Jose Ramirez's 5-year $124 million dollar extension with the Cleveland Guardians became official on Friday prior to Cleveland's home opener against the San Francisco Giants. The 5 years are on top of the 2-years already remaining on his prior deal with the Guardians, equating to 7 years in all.

Jose Ramirez shared his motivation to stay in Cleveland and take a team-friendly contract from the Guardians.

Guardians fans are sure to be happy to hear that response. After seeing stars traded in years past such as Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber, and Carlos Carrasco, a player expressing their loyalty to Cleveland is newfound feeling for fans of the team. The signing of Ramirez caught the majority of fans by surprise given Cleveland's previous inability to retain star players.

And make no mistake about it, the contract is certainly team-friendly. For reference, here is a Tweet comparing Ramirez's contract with Jose Altuve's and Anthony Rendon's contracts.

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Jose Ramirez is just as talented as either of those players. The Cleveland third baseman has finished within the top 6 in MVP voting in four of the past five years. He has also finished within the top 3 in MVP voting in three of the past five seasons. Ramirez slashed .266/.355/.538 with an .893 OPS in 2021 while also smashing 36 home runs and stealing 27 bases. He could have easily held out and received a far larger contract with a different team.

But Jose Ramirez proved that loyalty is not dead in professional sports. He will now focus on leading the Guardians to their first World Series victory since 1948.