When the Brewers signed Aramis Ramirez, it was easy to start wondering just how the Brewers were going to fit him into their 2012 payroll, especially with Francisco Rodriguez accepting salary arbitration just a few days ago. As it turns out, the answer is a drastically back-loaded contract. Ken Rosenthal had the details first this morning: 2012: $6 million 2013: $10 million 2014: $16 million* 2015: $4 million mutual option buyout The 2014 figure gets an asterisk because the Brewers will only be paying him $10 million that year -- $6 million of that money is deferred into future years. The Brewers needed to get creative if they were going to add Ramirez, and this breakdown certainly fits that description. With just a $6 million salary in 2012, Ramirez ended up sacrificing $10 million in salary in order to get more guaranteed years (he turned down a $16 million option with the Cubs to hit free agency). The reduced 2012 rate also helps the Brewers field a more competitiv...
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