they have to get their running and hitting in, they have to catch the twenty or thirty some pitchers in camp. They also have to get in their own defensive game shape. Another cheap catching option in Arizona is cool.

timh815 - January 19, 2012 reply