Aramis Ramirez isn’t going to replace Chipper Jones in Atlanta

Yesterday there was some speculation that the Braves pulled their large contract offer to 18th-round draft pick Zach Alvord in order to set that money aside to potentially claim Aramis Ramirez off waivers from the Cubs. Mark Bowman of MLB.com quickly threw cold water on the report by noting that clearing payroll room for this season isn’t really the issue, as Ramirez can exercise a $14.6 million player option for 2011. He also has a $16 million option for 2012 that becomes guaranteed if he’s traded, so that won’t even work. And then just to squash the speculation completely, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution asked Frank Wren about whether the pulled offer to Alvord had anything to do with Ramirez and the general manager replied: “No relationship at all.”