Jose Ramirez's $12M Contract Option for 2022 Season Reportedly Exercised by Cleveland

Cleveland reportedly picked up the $12 million club option in the contract of third baseman Jose Ramirez for the 2022 MLB season.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported the news Thursday.

Ramirez entered the 2021 season as one of the league's best players over the past five years. His 26.2 WAR from 2016 through 2020 ranked tied for fourth among all hitters, per FanGraphs.

He posted an .893 OPS with 36 home runs and 27 stolen bases in 152 games during the 2021 campaign.

The 29-year-old Dominican Republic native played the final guaranteed season of his four-year, $26 million contract, but it featured club options for 2022 and 2023. In turn, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in March that Cleveland's front office wasn't "losing sleep" over the fact that he had declined initial extension offers.

Along with his importance to the club's offense, Ramirez also started to take on more of a leadership role throughout the year starting in spring training, which is something he said "grows naturally."

"That's the way I handle my business: play hard, train hard," the three-time All-Star told reporters. "There's nothing different. If they ask me questions, I'm happy to help them try to play the game hard."

Ramirez, who also counts three Silver Slugger Awards among his career accolades, will remain a fixture near the top of Cleveland's lineup at least one more year, and probably two, after the first club option was exercised. The second option for 2023 is worth $14 million.

The team's front office must now work to upgrade other areas of the roster after missing the playoffs in 2021. It's an effort that should focus heavily on improving the offensive depth.