Cleveland Guardians can’t swing and miss on Jose Ramirez extension

The Cleveland Guardians have reportedly had “informal discussions” with Jose Ramirez’s agents during Spring Training with the hope of extending the three-time All-Star.

Unfortunately, If you were and Indians and now Guardians fan, you feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football because you just don’t have a lot of faith in your team to get the deal done.

Too often, the fan base is left to read about the deals Cleveland almost executed. They tried to extend Francisco Lindor. Didn’t happen. Last offseason, they were reportedly talking to Shane Bieber about an extension. No deal. They tried to trade for Jesee Winker. The Reds dealt him to Seattle.

Now, Cleveland is trying to extend Ramirez as the organization ushers in a new era under a new name. The thing is, with the state of the franchise being what it is, the conditions are ripe for getting a deal done.

Unlike with Lindor, particularly in 2017 when the team had the highest payroll in team history, the Guardians have the room to pay Ramirez, with the current payroll expected to be around $50 million. The team certainly isn’t signing anybody else, so they might as well give it to one of the few names on the roster that’s recognizable to the fans.

Cleveland Guardians can’t afford bad PR

The Guardians really need some good PR. There’s talk about apathy setting in with the fan base, and while that’s easy to write and say when it’s freezing in Cleveland and there’s no games to be played, I do think there is something to it.

The name change has left a healthy sect of the fan base saltier than the salt mine under Lake Erie. Losing big-name players over the past few seasons  plays a part as well. Then, there’s been no spending when at the end of last season, the front office said there would be some improvements to be made.

Instead, fans are left looking at the same old arguments. Oscar Mercado v. Bradley Zimmer anybody? Perhaps the 32 different infield combinations Terry Francona can use has you buying season tickets.

Ramirez is under contract for two more seasons (Guards picked up this year’s option and have a club option for 2023 as well). The fear is, Ramirez will eventually become unsinkable and will be dealt, just like Lindor.

The team does have some leverage with J-Ram, though, because he signed that under-market deal after the 2017 season. If he wants some more money in the near term, it would benefit him now, rather than waiting until he hits the open market when he’s 31 years old.

The most money the franchise ever guaranteed a player was $60 million in the Edwin Encarnacion deal before the 2017 season. According to MLB Trade rumors, extending Ramirez will probably mean doubling that amount.