Blue Jays linked to possible trade for Cleveland star Jose Ramirez
Hot on the heels of their acquisition of Matt Chapman, the Blue Jays have been linked to another top trade target — Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.
The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday that the Blue Jays have been in talks with the Cleveland Guardians about acquiring the star second baseman Ramirez.
Blue Jays have spoken to Guardians about trade for JosĂ© RamĂrez, with idea of playing RamĂrez at 2B, sources tell @TheAthletic. Other teams showing interest in RamĂrez as well. Still unlikely Guardians will move him. RamĂrez under club control for two more seasons, combined $24M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 16, 2022
A move for Ramirez at second base would help soften the blow of the departure of Marcus Semien in the offseason, who signed a seven-year megadeal with the Texas Rangers following his lone year in Toronto.
However, Rosenthal did shed some skepticism on the deal in a follow-up tweet, saying that the Blue Jays could be “reluctant” to part with top prospects in consecutive trades.
Ramirez batted .266 with 147 hits, 36 homers, 103 RBIs and 111 runs scored in 152 games in 2021 while playing in Cleveland.
Over the course of his career in Cleveland, he has a .278 batting average, 987 hits, 163 home runs, 540 RBIs and 607 runs scored, while also winning three Silver Slugger awards across nine seasons.
The 29-year-old Ramirez has also made three All-Star Games in his career, while picking up MVP votes on five occasions, including three top-5 finishes. In 2022, Ramirez will earn a base salary of $12,000,000, with his contract running through the 2023 season.
- You might also like:
- Blue Jays make major trade for third baseman Matt Chapman