Report: Aramis Ramirez Leaving Door Open To Return To Cubs

JUBEY, Boca Chica, Dominican Republic (CBS) -- Cubs slugger and third baseman Aramis Ramirez said last month that he was "ready to move on," but now, he is leaving the door open to return.

MLB Trade Rumors reports Ramirez, 33, left open the possibility of returning in an interview with the Dominican newspaper El Caribe Wednesday. But he gave the team an ultimatum about his contract.

"I'll head to free agency if they don't give me a contract of several years," Ramirez said in the Spanish-language newspaper. "I'm going to wait and see what the team does. Otherwise, I'm going to leave Chicago."

On Sept. 21, Ramirez left a game with a quad strain, and left fans with the conclusion that he had played his last game on the North Side.

The Cubs hold a $16 million option on the third baseman, but Ramirez has been in limbo because there was no general manager for his agent to talk to. But that is expected to change imminently, with the anticipated official appointment of new GM Theo Epstein.

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• Aramis Ramirez