José Ramírez Takes Another Hometown Discount So the Guardians Have No Excuses

Cleveland Guardians all-world third baseman Jose Ramirez has just signed a four-year, $106 million extension to his current deal, locking him up through his age-40 season.

Ramirez has restructured his current contract, deferring $10 million in salary each season and doubling his All-Star Game bonuses and other postseason awards.

In a world full of Kyle Tuckers, it’s still cool to see that some guys in baseball will take a hometown discount. Cleveland has done nothing to deserve Jose’s generosity, but it’s still incredible.

For decades, Cleveland has been looking to retain one of their homegrown future Hall of Famers for their entire career, and it’s looking like Ramirez will be the first. Unlike his first long-term extension with Cleveland in 2022, this deal is a little fairer.

Not many 36-year-olds are locking into long-term extensions, but Ramirez has earned every dollar of it. Honestly, if you asked any Cleveland fan, I’m sure most would be okay with a reduced level of success at the back end of Jose’s career just to keep him in Cleveland for the entirety of his career.

Cleveland traded Francisco Lindor after contract extension talks had petered out, and he went on to receive a $341 million deal as one of the first major moves in the Steve Cohen era for the Mets. Ramirez could have been given a very similar deal if he elected to seek free agency, but he loves the city of Cleveland.

Now that Ramirez is locked down for what will likely be the rest of his career, it goes without saying that Cleveland has to do something else. No other team in baseball has its franchise cornerstone locked down for nearly half the market rate. It would be an absolute shame to the entire sport if the Guardians don’t add another bat to their lineup to support Jose.

President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti has already laid the groundwork to ensure this does not occur.

I know Cleveland wants to give their prospects the opportunity to get everyday at-bats, but they were the 28th-best offense in baseball last season. Even if a few of these guys turn into everyday players, there’s more than enough room on this team to add a serious hitter to the lineup.

Cleveland’s starting rotation was truly rounding into form at the end of last season, and they have made some offseason additions to the bullpen. Go ahead and add a bat with all the money Jose has saved you, and pretend to seriously compete with the other half of the league that’s actually spending money.