Guardians’ José Ramírez reportedly signs new 7-year, $175M extension

José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians have reportedly agreed to a new seven-year, $175 million extension, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Ramírez’s restructured deal will see him earn $25 million per season from 2026-2032 with $10 million deferred each season.

The 33-year-old Ramírez has spent his entire 13-year MLB career with the Guardians. The third baseman is a seven-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner and a two-time All-MLB First Team member. 

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Two of MLB’s biggest awards have eluded Ramírez, as he is a three-time AL MVP finalist and seven-time Gold Glove Award finalist.

Last season, Ramírez slashed .283/.360/.503 with 30 home runs and 85 RBI. He also hit 34 doubles and stole a career-high 44 bases in 158 games. His .863 OPS was third among qualified third baseman and, per FanGraphs, he posted a 6.3 WAR, which was tied with Francisco Lindor for eighth among position players.

“He’s the best all-around third baseman in baseball,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt last season, via The Athletic. “He’s one of the top-five players, in my opinion. … I’m just thankful I get to watch him do it every day.”

Ramírez joined the Guardians in 2009 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic. A franchise stalwart, he is second in franchise history with 285 home runs, 52 behind Jim Thome. He is also top five in games played (1,609), stolen bases (287) and runs scored (1,001).

The new agreement will add four years and $106 million to the five-year, $124 million extension Ramírez signed in April 2022. He is now tied to Cleveland through the 2032 season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo to get MRI on strained right calf, says he expects to miss 4 to 6 weeks

The Milwaukee Bucks nearly made an improbable comeback from a 20-point deficit on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets. However, the Bucks have a far more pressing concern with the health of star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

A major reason that the Bucks couldn’t take the lead is that Antetokounmpo couldn’t play the final 34 seconds of the game due to a calf injury. He sat on the bench in the closing seconds as Kyle Kuzma’s shot from nearly half-court missed in Milwaukee’s 102-100 loss.

After the game, Antetokounmpo told reporters he will get an MRI exam on his right calf on Saturday and that, based on prior experience, he expects the results to say he will miss four-to-six weeks with a strain. 

“Probably the next steps will be, go to MRI tomorrow,” he told reporters. “After the MRI, they’ll tell me, probably, I popped something in my calf, in my soleus, something. They’ll probably give me a protocol of four-to-six weeks that I’ll be out. This is from my experience being around the NBA.”

Antetokounmpo’s remarks are in line with concerns that Bucks coach Doc Rivers expressed to reporters in postgame comments. 

“I don’t think it looks great, personally. This calf keeps coming up and it’s concerning,” Rivers said, via ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m smart enough to know that his calf keeps bothering him. There’s something that is there and it keep happening and that’s troublesome for all of us.”

Antetokounmpo’s injury means he will likely miss the All-Star Game, requiring NBA commissioner Adam Silver to appoint a replacement for him. His absence also could impact the trade market ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline. Antetokounmpo has expressed frustration with the Bucks’ struggles, but so far stopped short of directly asking the team to trade him.

Rivers said he took Antetokounmpo out of the game because he didn’t like how he was looking through most of the game. At various points, Antetokounmpo appeared to have trouble moving up the court and also walked down the floor as the Bucks set up on offense. Upon leaving the game, he went to the locker room but soon returned to the Milwaukee bench. 

“Giannis was defiant about staying in,” Rivers said.

Antetokounmpo finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in 32 minutes. Ryan Rollins scored 21 points and hit two 3-pointers in the final 29 seconds of the game that cut Denver’s lead to 101-100 with five seconds remaining in regulation.

The two-time NBA MVP missed eight games earlier this season after suffering a calf strain during a Dec. 3 game against the Detroit Pistons. He returned on Dec. 27 for a matchup with the Chicago Bulls. Since then, Antetokounmpo had appeared in all 13 of Milwaukee’s games but was on a restriction of 30-31 minutes per contest.

Antetokounmpo wasn’t the only player that left Friday’s game with an injury. Aaron Gordon suffered a hamstring injury during the second quarter and did not return. Afterward, Nuggets coach David Adelman said he believed the strain was not severe, but further evaluation was needed. Gordon was sidelined for nearly six weeks earlier this season after straining his right hamstring.

Denver also played the game with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun and Jonas Valanciunas sidelined due to injuries.