The Cleveland Guardians were (or are) reportedly working on a few extensions for key young players.
Well, we have the first one already: second baseman Andres Gimenez and the team are in agreement on a seven-year, $106.5 million contract extension.
That’s a very nice deal for one of the top young players in the American League.
There is also a club option for an eighth year.
Essentially, the pact covers Gimenez for his remaining three arbitration seasons and five free agent campaigns.
Inflation almost always makes these types of deals a hit for teams, and young players like Gimenez set themselves up for the future.
In this case, it’s a win-win.
It’s actually a bit shocking to see the Guardians hand out this type of deal.
Andrés Gimenez. $106.5 million dollars. Wow. Just… wow.
—Vince 22 (@VinceG222) March 28, 2023
Fans, of course, are ecstatic.
The Cleveland Guardians were able to re-sign Jose Ramirez (seven years, $141 million) and Andrés Giménez (seven years and $106.5 million) for way less than the price of Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million).
It’s a great day to be a Cleveland baseball fan.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) March 28, 2023
HIM!!!! 🙏🙏🙏 @CleGuardians @andresgimenez https://t.co/zWk9QnNXRA
—HR808 (@Sakurayama808) March 28, 2023
The 24-year-old second baseman was crucial in Cleveland’s postseason run last year.
He hit .297/.371/.466 with a career-high 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 557 plate appearances.
His wRC+ was 140, and 100 is considered league-average offensive performance.
Together with his offensive prowess, Gimenez showed he has a very nice glove, too.
As the Guardians’ second baseman, he accumulated a whopping 16 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 12 Outs Above Average (OAA).
Simply put, Gimenez contributes in every facet of the game: offense, defense, and baserunning.
He should be well worth the money for the savvy Guardians.
Several fans have pointed out that the Guardians have now locked up Jose Ramirez and Gimenez for much less than what Francisco Lindor got from the New York Mets.
JRam took a huge paycut to not only stay in Cleveland, but to ensure we had the money to spend on our other guys such as Andrés Giménez. Thank you Jose Ramirez 🙏
Guardians front office is COOKING.
—Austin (@AStheGOAT24) March 28, 2023
It’s yet another example of how the Cleveland front office works wonders with its budget.
NEXT:
MLB Insider Reveals Massive Andres Gimenez Update
