AP

AP source: Ramírez, Guardians agree on 5-year, $124M deal

Apr 5, 2022, 7:14 PM | Updated: Apr 6, 2022, 3:12 pm

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez throws from his knees to second base but is unable t...

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez throws from his knees to second base but is unable to get the force out on an infield single by Milwaukee Brewers' Pedro Severino during the third inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)


              Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, right, talks with Amed Rosario, and Mike Sarbaugh, left, as they walk to the dugout before the team's spring training baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
            
              Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, left, rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against San Diego Padres relief pitcher Austin Adams, right, during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
            
              Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez throws from his knees to second base but is unable to get the force out on an infield single by Milwaukee Brewers' Pedro Severino during the third inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez forced the Guardians to go deep into their pockets.

The All-Star third baseman agreed to a $124 million, five-year contract on the eve of opening day with Cleveland, a record-setting deal for a franchise that hasn’t been able to swing with baseball’s big spenders over the years.

Ramírez’s deal runs through the 2028 season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Ramírez still must take a physical and numerous other details need to be finalized before the contract is official, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The deal includes a full no-trade clause and is the biggest in team history, more than doubling the $60 million committed to slugger Edwin Encarnacion five years ago.

It will be baseball’s 16th contract of $100 million or more since the end of the World Series.

The Guardians open the 2022 season — their first game since changing their name from Indians — in Kansas City on Thursday, and they’ll start it knowing Ramírez will be staying at third and batting third for the next several years.

“An absolute grinder on the field,” said pitcher Shane Bieber, who will start the opener. “Plays with his heart and soul out there. Blood sweat and tears. It’s just a guy that as a pitcher you stand on the mound and you look over your right shoulder and it’s a feeling of comfort knowing he’s there giving his all each and every play and he’s invested each and every inning and pitch and game.”

The team and Ramírez’s representatives had been in talks about a deal for weeks at training camp in Arizona. The 29-year-old Ramírez had expressed a desire to finish his career with Cleveland, which signed him as a teenager in the Dominican Republic.

After stalling, negotiations intensified the past two days before the Indians broke camp as rumors surfaced about a possible trade involving Ramírez. The Guardians went outside their normal comfort zone, but will now have Ramírez for seven more seasons.

“He talks with his play on the field, but to have him in the clubhouse and to continue to have him for the foreseeable future is important to me, the rest of the team and to him and the front office,” Bieber said. “Glad he’s staying.”

So is manager Terry Francona.

“We love Jose being the leader of our ballclub and love him representing us in any way – whether it’s at third, on the bases, in the batter’s box, as a teammate,” he said on a Zoom call from Kansas. “He fills all the checks in the box. So needless to say, we’re pretty big fans of Jose.”

Since breaking in with Cleveland in 2013, Ramírez has blossomed into one of baseball’s best all-around players, one capable of impacting the game with his bat, glove and on the bases, where he usually loses his helmet while hustling to the next base.

Cleveland owner Paul Dolan has long been criticized for not spending on players as the Guardians have almost served as a feeder to the game’s bigger markets with stars such as Francisco Lindor, Manny Ramirez, CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee wither being traded or leaving as free agents because the team couldn’t afford to keep them.

But in the past few days, the Guardians locked up Ramírez and agreed to a five-year contract with closer Emmanuel Clase.

Signing Ramírez doesn’t address all of Cleveland’s needs, but with him anchoring their lineup and a solid starting rotation featuring Bieber, the Guardians should be able to stay in contention in the AL Central.

Ramírez had two years left on a five-year, $26 million contract he signed in 2016. That deal included two team options — $12 million in 2022 and $14 million next season — that made him the highest-paid player on Cleveland’s roster.

A three-time All-Star, Ramírez batted .266 with 36 homers and 103 RBIs last season. He’s finished in the top three in MVP voting three times in the past five seasons.

The Guardians signed Ramírez in 2009. He was brought up as a shortstop, but moved to third to make room for Lindor, who became unaffordable and was traded to the New York Mets before last season.

NOTES: Amed Rosario, who started 119 games at shortstop last season, will be in left field for the opener with rookie Steven Kwan in right. Francona is confident Rosario will continue to improve with experience. “He’s quick enough and athletic enough,” Francona said. “We’re not trying to get him to reinvent his arm action or things like. He’ll just play the game. He’s a good baseball player, so I think we’ll just try to get him to play baseball.”

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

AP source: Ramírez, Guardians agree on 5-year, $124M deal