New contract reveals what drives Jose Ramirez – Terry Pluto
Jose Ramirez has been with Cleveland since 2013.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Why did Jose Ramirez sign another extension with Guardians? No doubt, some agents will say he’s underpaid and unwise to do so.
“They gave him $106m for his ages 36 to 40, 3 years early … The highest paid 36-year old FA in history is Jose Abreu with 3 years $58.5m.
“The deal brings his total career earnings to $272m, and it also comes with a statue in CF, his number retired, a 1st ballot HOF entrance almost guaranteed, a baseball field and also a street named after him in Cleveland.
“Jose marches to the beat of his own drum, and I respect that. He will laugh at the critics all the way to the bank on his way to Cooperstown.”
The key part is: “Jose marches to the beat of his own drum.”
For the purposes of this story, I’m just going to call him “Jose.” Just like Bernie (Kosar) and other special athletes in Cleveland sports history who deserve to be known by their first names.
First, the money. Jose had three years left on his contract at $21 million, $23 million and $25 million.
The new contract is this: $25 million annually for each of the next seven years. Jose also has agreed to defer $10 million annually … a total of $70 million.
Give the agent credit
No doubt, some agents would scream, “You can’t make that kind of team-friendly deal.”
But most agents don’t have an athlete like Jose, a man who knows what he wants and is willing to sacrifice for what he wants. Some agents don’t realize their job is to represent the interest of their client, not just secure richest contract possible to make the agent look good and attract other clients.
José Ramírez, flanked by Guardians owner Paul Dolan and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, signing his last contract in 2022.
What Jose wants is to stay in Cleveland for the rest of his career. It’s why he signed the original 7-year extension in 2022. It included a no-trade clause. That also is part of the new deal.
What he wants is to be the best player in Cleveland baseball history. He wants all the important team records for a hitter. He has 285 homers. Jim Thome is the all-time franchise leader with 337 homers.
What he wants is to win big in Cleveland, to play for a franchise that he knows is a consistent winner in front of a fan base that loves him. He appreciates the fact that the Guardians let Jose be Jose. He doesn’t care about endorsements. He’s not interested in being a media star. He’s a ballplayer, a 7-time All-Star.
Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Jose Ramirez waves a AL Central Champions flag after defeating the Texas Rangers 9-8 in the tenth inning.
What the agent was saying
Jose is 33 years old. Under his old contract, he would not be a free agent until the age of 36.
That’s why Nieves wrote: “They gave him $106m for his ages 36 to 40, 3 years early … The highest paid 36-year old FA in history is Jose Abreu with 3 years and $58.5m.”
Jose and his agent are playing the long game. We’d like to think Jose will still be an All-Star at 36, but who knows?
As Nieves explained, Jose Abreu was the highest paid 36-year-old free agent with $58.5 million for three years. It was a disastrous contract for Houston.
Abreu was released in the middle of the second year of his Astros deal. He was hitting .124 with two homers in 25 games. He was cut with $31 million and 1 1/2 years left on his contract.
The Guardians know they are taking some risk with such a long contract given Jose’s age. It’s why Jose and the Guardians worked out the deferred money.
Nieves also wrote: “The deal brings his total career earnings to $272m, and it also comes with a statue in CF, his number retired, a 1st ballot HOF entrance almost guaranteed, a baseball field and also a street named after him in Cleveland.”
It’s the big picture, the long game being played by Jose.
He lives in Bani, the Dominican town where he grew up. He has a nice house and cars, but he’s not driven to show off his wealth. And $272 million is indeed a lot of money.
Things such as a statue, a retired number and a first ballot Hall of Fame election to the Hall of Fame matter to Jose.
One of my favorite moments from last season was when the Guardians came from 15 1/2 games behind Detroit to clinch the Central Division title on the final day of the regular season. There was Jose parading around Progressive Field, waving the Central Division flag. He was like a high school kid whose team had just won the state title – genuine joy.
What about winning?
Francisco Lindor and Jose came up through the Cleveland farm system together.
Lindor was the phenom, the team’s first round pick in the 2011 draft. His signing bonus was $2.9 million.
The Guardians found Jose on the back diamonds of the Dominican where the lesser prospects play. They signed him in 2009 for $50,000 – the minimum given Dominican prospects at that time.
Lindor always wanted a big market and big money. The Guardians traded him to the Mets after the 2020 season. He signed a 10-year, $341 million contract extension with the Mets. Why $341 million, because San Diego had signed Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 13-year, $340 million deal.
Many agents and players don’t simply keep score on the field, but also with contracts.
Here’s how the Mets have played in those five years, including payroll.
2025: Missed playoffs. 83-79 record. $338 million.
2024: Reached NLCS. 89-73 record. $333 million.
2023: Missed playoffs. 75-87. $346 million.
2022: Lost in Wild Card. 101-61. $266 million.
2021: Missed playoffs. 77-85 record. $201 million.
In his five New York years, Lindor has been to the playoffs only twice. The Mets lost in the Wild Card round in 2022. They reached the NLCS (MLB’s Final Four) in 2024.
In the last 10 years, the only teams with a better winning percentage than Cleveland are the Dodgers, Astros and Yankees.
In those 10 years, Cleveland has had only two losing seasons. They have been to the playoffs seven times. I can go into greater detail, but the point is the Guardians find a way to consistently put a winning team on the field.
What do you want?
This is one of the most important questions in life – what matters most to you.
Lindor never would have been happy if he stayed in Cleveland. He’s wired differently than Jose. When the Guardians were looking to deal him after the 2020 season because they knew he would not sign a long-term contract extension, Lindor’s choice for a new team was the Dodgers.
Lindor needed to chase his dream of being one of the game’s highest paid players on baseball’s largest stages. Had he remained in Cleveland, Lindor always would have wondered what it would have been like to play in a city such as New York.
Jose’s dreams are different.
He is more of a baseball purist. He doesn’t care what others believe he should want out of life, he chases his own vision.
As his agent wrote: “Jose marches to the beat of his own drum, and I respect that. He will laugh at the critics all the way to the bank on his way to Cooperstown.”
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