After much speculation about his future, third baseman Jose Ramirez, one of the very best players in MLB, signed a contract extension last week to keep him as the star of the Cleveland Guardians for a long time.
A week ago, ESPN insider Jeff Passan was reporting that the Guardians and Ramirez were in agreement on a five-year, $124 million deal.
The pact runs through 2028.
Ramirez, now a very rich man, is already paying dividends to the Guardians with his stellar play.
To be quite honest, he started justifying a high salary a long time ago, but this new agreement is seemingly working wonders for him.
“.@MrLapara goes deep for the 2nd day in a row,” MLB’s official Twitter account wrote today, with a video of Ramirez knocking one out of the park against Cincinnati Reds rookie pitcher Nick Lodolo.
.@MrLapara goes deep for the 2nd day in a row. pic.twitter.com/tiOC0MY3On
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2022
He Is One Of MLB’s Most Complete Players
Ramirez is certainly no stranger to playing at an MVP level, and is doing it again in 2022.
So far, including today’s blast, he is slashing .500/.556/1.083 with three home runs and a 1.639 OPS.
He has driven in 14 (!) runs in the early going, which is insane considering he has played only six games, one of which hasn’t even ended.
Last year was just an example of what Ramirez can do over a full season: .266/.355/.538 with 36 round-trippers, 111 runs scored, 103 RBI, and even 27 stolen bases.
He did all of this while playing very good defense at the hot corner, making him one of the most complete players in the league.
This year, he seems determined to win the AL MVP award that he probably deserved in 2020.
He seems like a man on a mission, and why not, he may get the Guardians into the postseason after all.
NEXT: Guardians Mourn Loss Of Steven Kwan's Legendary Streak