Rocio Robles
After much speculation in recent weeks about the possible future of José Ramírez with the Cleveland Guardians, it has all come to an end for the time being with the agreement reached this morning between the two parties: the third baseman will remain at least until 2028 with the team that has witnessed him become the superstar he is today. He has accepted a five-year, $124 million contract renewal offer.
On top of that, the Guardians also secured his contract option for 2023 (which is worth $14 million), and taking into account his salary for the 2022 campaign ($12 million), the Dominican’s new contract guarantees him a total of $150 million over seven years for an annual average of $21,428 million.
Without a doubt, this contract becomes the biggest in the history of the organization, a position previously held by the one given to Edwin Encarnacion in the 2017 season (three years, $60 million dollars) and yet, the great majority of sources consider it to be an extremely budget-friendly contract for the team since Ramirez is one of the best players in all of MLB. In free agency or in some big market team, he could easily have gotten over $200 million despite already being 29 years old.
In the last five years, only Mike Trout and Mookie Betts have surpassed the amount of WAR generated by Ramirez, and in 2021 he had one of his best seasons in all of the majors: .266/.355/.538 with 36 homers, 103 RBIs, 32 doubles, 5 triples, 27 stolen bases in 31 attempts and 111 runs scored through 152 games. In those last five years, he has been in the top six for MVP voting four times.
Why José Ramírez and not Francisco Lindor ?
This is where Jose’s desire played a big part: both he and his family had expressed a desire to stay in Cleveland as he felt comfortable and happy with both the franchise and their lives in the area. For the Guardians, it is a resounding success to have secured their biggest star’s long-term commitment after losing their former icon, Puerto Rican shortstop Francisco Lindor, who was traded to the New York Mets last season.
With Lindor, the market was much different. He was 26 years old at the time he was traded and with his contract expiring at the end of 2021, which would have made him a free agent. Besides, Cleveland was unwilling to come close to the amount the Puerto Rican was demanding. He would end up signing a 10-year, $341 million contract extension with the Mets, one of the largest contracts in the history of all of sports.
Ramirez becomes the second player the Guardians have extended in recent months, with reliever and countryman Emmanuel Clase receiving a five-year, $20 million contract.
The team’s next target will likely be to secure the services of its ace and Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, although he remains under the organization’s control until at least the next three seasons. So far, it is less clear whether the Guardians consider him a priority despite his talent, since at 26 years old he could demand a much bigger contract than the franchise is willing to accept. Additionally, with the extensive pitching talent that has characterized Terry Francona’s pitching staff in recent years, a change could end up benefiting them.
Despite all the casualties and a weaker roster with each passing year, the Guardians secured second place in the American League Central division with a record of 80-82. However, with multiple reinforcements coming in to direct competitors such as the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and even the Kansas City Royals, it is unclear how much of a chance Cleveland has of even repeating in second place.
