The Cleveland Guardians are in a pickle with José Ramírez

The 2022 Cleveland Guardians are in a pickle when it comes to moving forward with All-Star third baseman José Ramírez.

The Cleveland Guardians have found themselves floating around in a state of limbo going into the 2022 Major League Baseball season. Conventional wisdom would say they are in a rebuild time for the franchise’s future, with most of the predictions having Cleveland finishing below .500 and star third baseman José Ramírez entering the final two years of his extremely team-friendly contract.

Despite the claims by manager Terry Francona that Ramirez is not being dealt, it’s hard to find a reason why he wouldn’t be at this point. Not only would he provide the team with some serious future building blocks, but his affordable contract (by professional baseball standards) could prove to be even more fruitful for the Cleveland Guardians.

A Jose Ramirez Deadline Deal?

I can’t speak for the fans of Cleveland, but in my humble opinion, if we come to the middle of July and the Guardians are not exactly in the race for the division and instead find themselves jumbled in a crowded wild-card race, I would have to think long and hard about dealing Ramírez; it would ultimately be the most obvious and best long-term outlook for the organization. By that time, the team will have one year left to make a run before he becomes a free agent.

If you were making the moves, knowing the reality of the Cleveland Guardians’ financial situation, ask yourself: What would you be inclined to do?