Why the Seattle Mariners Should Trade for Jose Ramirez

The Seattle Mariners are in the market for a third baseman this offseason, as Kyle Seager’s option is almost certainly not being picked up. This leaves a hole at third base for the first time in a decade for the Mariners. However, this is an exciting time for Mariners fans and there is a superstar third baseman out there who the Mariners should be interested in this offseason: his name is Jose Ramirez.

Jose Ramirez has been an absolute stud at third base for the Indians the last several years, and he is only going to be playing his age 29 season next year. Contract-wise, Ramirez has two club options left on his contract for $12 and $14 million the next two seasons. The Mariners would be getting an MVP-caliber player for two years, but he would most certainly need to be extended in Seattle beyond the two years.

The Mariners are going to have to give up a haul that will hurt. It is not going to be a light trade where the Mariners give up prospects that fans don’t love. They will have to send multiple top 10 prospects to Cleveland. There is immense surplus value since Ramirez is not only under contract for 2 years, but he is incredibly cheap and is a perennial MVP candidate.

Here is a snapshot into how valuable Ramirez would be as a free agent, and explains some of the reasoning for the trade cost for Seattle:

With Ramirez’s price in mind, here are a few trade options the Mariners should consider:

Bolstering Cleveland’s Position Player Depth

Jose Ramirez truly is a special player, as he was the AL MVP runner-up in 2020 and was 3rd in 2017 and 2018. He is a switch hitter and would give the Mariners an overall offensive monster. This season, he was 41% better than league average with an OPS+ of 141 according to Baseball Reference, and he would be the best offensive player for the Mariners by far going forward.

Here, Cleveland get Noelvi Marte, who is a potential future Jose Ramirez-level player. Again, Hancock has value as a #3 or better starter who could reach the big leagues by the end of next year. In this deal, they also get outfielder Zach DeLoach, who profiles as a good 3rd or even 4th outfielder in the best outfields. They also get Harry Ford, who is young but gives them a solid prospect down the road.

This deal gives the Indians more of a balanced, offensive-centered trade package. They get an infielder in Marte who is a few years away still but is very talented. They get an outfielder in DeLoach who reached AA this year, as well as Hancock, who could get to the majors by 2023. Ford is very far away but has lots of promise as a catcher or another position.

Cleveland Gets a Balanced Return for Jose Ramirez

Again, the Mariners get their new cornerstone on offense in Ramirez. He not only is a great hitter and defender, but is also a solid baserunner. He had a sprint speed of 28.2 this season, which would have been the third fastest on the Mariners, behind Sam Haggerty and Dylan Moore.

Ramirez would need to be signed to an extension by the Mariners as well, as they are giving up a major prospect haul in this trade. He is going to be 29 this year, and he will be under club control through his age 30 season. An extension to keep him in Seattle would be essential as the Mariners try to make their team a perennial postseason threat and eventually win a World Series.

Here, Cleveland gets Marte and Hancock, who would need to be included in about any deal that could land Jose Ramirez. They get another hitter in DeLoach who could get to the big leagues in two years for them, as well as a promising rotation arm in Williamson. Cleveland gets two impact bats and two starting pitchers for the future.

Overall, it is going to take a lot to land Jose Ramirez from Cleveland, but the Mariners should not feel tied to prospects who they hope will turn into the exact caliber of player Ramirez is today.