CLEVELAND, Ohio — José Ramírez may have committed to being a Guardian for life, but have the Guardians committed to building a championship-caliber team around him?
That burning question took center stage on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, where beat reporters Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga didn’t mince words about the organization’s responsibility to support their superstar third baseman after his massive contract extension.
While celebrating the historic deal that effectively makes Ramírez a Guardian through 2032, the conversation quickly shifted to a more urgent concern: one man, no matter how talented, cannot carry an entire offense for a decade.
“They obviously need another hitter,” Hoynes stated bluntly on the podcast. “I don’t know if they’re going to get it, but they need somebody to help José Ramírez.”
Hoynes then delivered perhaps the most pointed critique of the episode: “This isn’t Little League. This is the big leagues. You’re here to win. Give this guy some protection. Give him some horses. It seems like most of the horses are out of the barn right now, Joe.”
The timing of this criticism couldn’t be more relevant. While the Guardians have spent the offseason bolstering their bullpen, they’ve largely ignored the offensive shortcomings that plagued them last season. Ramírez has consistently been the offensive centerpiece, but at 33 years old (turning 34 in September), expecting him to maintain that level of production without support through 2032 seems unrealistic.
“Is it going to be enough. Do they have enough around him to, to sort of sustain that level and really get Cleveland to that fourth goal that he wants, and that’s to win the World Series,” Noga questioned during the podcast, highlighting Ramírez’s stated career ambitions.
The podcast hosts discussed potential free agent targets still available like Austin Hayes and Miguel Andujar, but expressed concern that the market is rapidly dwindling. Despite Ramírez’s deferred payments potentially freeing up short-term cash, there’s been little indication the front office plans to make significant offensive additions.
Hoynes delivered an ominous warning about the physical toll such expectations could take on Ramírez: “If he has to carry this team for five more years, he’s gonna have some slip.”
This concern is particularly valid given Ramírez’s high-energy playing style. As Noga noted, “The way he runs the bases, the way he plays defense and just his energy. It’s going to be curious and interesting to see how he manages the back half of this contract.” Hoynes added that Ramírez is “an action type player” who runs the bases well steaks bases, activities that become increasingly difficult to maintain as players age.
The podcast highlighted Ramírez’s remarkable durability so far — he’s been relatively injury-free and consistently in the lineup — but questioned how long that can continue without additional offensive support.
The essential question remains: Can the Guardians capitalize on Ramírez’s prime years by surrounding him with enough talent to contend for championships? Or will his loyalty be rewarded with the burden of carrying an undermanned offense through his 30s?
As Hoynes summarized toward the end of the podcast: “José is one guy in a nine-man lineup. He’s going to need some help.”
Read the automated transcript of today’s podcast below. Because it’s an AI-generated transcript, it may contain errors and misspellings.
Podcast Transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the. Back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, chilly weekend around Northeast Ohio, but it’s. It was made a little warmer for Guardians fans by the news that Jose Ramirez has reworked his contract and will pretty much remain a guardian for life. The. The Guardians and Ramirez in agreement on a contract extension that, that basically replaces the final three years of the deal he signed back in 2022. Adding some. Some money to the deal for him also involves about $70 million in deferred payments, but basically takes him up to about $25 million a year, still leaving money on the table for a player of his caliber. But along with that, he gets the reassurance of he wants to stay in Cleveland, and that’s what he’s getting. He’s going to be a guardian for life. And you can. You can pretty much build the statue right now. Yeah.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, just really exciting news. You know, it was weird. You started, you looked at the old deal, you knew the countdown was on for the last three years, and you wondered, you know, you know, there wasn’t an option. There wasn’t, you know, anything clear option after the final, the final year, and you just wonder, you know, Jose would probably be, what, 36 at the time of the end of the original contract. And what exactly do the Guardians do? I mean, do they let this guy walk away? A guy that’s really kind of said, I want to play in Cleveland my whole career, I want my number retired here, you know, so we found out and just, you know, a lot good news for Cleveland in an otherwise quiet winter. I’m sure Guardians fans are excited about this.
Joe Noga: Yeah, this was the, this was the big news. This was the big signing that sort of the. The Guardians fans have been waiting for all off season. They’ve gone about building the bullpen and bolstering that. That side of things, almost ignoring the offense which, which had struggled so much last season. It turns out the. The offense that they’re. They’ve brought in is, is the guy that’s already been there carrying the load for them for the last, you know, three, four years in Jose Ramirez, this is an example of he had outperformed the contract from day one. We knew that he was leaving money on the table to, to sign and, and basically stay in Cleveland because he loved it here, he likes it here. He’s. He said on a number of occasions, this is home for him. What, what makes a guy, you know, sort of who, who has all of those Options who could have gone anywhere and basically named his price, you know, decide that he wants to stay and be the guy in Cleveland for his entire career.
Paul Hoynes: Joe, you know, Cleveland gave him a chance. Obviously they signed him, what when we 16, 17 years old out of the Dominican Republic, you know, and literally fought his way to the big leagues. I mean no one gave him, you know, too much of a. They weren’t given a. He wasn’t a number one draft pick. He, he was, he was a scrawny little kid that had to show that he could, you know, switch it, that he could hit for power, that he could run the bases. You know, he had to do everything and I would imagine he had to prove himself at every level of the minor leagues before he finally got a shot. And we saw, you know, what he did at the early part of his career, he was, you know, pinch runner, pinch hitter, he was a shortstop, he was a third baseman, he was an outfielder, he was a second baseman. And he finally settled at second, I mean third base. And, and his power came around and he, you know, he has become one of the best players in baseball. MLB.com rated him as the fifth best player out of the top, the top hundred players in the big leagues. The top player from Latin America, you ahead of Juan Soto, ahead of who’s the Vladdy Guerrero ahead of all those guys. And you know, it’s amazing to see the transformation in this guy. And he had four things he wanted to do, Joe, when he, when he signed that four year, I mean that seven year, $41 million deal back in 2022, he wanted to retire as, as a guardians player. He wanted to get to Cooperstown for the hall of Fame, he wanted to win a World Series in for Cleveland and he wanted to play, spend his whole career on one team. I guess right now three out of four isn’t too bad.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and that’s. That fourth one is the one that they’re all chasing, I guess. You know, you can’t hold that against him. He had about three years and about 70 million is about $69 million remaining on that contract that he signed in 2022. And at the time, you know, like you said, he said he did leave a whole bunch of money on the table if he would have hit free agency the following year, estimated around $200 million. You know, the guardians have never signed one of those 10 year, $300 million contracts. But now if you add up all the years and the money that this total package of this deal is, it works out to about 10 years and about 247 million, so 24.7, around $25 million annual average value. It underpaid for Ramirez. This is a guy who, since the beginning of this contract, he’s hitting.281, 8, 859 OPS under 22 home runs, 109 RBIs in 629 games. Since signing that deal back in April of 2022, he’s, he’s held up his end of the bargain. Three Silver Sluggers or All Star Games in that, in that time frame, he’s been in the top five in AL Most Valuable Player balloting in those, you know, five. All four times he’s been in the top five since he signed that deal. You’re getting Jose Ramirez in his prime. You’re getting Jose Ramirez now at 33, basically, like, like you said, one of the top five players in the game. Is it going to be enough. Do they have enough around him to, to sort of sustain that level and really get Cleveland to that, that fourth goal that he wants, and that’s the win in the World Series.
Paul Hoynes: Joe, I think they, they obviously need another hitter. I don’t know if they’re going to get it, but they need somebody to help Jose Ramirez. I mean, it’s all, you know, well and good to depend on your, the core players that you brought up to the system to give them free reign, give them at bats, not to block their progress. But, you know, this isn’t Little League. This isn’t, you know, this is, this is, you know, this is the big leagues. I mean, you’re here to win. Give this guy some, some protection. Give him, give him some horses. And it seems like most of the horses are out of the barn right now, Joe. The free agents are gone. Harrison batter just signed or close to signing with the Giants. So, you know, I’m not sure where they turn to now, Joe, but think. I think they need at least one more hitter here, one more established hitter. I mean, maybe he’s not, he’s probably not going to be an everyday guy because, you know, they don’t want that. But maybe a platoon guy.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and names are still out there. Austin Hayes, Miguel Andujar. They might have to, they might, might have to go out and pay some of those guys and, you know, we’re not, not sure what they’re willing to take in terms of years and options and, and, you know, that sort of thing. So that, that’s something to definitely keep an eye on. But I want to talk about the deferred money here because this is, you know, a source close to the, the team said that this is really the first time that they’ve done deferred payments for a player to this extent. They’ve had deferred payments in the past, but, but really $10 million a year for, you know, about seven years, that’s, that’s significant amount of money. And that gives them some sort of flexibility here in the short term to go out and do exactly what you were talking about in signing somebody to support him in that lineup.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just, you know, really an unselfish move by Ramirez. Think that’s, I think that’s all Jose, you know, agreeing to that, that deferred money and just, you know, it’s in a, in a less, in a, you know, a much smaller comparison. It’s what Ohtani did for the Dodgers when they’re, what they’re paying them million a year. He defers 68 million of that. So he’s making 2 mil on the books. He’s making 2 million a year. So that allows the Dodgers to sign every other superstar. So maybe the Guardians on a different level can support Jose by bringing in some. Another hitter or two.
Joe Noga: Yeah, or keeping the ones that they have. You know, the nice fancy hood ornament at the top of the lineup is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. And Stephen Kwan, you could, you could definitely put Stephen Kwon on the books for a few years with some of that money that you, you were saving by deferring payments to Jose Ramirez. But you also talked about, you and I also talked about maybe this was also a strategic move by the Guardians in terms of how this, the average annual value of the remainder of this contract now works out for him. Is this somewhat of a self imposed cap because you, you’re not going to be paying too many guys on the roster more than Jose Ramirez at least in the, in the first few years of this contract extension.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, Jose’s got to be your lead guy. You’re not going to bring anybody in making more than him, at least you know, at this part of the extension. So it could serve as a, yeah, we love you, but we’re not going to pay you more than, you know, what, what Jose’s making. So it is kind of a self-imposed salary cap.
Joe Noga: I mean, there’s a, there’s an equation, there’s a balance there of, in, in terms of years into the deal and, you know, talent of a Younger, less established player than Jose Ramirez that you could bring in, you know, if somebody who’s an up and coming player two, three years from now, who you’re trying to attract here, with a little bit more money at that point in the deal for Jose Ramirez on the back side of that contract, you might be looking at being able to get away with paying him more in a season than, than you’re paying Ramirez. But, but as of right now, this sort of establishes the ceiling for where you’ll go for, for paying a player in a single season.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, no doubt about it, Joe. And yeah, you’re right. When you get to years, what, 6 and 7 of this contract, you know, Jose, you know, all players decline as they get older and then, you know, you could, you know, I don’t think there’d be a, you know, a big, you know, outcry if they brought in a guy more than him to, you know, to help Jose finish his career in style.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and that’s something that, that sort of fascinates me too is the idea of, you know, we’ve only seen the, the upward climb and the, and the peak of, of Jose Ramirez so far. This contract basically guarantees that we’re going to see all of it, including the decline in the backside of Jose Ramirez’s career. You know, just given the way that Jose Ramirez plays, what makes him special, what makes him Jose Ramirez, the way he runs, the bas way he plays defense, and just his energy. It’s going to be curious and interesting to see for, for the majority of his career, he’s been pretty healthy. He’s, he’s avoided injuries, he’s, he’s durable. He’s out there on the, the field every day. It’s going to be interesting to see what the backside of Jose Ramirez’s career and how he adjusts and how the guardians adjust to that and the options that it creates in that way.
Paul Hoynes: Definitely, you know, he’ll play this year at 33. I think he’ll probably, he’ll turn 34 in September. So, you know, you know, like you, you summed it up perfectly, Joe. I mean, he is, he’s an action type player. This isn’t a, you know, a guy that sits back and, you know, swings for the fences every time out. The last two years he’s, he’s been a 30, 30 guy, you know, he scores, you know, close to a hundred runs a game, I mean, a season, you know, and he’s, he hits for power, he runs the bases, you know, well, and how does that and steel Spaces and how, how do you keep your body in shape to do that? You know, we saw even Kenny Lofton, Cleveland’s all time stolen base Steeler, you know, slowed down as he got older. I mean it takes a, you bang your body up stealing bases and running the bases the way Ramirez plays. So you know, we’ll just have to see, you know, it’s inevitable that, that you slow down. Just how, you know what the depreciation is, is going to be interesting to watch. But Ramirez and just the way he has handled this, you know, handled himself, you know, throughout his career with Cleveland, I don’t think there’s ever going to be a chance that he’ll be out of shape, that he won’t give him himself the best chance to perform up to his, you know, the top of his ability.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and, and there, there’s no let up and, and there’s no quit in him in terms of he’s going to keep going out there at 110% as long as he’s able to do so. In, in the meantime, in, in, in the next few years term here we get to see him basically, you know, still reaching and, and staying at the, the peak of his career. And as he assaults all of these all time records for the, the franchise, all of the, the lists that he’s on, you know, so far, extra base hits, he ranks first. Home runs, he ranks second with two.285 behind Jim Tomy.337. So that’s, that’s the, the big one that, that he always talks about and he has in mind is the little 5 foot 9 guy is going to be the, for this franchise at some point when he passes Jim Thome’s 337 RBI is he second with 949 behind Earl Averill with 1084. So that’s one that he can come close to getting up there maybe in the next year or two stolen bases, second with 287 behind Lofton’s 452. That one seems a little bit out of reach. Runs, he’s third with 1100 runs scored, he’s third in doubles, he’s third in games played. Uh, he only needs 10 more games played to tie Terry Turner. So 11 games into this season he’s going to pass Terry Turner, become the all time Cleveland Guardians player. You know, a whole bunch of different statistics and numbers where he will continue to climb and by the end when everything is said and done, he could be number one or two in, in pretty much every offensive Category blows my mind, Joe.
Paul Hoynes: I mean just think of that. It just tells you how unpredictable this game is and that athletes can really come out of anywhere. I mean Ramirez was, when I first saw him, when he broke into the big leagues, I thought this is, this is a nice little hustling player that’s going to be kind of a change of pace player, a utility player, a guy you could, you know, pinch run for in the eighth inning and he’d steal you a base, a switch hitter. So he was a valuable guy and now he could end his career as the best player in Cleveland history. It’s, it’s amazing.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I’m looking at the all time hit hits list. Nap Lajoie, 2052. Jose is at 1,668 so he’s got a ways to go. But you know, by the end of this contract, if he stays at a high enough level, he could, he could definitely pass that in a few years. The guys ahead of him, Lou Boudreaux, Charlie Jameson, Joe Sewell, Earl Averill, Tris speaker on that hits list, those guys are all in the hall of Fame. You think about that, that’s insane. That just the numbers in the way they pile up. And Ramirez is going to be in that conversation pretty much the day he steps off the field and takes the jersey off his back.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, and Jose has never had a 200 hit season. I mean, you know, the most, I think the most he’s ever had was 186. You know, it’s really, I mean it just shows you what a grinder he is and what, how productive he is, you know, and what a dangerous hitter he is. You know, when it comes to extra bases and home runs, he’s really, I mean so, so consistent.
Joe Noga: What does Ramirez signing, this contract extension or basically new contract, what does this mean to Cleveland? What does this mean to the fans? And we’ve heard him in interviews and in conversations talk about how he loves Cleveland because he goes to the other ballparks and when, when a superstar player strikes out four times in a game, they boo him. Or you know, when, when they make a bad play or gets thrown bases, you know, guys get booed. And he says, the Cleveland fans have never booed me. And I think signing this deal right here should pretty much guarantee that Jose Ramirez, even if he strikes out, even if he leaves runners on base, even if he drops a ball, guardians fans don’t ever boo this guy because this is what he’s done for this city. To be the guy in so many instances so many opportunities for these players to stick around. He’s the guy who stuck around. And it should mean a lot to you, to the Guardians fans, as it does to Ramirez.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think it does. I think Jose is Baltimore’s ver. Cleveland’s version of Cal Ripken. He’s Cleveland’s version of. Of Aaron Judge. Right now, he’s Cleveland version of Tony Gwynn. Guys that have spent their whole career in one uniform that have established themselves as. As really more than a ball player, you know, just not another ball player coming through and, and playing two seasons before heading out elsewhere. This is a guy that, you know, that you can identify with, that he’s the face of franchise that, you know, when you go to the ballpark, you know he’s going to be in the lineup. So, you know, year in and year out, he’s. He’s marked the time. And I think that means a lot to people because it just doesn’t happen that often.
Joe Noga: Now you’re a. You’re a young fan. You can buy a Jose Ramirez jersey and know that that jersey’s never going to go out of style. You’re never going to see a Jose Ramirez jersey on the. The clearance rack at Dick’s Sporting Goods because. And basically every other player who come up and played around him, you have seen him. Those jerseys on sale for half price because they, they’re. They’re no longer with the team. You mentioned Tony Gwynn and guys like Don Mattingly and Cal Ripken. None of those guys had streets named after him while they were playing for the teams that they played for. I don’t know if any of them had baseball diamonds built in the community where they played to service the Latin community in, In Cleveland and Northeast Ohio like Jose has. He’s given back to the community as well based on this contract and just based on the fact that, you know, his. His kids were born here, his family is comfortable here. This is where he wants to be and he wants to see Cleveland thrive as well. And I think that’s something that can’t be overlooked with this contract, too, is the fact that not only does he want to be here, but he wants to invest in the community too.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that’s important. I think, you know, he knows what he means to Cleveland and he. Obviously he wants to stay here, Joe. I mean, he. Like you said, he’s the guy that stayed out of all the great players we’ve come, we’ve seen, you know, come, come and go in Cleveland. He made that decision to stay here. And there has to be a reason for it. I mean, you know, I think Jose feels comfortable here. You know, he’s, I’m not sure if he can go out and eat wherever he wants without being mobbed. He probably, I guess even in Cleveland he couldn’t do that. But I think, you know, he’s, he’s, he’s just, he can blend in here. I don’t think he’s, you know, it’s, it’s not all fanfare whenever he leaves the house. So I think that’s important to him.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I, you know, one of my funny moments just in the clubhouse being around him and they were talking about where different guys live and where they stay in, in the area during the, during the season. Jose, you know, has a house in the area. But they asked him, they were talking about Avon versus Avon Lake. And Jose said, you know, mentioned Avon Lake. And the look on Jose’s face was one of like shock and, and he said, no, no, no, no lake. There’s crocodiles in the lake. I don’t, I don’t want to go anywhere near the lake. So. Thought that was funny. So, you know, where Jose doesn’t live is, is Avon Lake. I don’t know, it’s just very interesting. Again, this is a guy who we’re gonna see, you know, as, as he gets, obviously a lot more comfortable too. We’ve seen him do more interviews in English and I think this is, we’re getting the back half now of this career where you’re going to see him, more of his personality and it’s a great personality is going to come out and even more fan interaction. It’s going to be really good. Yeah, this is, this was huge news on Saturday. It was sort of like, you know, passed under the radar with all the storm going on and you know, everything that was happening in Northeast Ohio with this blizzard, it wasn’t to be overlooked. Saturday morning when we sort of woke up and got the word, hey, the Guardians are working on a deal with Jose Ramirez and you know, pending a physical this week and you know, crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s, this guy’s going to be around for a long time.
Paul Hoynes: You know, a reason to, you know, get ready for spring training. It’s a reason to feel good about it. But Joe, as we said earlier, Jose is one guy in a nine man lineup. He’s going to need some help and hopefully the Guardians plan where, you know, the young players develop and help him. Because Joe, if he, if he has to carry this team for what, five more years through 2032. He’s gonna have some slip. He’s gonna have something.
Joe Noga: The slip days gonna be worn down. Everything’s gonna be worn down. This is gonna be a shell of a person by the end of this deal. Yeah, just great news out of the guardians organization. We’ll. We. We’ve got a lot more coming this week. I want to dive deep into the, the idea of deferred payments. I’ve got some interesting facts about this and how Jose became the first sort of Cleveland player to, to sort of flirt with this new idea that it’s been around for a long time. But Ohtani’s deal sort of made it in vogue and in fashion. We’re going to talk about that this week and Truck day’s coming up on the. On Thursday. So our podcast might be a little bit late coming out on Thursday, but we get to go freeze our. Our fingers off. And the. The loading dock in Progressive Field for Truck Day. The first in person truck day in almost a decade. We’re. We’re looking. Hoynsie, that’s gonna. Oh, you know what, wait a minute. It’s not gonna wrap up over the weekend. Jose was signing his, his big contract or working on his big contract. Where were you, Hoynsie? What, what, what were you up to? Because you just got back because of rough travel? Couple of days.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. Joe, Jackie and me, my wife and me went to New York. We were invited to the, the, the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers association of America, their annual winner awards banquet. And you know, it was really nice. I mean, everybody was there. All the two Cy Young winners, two MVPs. You know, the rookies of the year were there. It was, it was, it was a good night. I got to introduce Stephen Vogt as the American League Manager of the Year. And he could not make it, so he sent a video and I, I was kind of pinch hitting for him, but, you know, I was recognizing. Recognized as, as receiving the, you know, the general Excellence in Baseball Writing. The annual General Excellence in Baseball Writing, you know, by the BBWAA. So it was, it was a good night. It was a good night. But Joe, it was, it was a stormy weekend and we ended up driving home yesterday from New York because our flight kept getting canceled. We were canceled Sunday and then we were canceled again Monday until late Monday night. So we decided we’re just driving and, and everything worked out.
Joe Noga: I mean, it wouldn’t be a Hoynsie story if it didn’t involve some sort of travel drama or, you know, and at least this time you had Jackie with you. That’s the, that’s the important part, is that everybody got home safe and warm and all that. But so you’re there. I watched the, the stream online of the, the awards ceremony. You’re up there on the dais. It looked like the Friars Club. Man, it was great. You know, that was, you got the, you got Ohtani on one side, you got Judge on the other, and they’re down at the end of the table. There’s Hoynsie. It was, it was pretty cool to see you up there and, you know, in the middle of all that and sort of give us a little taste of what, what’s to come for hall of Fame weekend in July. But you did us proud, Hoynsie getting up there and presenting Stephen Vogt for the Manager of the Year award. And Stephen with his great video remarks while he was at a charity function basically on the other side of the country, hopefully not dealing with this kind of crazy. We. But what was it like mingling around with Aaron Judge and Shohei Otani for the, for the evening? What was, what was that all about?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I was, I was sitting there, Joe, what am I doing here? I was sitting next to Aaron Boone. So, you know, I know, I know Boonie from, from his days with Cleveland. So we had, you know, it was good, good to see a familiar face. AJ Pierczynski was sitting next to Boone. And I just remembered, you know, when AJ Stepped on Boone’s back when he was playing third base for, for, for the Guardians. And the next year on opening day, A boon ran A.J. over at, home plates. They got.
Joe Noga: But.
Paul Hoynes: So, so they’re still. But they’re on speaking terms. I guess they were, they were having a good time.
Joe Noga: It’s great. Yeah. A lot of fun. A lot of fun watching that and certainly well deserved honor. All right, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition. A lot more this week and we’ll, we’ll be back to talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal.