Aramis not concerned with trade talks

MILWAUKEE -- Aramis Ramirez does not have a no-trade clause, and thus has no control over whether his final Major League season will end where it began.

Cast your Esurance All-Star ballot for #ASGWorthy players

Already the subject of trade rumors, the veteran Brewers third baseman spoke Saturday morning about his frustrating season to date, Friday's five-RBI breakout and the notion that more productive games will only increase the likelihood of being moved ahead of the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.

"We've put the team in a position where they have to make moves at some point," Ramirez said with the Brewers sitting 14 games under .500, even after winning six of eight. "Hopefully we play good the next few weeks and they change their mind."

And if not?

"I can't control [a trade], so I can't let that affect my play out there or anything else," he said. "It is what it is right now. We might be sellers. Who knows? We are playing pretty well right now. We still have 100 games to go. That's the front office's decision. They are going to do what's best for the team.

"I haven't really thought about it. If I get traded, so be it. I can't control that. I don't have a no-trade clause."

Ramirez has been traded midseason before, in 2003, from the Pirates to the Cubs. He was 25 then, and the deal -- Ramirez and Kenny Lofton to Chicago for Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback and Bobby Hill -- came as a total surprise.

This time, there will be no surprises if a deal is consummated. Ramirez has already been linked to the Mets in trade rumors. The team's discussions have been preliminary.

Ramirez matched a season-high with three hits -- all doubles -- and set a season high with five RBIs in Friday's 8-4 win over the Nationals to continue a recent hit streak. He raised his OPS by 50 points from Sunday through Friday with hits in five of six games.

"To me, he's still a presence in the lineup, and to me, he's still a hitter," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "I know it's been a little bit of a struggle for him, but he's still got a good swing, and it's pure, and you just feel like he might have a little run in him where he gets hot. He was an All-Star last year; I think we kind of [forget that]. So it's in there still, I think. He's more than capable of a good stretch."

Ramirez is seeking just that.

"It has been a long season so far," he said. "I just have to keep showing up and playing. Hopefully things start falling into place. … I have good days and bad days. Baseball is an everyday job. I have to be more consistent in my position."