CLEVELAND — José Ramírez broke into the big leagues in September 2013 as a fearless 20-year-old who had one assignment for a Cleveland team pushing for a Wild Card berth: pinch-running.
But when he arrived in Detroit for his debut, he realized he had forgotten his cleats. He borrowed a pair from the Tigers’ clubhouse staff, but they were two sizes too big. When you have an anecdote like that to share about your first steps in the majors, you’re probably destined for greatness.
When Ramírez played in his first game, he was teammates with 42-year-old Jason Giambi, who was born in January 1971. When Ramírez plays in his last game, perhaps as a 40-year-old in the final breaths of his latest contract extension with the Guardians, he might be teammates with some kid born in 2010, someone yet to even be drafted by the organization, someone who was sporting a diaper when Ramírez was debuting.
Mel Harder is the longest-tenured player in Cleveland franchise history, at 20 seasons. Ramírez can match that with this new contract. He would become the 19th player to spend an entire career of 20 or more seasons with one franchise. All but one of the 18 — Harder — are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Harder’s longevity, in fact, convinced Cleveland’s decision-makers to retire his No. 18 in 1990, an honor typically reserved for those with residency in Cooperstown.
Here are some other thoughts on Ramírez and the Guardians in the aftermath of the third baseman’s new seven-year, $175 million contract.
1. MLB Network recently revealed its list of the Top 100 players in the game and slotted Ramírez at No. 5, one spot ahead of New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto. When Soto was 26, he signed a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million free-agent contract. Ramírez has now signed three contract extensions in Cleveland totaling 16 years and $271 million. Ramírez visited Cleveland last week to hammer out the new contract, in the throes of winter, and wasn’t deterred from committing to the city. There must be some marketing pitch the city can exploit to attract tourists, stressing that a perennial All-Star sacrificed hundreds of millions of dollars because he’s so comfortable residing on the shores of Lake Erie.
2. Yes, this is also where you can shout, “Shouldn’t all of those below-market deals give the team more flexibility to surround him with competent hitters?” The Guardians, as has been well-documented and even acknowledged by the front office earlier this winter, need to upgrade a lineup that ranked 28th in runs last season. To date, the only additions have been Stuart Fairchild and Carter Kieboom on non-roster deals, and spring training begins in less than three weeks.
Cleveland’s payroll is sitting about $30 million below the club’s Opening Day figure from 2025, and that’s if one includes Emmanuel Clase’s $6.4 million guarantee, which the Guardians hope they won’t have to cover. Whether free agency, trade or create-a-player, the Guardians desperately need to add another capable bat so they aren’t banking on Chase DeLauter, George Valera, Travis Bazzana and Juan Brito to all avoid injuries and rookie struggles.
3. Long-term extensions can be painful for a team on the back end when a player’s body breaks down and they become limited defensively. The Detroit Tigers, for instance, paid Miguel Cabrera a $32 million salary when not only could he not play the field, but his bat lost most of its punch. Who knows what Ramírez will be capable of in six or seven years? Think, though, about how many Cleveland fans will say to their friends or family members, “We need to go see him play one last time.” His last season in Cleveland should be a ticket-selling spectacle.
Even if José Ramírez is diminished as a player late in his contract, his appearances will be must-see events for Guardians’ fans hoping for one last look at their favorite player. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)
Even if Ramírez’s production slips as he approaches his late 30s, there could be some return-on-investment in the form of how he advises younger players. His corner locker has a gravitational pull on those navigating their way through the early stages of their careers. Last season, Valera and Angel Martínez stuck to Ramírez like Velcro. During spring training in 2024, Ramírez mentored Rule 5 Draft pick Deyvison De Los Santos, even though De Los Santos didn’t have great odds of sticking with the organization beyond that camp.
4. Ramírez ranks third in games played, third in runs, seventh in hits, third in doubles, second in homers, second in RBIs, ninth in walks and second in stolen bases in franchise history. He could wind up first in every category, with walks and stolen bases being the most difficult to attain. Assuming Ramírez doesn’t miss any of the club’s first 11 games, he’ll become the franchise’s all-time leader in games played on April 6 at Progressive Field.
He also ranks fifth in WAR, behind four guys who haven’t played in at least 70 years.
Franchise leaders in WAR
PlayerbWAR total
Nap Lajoie
79.6
Tris Speaker
74.9
Bob Feller
65.2
Lou Boudreau
61.8
José Ramírez
57.6
Stan Coveleski
57.2
Earl Averill
51.3
Kenny Lofton
48.6
Mel Harder
48.5
Jim Thome
48.0
Feller is missing his ages-23, 24 and 25 seasons, and most of his age-26 season because of military service. Otherwise, he’d almost certainly sit in first place on this list. (In three seasons before the war, he posted WAR totals of 9.2, 9.9 and 8.2, and in his first full season after the war, he registered 10.0.)
For Ramírez to climb to the top of this list, he’ll need to stack another handful of seasons of 5-6 WAR and then avoid the sort of steep decline that decreases his total at the end of his career.
José Ramírez’s franchise ranks
StatisticRamírez’s rankRamírez’s totalFirst-place totalLeader
Games played
3rd
1,609
1,619
Terry Turner
Hits
7th
1,668
2,052
Nap Lajoie
Runs
3rd
1,001
1,154
Earl Averill
Home runs
2nd
285
337
Jim Thome
RBIs
2nd
949
1,084
Earl Averill
Stolen bases
2nd
287
452
Kenny Lofton
5. Cleveland hasn’t assigned the label of “captain” to a player since Joe Carter and Mel Hall in the late ‘80s. Andre Thornton reluctantly accepted the position in 1985. In 1977, Duane Kuiper and Buddy Bell shared the honor. Vic Wertz was awarded captaincy and a $500 bonus in 1958. Hal Trosky, tired of serving as the manager’s shield, relinquished the title in 1941. George Burns was the club’s first captain in 1927. Boudreau and Frank Robinson never officially filled that role, but they did act as player/managers.
There’s no disputing the identity of Cleveland’s present-day captain, even if there’s no “C” sewn onto Ramírez’s jersey tops. The role used to involve the player making pitching changes or toting the lineup card to home plate before first pitch. Now, it’s merely a token of appreciation. The New York Yankees named Aaron Judge their captain after he re-signed with them in December 2022. A few months later, the Kansas City Royals bestowed the same honor upon catcher Salvador Pérez.