Cleveland Guardians ink seven-year, $106.5 million extension with Andrés Giménez

The Cleveland Guardians have agreed to a long term-contract extension with second baseman Andrés Giménez. It is a seven-year, $106.5 million contract which includes a club option for the 2031 season. The extension starts next year, covering his three years of arbitration and potentially five years of free agency, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Giménez will be 31 years old when the contract expires. It is the second-largest contract the Guardians have ever handed out behind José Ramírez's contract.

The Guardians are extending their core players, showing a willingness to spend big in the process.

Giménez was acquired in the deal that sent Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets. Giménez and Amed Rosario headlined a return package in the January 2021 trade that also saw the Guardians acquiring prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene. In his lone major-league season with the Mets, he slashed .263/.333/.398, finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting, and drove in 12 runs through 49 games.

Giménez struggled to find his footing during his first year in Cleveland, hitting just .218 in 210 plate appearances, though he garnered 16 RBIs and five home runs. This resulted in a midseason trip down to Triple-A Columbus in an attempt to fix his swing. The Guardians were unsure if his lack of hitting was going to cut it at the big-league level, though they wanted him to improve because of his stellar defense at shortstop and second base.

Giménez came back in 2022 with a fixed swing and completed the best professional season of his career. Slashing .297/.371/.466 through 146 games, hitting 17 home runs and knocking in 69 RBIs while stealing 20 bases. Giménez finished the year with a team-high 7.4 Wins Above Replacement, earning a starting spot in the All-Star game, a Gold Glove and finishing sixth in American League MVP voting.

The extension is the second time in as many offseasons that the Guardians have inked a long-term extension worth more than $100 million. They signed Ramírez to a seven year, $141-million contract last offseason after also locking up Emmanuel Clase and Myles Straw on five-year deals. The Athletic’s Zack Meisel also reported earlier Tuesday that the Guardians were in “advanced negotiations” with multiple players during spring training, including Rosario, Triston McKenzie, Steven Kwan and Trevor Stephan.