Less than a week after he played in his third All-Star Game, Cleveland doesn't appear especially inclined to trade third baseman José Ramírez, per a new report.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote Monday that while the Tampa Bay Rays are among what would certainly be a plethora of teams interested in Ramírez, the asking price coming from Mike Chernoff and company would almost certainly be prohibitive.
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.
From Cleveland's perspective, there isn't much of a reason to seriously weigh moving their best player right now, even if a 47-43 record likely won't lead to them playing in the American League playoffs in 2021.
First of all, there's a business perspective to consider here. Cleveland traded one franchise icon -- Francisco Lindor -- in January, so it would be a pretty tough sell to the fanbase to turn around and trade another six months later.
Beyond that, though, Ramírez is still only 28, and is quietly putting together a Hall of Fame-caliber peak. Cleveland has a club option for $12 million in 2022 for Ramírez and $14 million in 2023, so for all intents and purposes, he's signed for two more years. There's no need then for Cleveland to act as though they're on the cusp of losing a star player in free agency.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in March that Ramírez has "resisted" overtures on signing an extension (which presumably would kick in during the 2024 season). It would seem that the organization still plans to try to re-sign the star third baseman before seriously considering dealing him.
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