Pittsburgh Pirates acquire Aramis Ramirez from Milwaukee Brewers

PITTSBURGH —The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired right-handed pitcher Yhonathan Barrios from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for third baseman Aramis Ramirez and cash.

The announcement was made by President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Doug Melvin.

“Aramis has had a great career, and we have had the opportunity to be a part of it,” said Melvin. “He is still a very respected hitter when there is a chance to drive in runs. We wish Aramis and his family the best.”

Barrios, 23, has split the season between Double-A Altoona (20g, 0-1, 1.46era, 10sv) and Triple-A Indianapolis (13g, 1-2, 4.60era, 1sv). He went a combined 1-3 with a 2.68 ERA and 11 saves in his 33 relief appearances (40.1ip, 36h, 15r, 12er, 17bb, 21k, 1hr). Barrios will be assigned to Double-A Biloxi.

Barrios, who began his professional career as an infielder, was originally signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on July 5, 2008.

He converted to pitcher in 2013. He led all Pirates farmhands in saves (15) last season while pitching at Class-A West Virginia (26 games, 4 saves) and Class-A Bradenton (15 games, 11 saves).

Ramirez, 37, batted .284 with 65 HR and 262 RBI in 455 games as a Brewer (2012-15). He was signed by Milwaukee as a free agent on December 14, 2011. He is batting .247 with 11 HR and 42 RBI in 81 games this season.

Ramirez, who has announced his intention to retire following the 2015 season, ranks fifth on the all-time Major League list for home runs as a third baseman (375). He returns to Pittsburgh, where he began his Major League career (1998-2003).

Overall, Ramirez is a career .284 hitter with 380 HR and 1,384 RBI in 2,138 games between Pittsburgh, Chicago-NL (2003-11) and Milwaukee.