Ramirez deal emphasizes Indians' commitment

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- José Ramírez was in the Indians' clubhouse Saturday morning, sitting inside his locker and scrolling through his phone. The infielder was not wrapped in bubble wrap, as was jokingly posted on his Twitter account Friday night.
The source of that joke is there are still steps left before Ramirez and the Indians can officially announce the five-year, $26 million contract extension that was agreed upon Friday. Pending a routine physical, Cleveland will likely be ready to hold a news conference early next week.
Ramirez was not made available for comment, and the club hasn't confirmed the deal.

Indians manager Terry Francona also declined to discuss the Ramirez talks specifically, but he did praise Cleveland's front office for its history of locking in core talent through multi-year extensions. In the past five years, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes, Michael Brantley, Josh Tomlin, Brandon Guyer and Carlos Santana have each inked extensions with the ballclub.
"They've done a very good job of trying to not just tie up the core guys, but identifying the core guys," Francona said Saturday. " And I think in all reality, because we think we're a better baseball team, a better organization now, I think guys are probably more willing to want to stay. I think that's a good thing."

Francona noted that not only have core players signed extensions, but others have shown an increased willingness to play for Cleveland. The manager pointed to slugger Edwin Encarnación, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract as a free agent this winter. That represented the largest free-agent deal in franchise history.
"Had we lost 90 games last year, I don't think Edwin would have wanted to come here," Francona said. "I think it kind of goes hand-in-hand. I think they've done a very good job. In this day and age in a baseball, you don't see 23 guys coming back. That just doesn't happen very often."
The $26 million in Ramirez's deal includes his pre-arbitration salary for 2017, an $11 million team option for 2022 and a $13 million team option for '23. That brings the pact's maximum value to $50 million.
While Francona would not talk about Ramirez's pending contract, the manager did rave about what the infielder has brought to the team.

The 24-year-old Ramirez hit .312 with 11 home runs, 46 doubles, 76 RBIs, 84 runs and an .825 OPS in 152 games last season in a breakout campaign. The switch-hitter filled in for Brantley in left field (48 games) and later found a home at third base (103 games). This spring, Ramirez has been prepping for second base, given that Kipnis (right shoulder) is expected to begin the season on the disabled list.
"He just turned himself into a really good player," Francona said of Ramirez. "That's the hope sometimes that, OK, if somebody goes down, one, you want them to fit in admirably. But, when you also find out now you have an everyday player, that's a bonus. And he deserves a lot of credit. He really is a good player."