Andres Gimenez David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Guardians agree to seven-year extension with young star

The Cleveland Guardians are reportedly signing second baseman Andres Gimenez to a seven-year contract extension that will pay him a total of $106.5 million over the life of the deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

Gimenez, 24, not only had a breakout season for the Guardians in 2022, but was one of the league's most surprising stars, hitting .297 with an .837 OPS while also winning the American League Gold Glove at second base. His 7.4 Wins Above Replacement placed him third in the league behind only the top two AL MVP vote-getters, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. 

The new pact will begin in 2024 and buy out all of his arbitration years and the first four years of his free agency eligibility. 

It is a huge move for the Guardians to lock in one of their young stars, after having done so with another core player back in April when they signed star third basemen Jose Ramirez to a five-year, $124 million contract. 

The Guardians won the American League Central Division last year with 92 wins, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs where they lost in five games to the New York Yankees. 

Cleveland added to the division-winning roster this offseason by signing powerful switch-hitter Josh Bell to a two-year, $33 million deal. 

The Guardians are not typically a big-spending team—even when they are successful—and are set to enter the 2023 season with the 25th largest payroll in the league. That can make staying consistently competitive difficult. But it is an encouraging sign for their fans to see them lock in two emerging stars (Ramirez and Gimenez) to long-term deals while also making a significant outside signing in Bell. 

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Cubs prospect blasts home run after being thrown at
Stars even series with hard-fought win over Oilers in Game 2
Celtics surge late to take 3-0 lead in Eastern Conference Finals
PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray dies at 30
Another heartbreak for Justin Allgaier as Chase Elliott wins Xfinity Series race
Former Bengals first-round pick announces retirement
Luka Doncic joins trio of NBA champions in exclusive club
Yankees ace takes big step in first rehab stint
Which active NFL players are most likely to make the Hall of Fame?
Bulls' Lonzo Ball opens up about injury that's sidelined him for two years
The most overpaid & underpaid players at every MLB position
How Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and others' pro starts stack up to WNBA history
Watch: Sun forward Alyssa Thomas ejected after hard foul on Sky's Angel Reese
Kirk Cousins updates Achilles rehab
Mets rapidly approaching rock bottom with another ugly loss
Rangers rule out depth forward for Game 3 against Panthers
NBA Finals path clears for Celtics with devastating Pacers injury update
Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner under fire over Juan Soto comments
Former NFL first-round pick retires after 'terrifying' health scare
Penguins want to add legendary former player to front office

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.