The Guardians are holding José Ramírez. No other MLB team is looking for him

The Guardians are holding José Ramírez. No other MLB team is looking for him

Five-foot-nine is the height of baseball's third-best player in the past five years. It's not just his height that makes him stand out physically. A lopsided grin almost always protrudes on one side of his lip. Lastly, his butt gives him a distinct center of gravity in the box while not slowing him down when he sprints to first.

His Baseball-Reference page shows identifying traits. He is a switch-hitter. In this economy? Two different seasons with more extra-base hits than strikeouts, three seasons with 20/20. Two third-place MVP finishes, another second-place finish: Others end up shorter than you might expect. Six years and $36 million in a contract that reads like a misprint? For this guy? Everything about José Ramírez screamed unusual excellence. 

There was a sense that something was going to round off. It had to change

On Wednesday, one thing changed: The Cleveland Guardians finally committed to a superstar by signing an extension with Ram*rez for five years, $124 million, which will kick in when his existing deal expires after 2023. Compared to the open market, it's still a pittance, but Ramirez has decided to stay with Cleveland.

It's also the latest sign that something bigger has happened. The sport has found its Most Wanted Player in Ram*rez, the unheralded infielder turned all-around superstar whose transformation sparked baseball's launch angle revolution. Ram*rez was easily identified earlier this week as the biggest fish in the July trade market, but with his future now assured in Cleveland, it is evident that his success is not an anomaly. He is the model for superstars in baseball in the 2020s.

Jose Ramirez's extension with the Guardians is surprising, isn't it?

Ramirez is exactly the type of player who would sign an extension in a vacuum. He ranks third among position players in terms of wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. On that list, only Anthony Rendon has reached free agency on time, with Aaron Judge a candidate to join him next winter. Ramirez, of course, has already signed one extension - a comically team-friendly one with a maximum value of $50.4 million over seven years signed just before his election.Jose Altuve's second extension with the Houston Astros signed prior to 2018, is similar to and slightly exceeds the average annual value of the first one he signed with the team in 2016.

The Guardians opened their coffers enough to retain a star, which is a surprise. Edwin Encarnacion signed their previous record contract for $60 million. Ramirez made his decision easier by accepting this deal now rather than waiting until his option year in 2023 to reach free agency. Since Francisco Lindor refused to accede to team demands, he was sent to the New York Mets prior to his walk year and signed a 10-year contract worth $341 million with the advantage of being two years younger than Ram*rez at the time.

Guardians is expected to be more than twice as much as Ram*rez

The next highest-paid player of the Guardians is expected to be more than twice as much as Ram*rez, even if his salary remains below the $13 million mark. As a result of Cot's contract, The Guardians will have the lowest payroll in Major League Baseball in 2021, $51.6 million. It would be great if the extension signaled the intention to provide Ramirez with the talent required to recreate the team's pennant glory. However, this may not be the case. There was more likely to be a cost-benefit analysis that favored the players they already had over any trade deals they've had or were anticipating receiving.

The Boston Red Sox traded Mookie Betts - one of only a handful of similar cases we could use, but they didn't receive any of the same potential or expected output as well. As you might say, they increased their share of the trade ledger by releasing David Price's contract. It was a shrewd and simple decision made by an ownership group trying to get below the threshold for tax on competitive balance, and at the very least, they had "justified" their decision. Due to their low-cost payroll, the Guardians aren't in the position to shed contracts like this. Lindor's trade has a few years to play out, but the major pieces aren't crucial players at the moment.here would have needed to be a great deal of stardom for Ramirez to surpass the value that the Guardians receive from Ramirez if everyone was in favor of him and everyone wanted him. Competitors weren't likely to invest in him unless he agreed to an extension.

Jose Ramirez is being sought after by everyone

Now that the real Jose Ramirez has been found, teams will continue to look for the next Jose Ramirez. While his style of play is obvious, he is a player who has made a rapid transition from the past to the present. He was discovered by the Tampa Bay Rays in his hometown.Wander Franco is now among the brightest young players in baseball after meeting 15-year-old Ramirez when he was seven years old in Bani, Dominican Republic. In his first season in the majors last year, he was an undisputed number. This prospect was accompanied by exaggerated claims of MVP potential and overall excellence. As an infielder, he is best compared with those who hit switches with a high contact IQ and have all-around baseball ability in addition to a striking, impressive posterior.It is not an accident that Ramirez resembles Ramirez, who was never ranked among the top 100 prospects on his own. Franco stated in Baseball America in 2018 that Ramirez was his idol.That's my friend from back home, and I watch him a lot to try and understand what hitters are doing," Franco said. "We were neighbors as kids, and I saw him rise out of the ground and do all he did. He's my hero."

Ramirez's accomplishments

Franco, who also received an extension during the offseason, gained confidence from Ramirez's accomplishments. Now the players' skills are becoming more apparent. Many people consider Termarr Johnson, a Georgia high schooler, to be the best. The top prospect for this year's MLB draft. You'll never guess the names evaluations give to him: Ramirez as well as Franco.The absence of Ramirez on the list of prospects for his time shouldn't be interpreted as a snub on the business. Even during his first major-league season, it was hard to imagine how he achieved such a feat. Together with Altuve, he drew a model that scouts could recognize more easily.It's easier to describe than to do, but Ramirez's approach consists of the following: The first is that he achieves incredible contact due to his sharp plate discipline and superb barrel control. The biggest change from 2016 to 2017 was the decision to swing with the intention of putting the ball in the air. He has the seventh-lowest ground ball rate of any player who hits less than a percent of the time since 2017. Despite being 5 feet 9 inches tall and lacking the pure power of Aaron Judge, Ramirez aims to draw the ball as far as he can to get fly balls into the seats.

lower strikeouts, the 50.5 percent pull rate is second in the majors

Within the same group of hitters with lower strikeouts, the 50.5 percent pull rate is second in the majors. With his excellent defense and baserunning, you'll have a player who hits above his physical ability.Having this insight, Franco has become easier to recognize as a standout in a crowd. This is the thought that illuminates the pathways to success for players such as Johnson who have characteristics at a base level such as strong baseball control as well as keen eyes which can allow them to flourish within the team with the other factors contributing to the success of the team.After all, is said and done, the prize is a player agile enough to play a difficult infield position while still hitting 30+ home runs per year.Every team can benefit from it. Cleveland is the only place that can use the first version.