MLB Rumors: Jose Ramirez, Guardians Contract Extension Talks Hitting 'Critical' Stage

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez has been one of the best players in Major League Baseball for the past six years and has played on arguably the most team-friendly contract in the sport.

Per The Athletic's Zack Meisel, Cleveland's front office and Ramirez's camp have exchanged offers on a new contract, and talks "are expected to soon reach a critical point" as the two sides have set an artificial deadline of Opening Day to get a deal done. 

Ramirez signed a five-year contract extension with Cleveland in 2017 that included two team options for 2022 and 2023.

The total value of the five years on the deal was $26 million. Ramirez is set to make $12 million this season and could earn $14 million in 2023 if the team picks up his option. 

Cleveland's ownership has been slashing payroll for years, culminating with a gutting of roster spending over the past two seasons. The team ranked 29th in MLB with a $50.7 million payroll in 2021 and sits 29th going into this season with $37.4 million in payroll salary, per Spotrac.

Ramirez is one of seven Guardians players set to earn more than $1 million. He and pitcher Shane Bieber are the only players who'll make at least $6 million. 

Despite the lack of spending from ownership in recent years, Meisel noted Ramirez is "content" to spend the rest of his career in Cleveland. 

It's unclear what the Guardians' current offer is to Ramirez, but Meisel pointed out the team would "almost certainly" more than double the largest contract it has ever handed out. Edwin Encarnacion holds the record for the team's largest deal: a three-year, $60 million contract in 2017. 

Ramirez, 29, has finished in the top six of American League MVP voting four times in the past five seasons. He has posted a .280/.365/.547 slash line with 144 home runs, 420 RBI and 112 stolen bases during that span.

The Dominican star ranks third among position players in FanGraphs wins above replacement (28.0) since 2017. Only Mike Trout (29.6) and Mookie Betts (29.2) have produced more WAR than Ramirez over the past five years.