Do the Cubs pick up his option for $16 million, which is doubtful? And if they buy out the option for $2 million, do they try to re-sign him for less money or just say thanks and goodbye?
Ramirez made it harder for the Cubs to part ways as he ran his hitting streak to 16 games Saturday night, but it did little good as the Brewers clubbed Ryan Dempster for a 6-4 victory.
"I don't know what to expect because I've never been through (free agency)," Ramirez said. "Yeah, I'd like to stay but I'd like to see which direction they want to go.
"I don't know how much longer I want to play. I'm 33. I don't have much time left. You want at least a chance to compete. I'm not saying we have to put a World Series-type of ballclub on the field because that's hard to do, but you have to be able to compete."
The problem if Ramirez leaves is replacing his numbers. He is leading the Cubs by a wide margin in RBIs, and he has been a reliable and clutch hitter for most of the last 10 seasons with 109 RBIs per 162 games.
That is almost impossible to replace with a rookie and hard at almost any price to replace on the free agent or trade markets.
So Ramirez isn't sure what he's going to find this winter, but he knows it will be a long one given that the Cubs likely will finish more than 20 games out of first place.
"I've done everything from a personal standpoint," he said. "I put up great numbers and we make it to the playoffs. But as a team I don't reach my goal (of winning a World Series)."
If there is a downside to Ramirez's season, it was his slow start when the team was groping for runs.
But his amazing hot streak ? he is hitting .508 during it ? will put his final numbers back to what fans expect.
Has he ever been on an offensive roll like this one?
"Not that I remember," he said. "Right now I feel like I don't miss my pitches and that's the key. Any time you get a good pitch to hit, I want to hit it and hit it hard."
Dempster was slapped around for seven hits, including a pair of massive homers from Casey McGehee and Prince Fielder, and five runs in four innings. After winning six straight decisions against the Brewers, Dempster has dropped his last two.
"I didn't do a very good executing pitches," Dempster said. "I wasn't out there very long. Just long enough to lose the game."
The Cubs have lost seven of their last eight.
But Dempster refused to blame the upcoming changing of the guard, and ensuing changing of the roster, for the bad streak.
"The circumstances don't change anything," he said. "You have to play hard no matter what the situation is."
Twitter @davandyck
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