Cleveland Guardians Land Massive Contract Extension With Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez will be with the Cleveland Guardians for the long haul.

On Saturday morning, it was reported that Ramirez has worked out contract restructure with the Guardians that will keep him in Cleveland throughout the 2032 season.

Once the restructure is completed, Ramirez will have $175 million with over seven years remaining on the deal. $70 million of the contract will be deferred.

In April 2022, Cleveland worked out their first long-term extension with Ramirez. He signed a five-year deal worth $124 million.

With the future of baseball uncertain as a potential 2027 lockout looms, the Guardians were wise to jump on the trend of deferring money in their star player’s contract in order to keep him in town longterm. The Guardians have faced plenty of criticism this offseason for their inactivity, especially in their batting lineup. But locking down Ramirez for a second time feels like a massive victory for the Guardians.

Last season, Ramirez was the offensive engine behind Cleveland’s historic comeback in the American League Central where they overcame a 15.5-game deficit to dethrone the Detroit Tigers. Unfortunately, in the MLB Playoffs, Cleveland’s lack of offensive firepower caused the Guardians to go down in their first series against the Tigers in three games. 

Many had pointed out that outside of Ramirez, the Guardians have major questions offensively. Gold Glove left fielder Steven Kwan remains the centerpiece of MLB trade conversations, as the Guardians have been hesitant to give him a long-term extension.

Meanwhile, the Guardians watched their former players including Josh Naylor and Ernie Clement find offensive success deep into the MLB Playoffs with new ball clubs.

Guardians deserve credit for this move

But credit the Guardians for not ignoring Ramirez, who has undoubtedly been their best and most consistent player. He's a perennial American League MVP candidate, and undoubtedly one of the best players at his position. He's made seven appearances in the MLB All-Star Game, and will have the chance to crack double digits with this new deal in place.

Last season, Ramirez hit 85 RBI, a number that would have been much higher if the team had competent hitters around him. The All-Star third baseman also contributed 30 home runs, his second consecutive season eclipsing that 30 dinger benchmark. He added 44 stolen bases, also.

Because of the lack of external moves to support Ramirez, the Guardians have made their stance known. This front office must believe that he’s capable of lifting them to a World Series.

At 33 years old, Ramirez will be surrounded by plenty of young talent. Young hitting prospects including Chase DeLauter, George Valera and even No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazanna are expected to see major reps with the big club in 2026.

This new extension will keep Ramirez in Cleveland until he’s 40 years old. That pretty much guarantees that his next stop will be Cooperstown, where the National Baseball Hall of Fame will await.

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