The Cleveland Guardians finally showed signs of committing to (eventually) competing, by extending third baseman Jose Ramirez today.
They signed the star infielder, who is also capable of playing a competent second base, to a five-year, $124 million contract extension.
It’s a hefty payday for the perennial MVP candidate, but still less than he deserves as one of MLB’s premier players.
The deal is the richest one that the franchise has ever given, which is actually saying a lot.
Now, Ramirez is under control through the 2028 season.
The 29-year-old star posted a .912 OPS in 2,775 plate appearances since the beginning of the 2017 campaign, with the following averages per season: 36 home runs, 105 RBI, 28 stolen bases, and 110 runs scored for every 162 games.
There is no question that Ramirez is the gold standard for the third base position in MLB.
From A Hypothetical Trade To An Extension In A Matter Of Hours
Yesterday, MLB insider Hector Gomez had reported that the San Diego Padres were very interested in trading for Ramirez.
“SOURCE: The #Padres are showing a lot of interest in making a trade with the #Guardians to get star 3B Jose Ramirez before the Opening Day’s deadline,” he had tweeted.
After today’s extension was announced, a fan asked Gomez on Twitter what happened from yesterday until this morning that the situation evidently changed.
The answer, per Gomez, is quite simple.
The Guardians increased their original offer.https://t.co/Q97elIdXHR https://t.co/yRQNBq2rjV
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 6, 2022
Ramirez’s deal means that he will get, on average, $24.8 million per season.
Considering that MLB executives value each Win Above Replacement (WAR) at around $8 million on the open market, and that Ramirez can easily finish at 6-WAR in the next few years (he has done it at least three times in his career), he continues to be underpaid.
It’s somewhat disconcerting that the Guardians initially offered less than that, but in the end, it all worked out.
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