Terry Francona Downplays Jose Ramirez Trade Rumors

With big trades going down around the league, all eyes are now on the future of Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez. The standout third baseman has popped up in recent rumors as Cleveland reassesses its roster heading into the 2022 season.

Guardians manager Terry Francona recently weighed in on the noise surrounding a potential Ramirez deal.

Terry Francona on trade rumors about Jose Ramirez: "I'm pretty certain Josie knows how we think of him. In other words, don't fall into that hole. I would ink Josie into the three hole, to answer your question."
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) March 17, 2022

Jose Ramirez Trade Rumors

Francona opted to downplay the rumors despite the buzz growing. Cleveland's manager responded by saying he would "ink Joise into the three hole," which seems to suggest Francona thinks Ramirez will be in the lineup for this team to start the year.

Still, this could all be coach-speak. Teams usually don't want to broadcast their true intentions in case it hurts their bargaining position, so it's very possible Cleveland is hearing out offers while publicly saying they see Ramirez being part of the future.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently confirmed that the Guardians spoke to the Toronto Blue Jays about a potential Ramirez deal, so it's not like a trade is completely off of the table. Although that is probably off the table with Toronto's recent acquisition of Matt Chapman from the A's, others could certainly be interested in Ramirez.

Blue Jays have spoken to Guardians about trade for José Ramírez, with idea of playing Ramírez at 2B, sources tell @TheAthletic. Other teams showing interest in Ramírez as well. Still unlikely Guardians will move him. Ramírez under club control for two more seasons, combined $24M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 16, 2022

Cleveland could certainly get a ransom in return for Ramirez's services. The 3B is coming off of his third All-Star selection, slashing .266/.355/.538 in 2021 while recording 36 home runs and 103 RBI.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.