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Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez
When it’s all said and done, José Ramírez will go down as one of the greatest Cleveland Guardians players of all-time. Even before signing his recent seven-year, $175 million extension, he was already on track for this status. However, now that he will be with the Guardians through his age-39 season in 2032, he all but cemented it in stone. Now the question will be, what will his statue look like, and when will his No. 11 be retired? Before that happens, what does Ramirez’s legacy look like now, and what will it be when he calls it a career?
Ramírez is a Guardian for Life
GettyCleveland Guardians’ José Ramírez
When looking closer at Ramírez’s new seven-year extension, it supersedes the remaining three years and $69 million left on the seven-year extension he signed in 2022. Furthermore, it has a ton of caveats and interesting finer details throughout the new contract. His new deal includes a full no-trade clause and will be paid $25 million annually from 2026-32, with $10 million deferred each season starting in 2036.
On top of that, his bonuses are now $500,000 for winning Most Valuable Player, $300,000 for landing second or third, and $150,000 for a fourth- or fifth-place finish. All of those are now doubled, compared to his ’22 extension. Overall, Ramírez will have signed three extensions, spanning over 16 seasons and $271 million.
Zack Meisel of The Athletic wrote about how all of those extensions have broken down over the years and how it finish in 2032. “His first extension, completed just before the 2017 opener, guaranteed him $24 million over five years. His second extension covered seven years and was worth $141 million. This deal will ultimately be worth $175 million and cover the final three years of the previous extension, plus the additional four years.”
This marks the third well-below-market-value extension for a superstar player of Ramírez’s caliber. When the extension is up in 2032, he will be the 19th player in MLB history to play 20 seasons with one team in his career. He has already won six Silver Sluggers and has been named to the All-Star Game seven times.
Also, he’s had nine seasons receiving MVP votes in the last 10 (no votes in 2019). He’s finished third three times, second once, and in the top five six times. Besides not winning an MVP, in which he will break through that hurdle at some point between now and 2032, he is set to become the greatest offensive player of all-time for the Guardians. Where does he stand within the franchise records?
Finishing What He Started
When it comes to his legacy in Cleveland, Ramírez is already within striking distance of many records for the Guardians. He is second in home runs (285), RBIs (949), and stolen bases (287), third in runs (1,001), and games played (1,609), and seventh in hits (1,668). In terms of home runs, Ramírez is only 52 from tying Jim Thome (337). His 949 RBIs are only 135 behind Earl Averill (1,084), and the 287 stolen bases are 165 from tying Kenny Lofton (452).
Just in terms of his three second-place rankings in the record books, there is no doubt that Ramírez will tie and surpass those numbers within the next seven years with the Guardians. Regarding games played, he’s only 10 games from tying Terry Turner for first all-time. That will be done in the first homestand after the Guardians return from their seven-game road trip. The April 6 game against the Kansas City Royals to open the series will be his record-breaking 1,620th game with Cleveland.
Ramírez is 153 runs shy of tying Averill’s mark (1,154), and he is 384 hits shy of Nap Lajoie’s 2,052. There is no question that he will reach all of these numbers before his next extension concludes in 2032. He’s averaged over 26 stolen bases, 90 RBIs, 27 home runs, 153 hits, and 91 runs between 2016 and 2025. The production has not slowed down, especially in 2025, when he tallied 30 homers, 34 doubles, and 44 stolen bases in a third-place MVP voting behind Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh.
On top of all of that, Meisel mentioned that “…15 homers and 13 stolen bases this season, he’ll [Ramírez] become the ninth player in major-league history with 300 or more home runs and 300 or more steals.” By the time 2032 rolls around, and he is 40 years old, Ramírez will be the greatest Guardians position player, probably the greatest player of all-time period. He will have his No. 11 retired soon after and will get in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Cleveland Guardian. Once he signed that extension, he cemented his legacy in Cleveland forever.
Zach Martin Zach Martin is a sports journalist covering the MLB, mainly the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox, for Heavy.com. He has over four years of journalism experience, and five years of podcasting experience. He’s a credentialed Carolina Hurricanes beat writer at The Hockey Writers. Zach’s previously covered the Guardians at Covering the Corner, along with the Guardians and the Cincinnati Reds at Fansided. Zach is originally from Ravenna, Ohio, and is now based in Lexington, SC. More about Zach Martin
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