For The Land: José is Here to Stay

Courtesy of the Cleveland Guardians

Unfortunately, it's not often that a player wants to spend their whole career in Cleveland. So it means that much more when a player dedicates themselves to this city, especially when that player is as great an athlete and character as Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez.

And if there's one person who loves Cleveland as much as the fans do, it is Ramírez.

"Cleveland is the best," Ramírez said after the Guardians clinched the AL Central last year. "I love Cleveland. Cleveland is my house."

There's no doubt that there will one day be a statue of Ramírez at Progressive Field. He was signed by Cleveland in 2009, was brought up in the organization, made his MLB debut in 2013, and has been climbing the ranks of franchise records while also expressing his love for the city as he does.

Surely a player with six top-five finishes in MVP voting in his career, a six-time Silver Slugger, a seven-time All-Star, a future Hall of Famer, and one of Cleveland's greatest players of all time has one of the best contracts in the league, right?

The Guardians are not known for their spending, always finding themselves at the bottom of the league in terms of payroll, even when spending has a near-perfect correlation to success in MLB. And yes, we have many winning seasons and have no problem making it to the playoffs, but when was the last time we won the World Series? In 2022, Ramírez signed the biggest contract in franchise history to keep him in Cleveland through 2028. Despite the size of his contract, it was a team-friendly deal ($141 million through 2028) and would not award Ramírez nearly as much as he deserves or reflects his value.

But even when he could've gone anywhere else for more money, he chose Cleveland.

Courtesy of Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

On Thursday, the Cleveland Guardians officially announced that Ramírez would be receiving another contract extension, worth $25 million per season through 2032, with $10 million deferred each year. Ramírez wants to play his whole career in Cleveland, and this contract gives him the ability to do just that.

"For me, it's important to be here," Ramírez said through interpreter Agustin Rivero. "This is where my family is and where I want them to be. And most importantly, where I look forward to completing my career. So for me, it's important to stay here, the commitment to continue to compete and win a World Series."

Our beloved third baseman, who loves the city and team as much as we all do, is finally getting paid what he deserves.

But the Guardians can't stop at just paying their star. The team needs to finally be built around him, so his prime years as one of the league's best hitters aren't wasted. With the deferred money in his new contract, we could find the team more willing to extend other players, such as two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover Steven Kwan, and/or sign much-needed power bats. David Blitzer's growing control of the team could see the Guards spend more, which has been a long time coming.

Cleveland, there's only one thing left to do for Ramírez...

Edited by Mithzi Silva