Cubs Sign Jason Jaramillo

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

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.

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I would have never guessed we would add

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

We'll miss you Big Boy. #10 is going into the Hall of Fame!!

by mrcubsfan on Jan 18, 2012 5:15 PM CST via mobile reply actions

From that picture...

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

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jan 18, 2012 5:27 PM CST reply actions

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.

by ClarkFan on Jan 18, 2012 5:44 PM CST up reply actions

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

by chit0wn on Jan 18, 2012 5:35 PM CST reply actions

yep

by beartopia on Jan 18, 2012 5:57 PM CST up reply actions

Really ChitOwn?

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

There are no facts, only interpretations.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Lets Go Theo!!! 10/13/2011

by jeffstorm2 on Jan 18, 2012 7:09 PM CST up reply actions

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

by chit0wn on Jan 18, 2012 7:46 PM CST up reply actions

LOL

Gotcha! :]

There are no facts, only interpretations.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Lets Go Theo!!! 10/13/2011

by jeffstorm2 on Jan 18, 2012 10:23 PM CST up reply actions

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.

by bdlugz on Jan 19, 2012 9:30 AM CST up reply actions

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.

"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."

by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST

by fsuapollo on Jan 19, 2012 11:13 AM CST up reply actions

Neat

DUMP GARZA. CORRECT THE COSMIC WRONG.

by shoemile on Jan 18, 2012 5:59 PM CST reply actions

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…

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra

by wrigley's ivy on Jan 18, 2012 6:06 PM CST reply actions

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

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

"We have the Cannon, the Bucket, the Little Caesar's Bowl trophies, and I'm pretty sure the Nation's Best Kick-Off Team Trophy as well to put in our trophy case" --Purdue Coach Danny Hope

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 19, 2012 9:08 AM CST up reply actions

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

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

So i you can give you can take it.

by epsilon on Jan 19, 2012 9:32 AM CST up reply actions

OCCUPY BACKUP CATCHERS!!!!

"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach

by daver on Jan 19, 2012 11:54 AM CST up reply actions

word series bound, baby! WOOO

Just wee-un.

by jesus christos on Jan 18, 2012 6:12 PM CST reply actions

Its Happening!!!

Hey! I caught the 3rd Castro thread!!

by Tat14 on Jan 19, 2012 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

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

We really are becoming Pittsburgh East! NBF is right!

by jballgame on Jan 18, 2012 6:32 PM CST reply actions

i'm pretty sure the mets are pittsburgh east

Just wee-un.

by jesus christos on Jan 18, 2012 6:35 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah yeah......

meant west.

by jballgame on Jan 18, 2012 6:51 PM CST up reply actions

Being Pittsburgh West usually isn't a bad thing

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

by Mulhollandmania on Jan 19, 2012 12:45 AM CST up reply actions

SWEET

by Dcr18 on Jan 18, 2012 6:33 PM CST reply actions

Just another example of "more"

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

by Josh Timmers on Jan 18, 2012 7:19 PM CST reply actions

Move to come

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

-- Jerome Horwitz

by KO Stradivarius on Jan 18, 2012 8:12 PM CST via mobile reply actions

I thought it's been established

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

Excuse me, do these effectively hide my thunder?

by jasperthepilot on Jan 18, 2012 8:37 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

No, you didnt...

by bdlugz on Jan 18, 2012 8:45 PM CST up reply actions

We've heard all kinds of things

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

-- Jerome Horwitz

by KO Stradivarius on Jan 18, 2012 10:35 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

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.

by bdlugz on Jan 19, 2012 9:32 AM CST up reply actions

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…

So i you can give you can take it.

by epsilon on Jan 19, 2012 9:34 AM CST up reply actions

All good questions you would hope Bud would find out.

by bdlugz on Jan 19, 2012 10:44 AM CST up reply actions

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.

Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation

by Al Yellon on Jan 19, 2012 11:00 AM CST up reply actions

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?

So i you can give you can take it.

by epsilon on Jan 19, 2012 11:18 AM CST up reply actions

You'd thnk.

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by Al Yellon on Jan 19, 2012 11:30 AM CST up reply actions

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

by ClarkFan on Jan 21, 2012 9:07 AM CST up reply actions

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

by bdlugz on Jan 18, 2012 8:46 PM CST up reply actions

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.

It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??

by Invalid User on Jan 18, 2012 8:40 PM CST reply actions

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.

10-25-2011. Theo Epstein joins the Cubs. Now, the fun begins.

by timh815 on Jan 19, 2012 2:54 AM CST up reply actions