Pirates acquire Aramis Ramirez from Brewers

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired third baseman Aramis Ramirez and cash considerations from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league right-handed pitcher Yhonathan Barrios.

It has been a down year for Ramirez, hitting .247/.295/.430 with 11 home runs in 302 plate appearances, but he's hitting .352/.422/.500 in July, and since April 21 the 37-year-old is hitting .270/.324/.481.

Ramirez is making $14 million this season, which means there is roughly $5.6 million remaining. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Pirates will only be on the hook for $3 million of that remaining salary.

The return for Ramirez to the Brewers is Barrios, a 23-year-old reliever with a 2.68 ERA in 33 appearances across Double-A and Triple-A this season.

The Pirates own the second-best record in the National League at 54-40, but their third basemen are hitting .265/.326/.395. The club has been in scramble mode since losing Josh Harrison, who is expected out until September after surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb earlier in July.

Ramirez was signed by the Pirates out of the Dominican Republic in 1994, and played the first six seasons of his major league career (1998-2003) with Pittsburgh.