Indians: Team isn’t planning to trade Jose Ramirez and people are shocked

The Indians were never planning on trading Jose Ramirez in 2021.

It’s fair if you believe the Indians will one-day trade Jose Ramirez. He’s under team control for the next two and a half seasons, so it’d stand to reason that they may trade him away in 2023 but that’s a long way off. The Indians are doing a nice job getting back into the playoff race right before the All-Star break and right after, so the notion that they’re planning on trading Ramirez is greatly unfounded.

Sure, there’s always a possibility that the team does move on from him, but the trade that would be needed would be so lopsided it wouldn’t be worth it. Everyone seems to agree on this. Some fans might be miffed that they’d even entertain the thought under any circumstance but that’s just smart business. No one is untouchable in baseball.

Yet, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic seems almost shocked that the Tribe isn’t planning on moving Ramirez unless it’s for Fort Knox.

"Alas, the Indians do not plan to move him unless they are “overwhelmed.” And their definition of “overwhelmed” almost certainly would be a turnoff to prospective suitors, based on the way other teams describe their expectations in trade discussions."

Why is anyone surprised the Indians have a high price tag on Jose Ramirez?

Jose Ramirez is the only player to finish in the top three of the AL MVP voting three of the last four seasons. He’s in his prime and while his average is down a bit, he’s got more power in his bat now than arguably any other point in his career. It’s kinda odd that people thought the Tribe would really trade him.

The Indians are eight back of the White Sox but still have a couple of series left with them. Two series victories and the Tribe are back in the race. They’re also just 3.5 back of the Wild Card, and they’re just getting their best players back.

This is not a team that is almost out of the running, but a team that is about to make a push for the playoffs. Never forget that stats don’t lie and Terry Francona is historically better in the second half of the season since he took over as the Tribe’s manager.

This team is poised to strike.