Wednesday, November 1 - The Pirates sold the contract of outfielder Alex Ramirez to the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League... Ramirez, who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians along with Enrique Wilson in exchange for Wil Cordero, hit .209 with four homers and 18 RBI in 43 games with Pittsburgh... He hit .286 with five homers and 12 RBI in 41 games with Cleveland.



An article from Foxsports about the trade: (July 28, 2000)
PITTSBURGH — Outfielder Wil Cordero, who left Cleveland to sign a $9 million, three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates last winter, was traded back to the Indians Friday for infielder Enrique Wilson and outfielder Alex Ramirez.
Wilson and Ramirez are prospects who couldn't break into the talented Indians' lineup, just as outfielder Brian Giles couldn't before being dealt to Pittsburgh after the 1998 season. He has since developed into one of the NL's best offensive players.
Pirates manager Gene Lamont, who now must find a way for Ramirez and Wilson to play, said, "We're not getting prospects, we're getting major league players.''
Lamont hasn't decided where Ramirez and Wilson will play. Wilson will compete with third baseman Aramis Ramirez, shortstop Pat Meares and second baseman Warren Morris for playing time, unless the Pirates make another trade. Ramirez goes into a crowded Pirates outfield.
Ramirez, also 25, is likely to be a spare outfielder with the Pirates, just as he was in Cleveland. He began Friday night's game batting .286 with five homers and 12 RBIs. He was the Indians' minor league player of the year in 1998 with 34 homers at Buffalo.





indians.com 5/00
Alex Ramirez Pinch Hits for Big League Lunch On Tuesday, May 30, 2000, Cleveland Indians Outfielder, Alex Ramirez visited Buhrer Elementary School in conjunction with “Big League Lunch” week. Alex, who pinch hit for the injured Enrique Wilson, was joined by team mascot Slider and not only promoted the importance of a well-balanced meal, but served the students lunch and joined them at their tables to eat. The Division of Food Services developed the special “baseball” menu that was served in the participating schools during the week. While each school decorated their cafeterias in Tribe blue and red.
The Cleveland Indians sponsored the “Big League Lunch” week at eighty Cleveland Public Elementary School in addition to other schools in the area. The program also included a “Pitch for Nutrition” essay contest for fourth graders that was held prior to the start of the week. One of the winners of the contest, Jose Villanueva, a fourth grader at Buhrer, received the visit from Alex and Slider during his May 30th lunch hour.
The other essay contest winner will be a guest of Enrique Wilson and Alex Ramirez at the upcoming July 18th game. The winner will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony at Jacobs Field prior to the start of the contest versus the Houston Astros.

3/29 ' Notes: Indians GM John Hart said both Cruz and Alex Ramirez will be on Cleveland's opening day roster. Both players shuffled between Triple-A Buffalo and the Indians last season and were out of options An article out of the Akron Beacon Journal
(www.ohio.com)
And my fav article:
3/28 Ramirez a familiar story But this young player actually could make the big-league roster
BY SHELDON OCKER
Beacon Journal staff writer

VIERA, FLA: It's a classic spring-training story.
A promising young player comes to camp with fingers and toes crossed, hoping to win a job on the big-league roster. It's not the first time he's had such hopes.
Going into the final week of camp, he has no idea where he stands, but he can't worry about that. His assigned task is to swing the bat and play the field as best he can and -- as the cliche goes -- ``everything will take care of itself.''
Easy for you to say. But for once, there might be a happy ending to the tale.
Alex Ramirez is having an impact spring. With a .367 batting average (18-for-49), his offense has been impressive, and he has made plays in the outfield at all three positions.
Yesterday against the Marlins, Ramirez had a single in three at-bats with an RBI, his third of the spring.
What more can he do? Nothing. Keep on truckin' might be the applicable advice.
But Ramirez has been through this before. Last year, he batted over .300 in the exhibition season and didn't make the team.
This spring is different. For one thing, he hit .305 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 305 at-bats at Buffalo in 1999, earning a trip to Cleveland. In 97 at-bats with the Indians, Ramirez batted .299 with three homers and 18 RBI.
In other words, he demonstrated the ability to take that final step.
Also, Ramirez finds himself without options. That means the Tribe cannot send him to Triple-A without first submitting him to the waiver process, and Cleveland officials know that if they do that, Ramirez will be claimed by a rival team.
Manager Charlie Manuel already has hinted strongly that Ramirez will be kept on the roster for no other reason than the Tribe doesn't want to lose him.
Is Ramirez that valuable a prospect? Could be. Remember Brian Giles, now with the Pirates? Ramirez appears to be every bit as talented a hitter.
``I think if Alex played every day, he would hit .260-to-.270 with 20-to-25 home runs in his first season,'' Manuel said yesterday. ``That's what Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez did their first year. And after that, Alex would do better. He has the ability to hit 35-40 homers.''
Barring an injury or debilitating slump, Ramirez isn't going to play every day. He will sit on the bench and wait his turn. That probably won't be the best way to develop his talents, but at least he'll be in the big leagues.
``My plan for Alex would be for him to take it slow,'' Manuel said. ``I wouldn't want him to die out there from pushing too hard. Self-confidence is a very important thing for him. He has to convince himself that he belongs up here.''
Ramirez, obviously, is all for taking it slow -- or any other speed -- so long as he stays in the majors.
Over the winter, Ramirez prepped in Venezuela, coming home only for a week before heading to training camp. While he was playing, he developed a mild case of tendinitis in his throwing elbow.
``I went home, and it went away,'' Ramirez said. ``But two or three weeks ago, the same thing happened. I put ice on it and they gave me some (anti-inflammatory) pills, and it's all right now.''
Ramirez is aware that the Tribe cannot easily send him back to the minors. But he also knows that nothing is certain.
``I always try to play 100 percent, do the best I can,,'' Ramirez said. ``I want to make the team. I don't know what they will do. They could trade me. I want to show these guys that I can be an everyday player here.''
But Ramirez realizes that no everyday job is open to him. He is competing for a job on the bench.
``We've got a lot of good players: Jacob Cruz and Mark Whiten,'' he said. ``They are having a good spring. They deserve to be here, too. I'm thankful to the organization for giving me an opportunity.''
There's a good chance all three players will win spots on the roster, particularly if Kenny Lofton (rotator-cuff surgery) returns to the club in April, allowing the team to release Lance Johnson.
Ramirez could become invaluable, if Manny Ramirez takes a walk in the fall as a free agent and John Hart is unable to acquire a high profile hitter to replace him. It's far too early to know if any of these eventualities will come true, but Alex Ramirez represents a quality insurance policy for the general manager.
``Nobody knows about Manny, but it's possible that will happen,'' Ramirez said. ``But Jacob is a natural right fielder and a good player, so we would have to wait and see. I think Manny is going to stay right here. But whether he stays or leaves, I wish him luck. He's the best player.''