Indians: Blue Jays came calling for Jose Ramirez but were denied

The Blue Jays called The Indians about Jose Ramirez in the summer.

The Blue Jays finished the season 91-71 and missed out on the postseason due to the insanely stacked AL East sending three teams to the playoffs. They apparently knew they needed more offense so they called the Indians, who finished 80-82, and inquired about their All-Star third basemen Jose Ramirez.

No deal was ever truly offered as it appears the Jays were rebuffed by the Tribe.

It apparently answered revealed situations for both teams. Firstly, the Blue Jays feel they need some uber talent to compete in their division. Secondly, the Indians have no real desire to move on from Ramirez.

The story was originally reported by Shi Davidi of SportsNet.ca.

"Getting there is, obviously, the tricky part, and worth noting is that before the trade deadline, the Blue Jays took a run at Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez and Detroit outfielder Robbie Grossman, a hint at the type of players they think can address those issues."

The Indians remain committed to Jose Ramirez

One big takeaway from this situation should be the apparent desire to keep Ramirez. The team could’ve started working on the deal and tried to fleece the Jays for all they had but they clearly aren’t interested in moving Ramirez and that may be for good reason.

The Indians had a payroll of less than $50 million to start the season, the lowest in a decade or so, partly due to lost revenue due to the Covid-shortened 2020 season. Not only that but the collective bargaining agreement between the player’s union and the league is set to expire in December.

The hope is that the league doesn’t miss any time and the Major League implements some sort of salary minimum. If that’s the case, and the team owners can get what they want in that deal, it’s very possible that Ramirez gets a contract offer from the team that’s worth a hefty sum. It seems unlikely they’d offer the 31-year-old a 10-year-deal, but one could easily see a three-year deal worth around $20-$25 million and who knows what that deal could look like with a new CBA in place.

All we can do now is sit by and watch as it all unfolds.