José Ramírez Sets Huge Goal for His Career After Seven-Year Extension With Guardians

It should come as no surprise, but José Ramírez's ultimate goal of winning a World Series isn't changing.

Following a seven-year extension tacked on to his contract with the Cleveland Guardians, an official press conference was held on Thursday, Jan. 29, with the seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger to discuss the news. In attendance were Ramírez, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and owner Paul Dolan.

Ramírez, who's coming off a campaign marked by playing a major role in the team's 15.5-game comeback to win the American League Central, is poised to continue providing the Guardians with high-level play in 2026.

Even though he’s now well over the age of 30, he’s showing no signs of slowing down and appears to have no plans of stopping.

Heading into the upcoming season, the odds are against the Guardians with hopes of winning a World Series, but Ramírez and the rest of the organization aren't going to change the expectations they have.

“The ultimate goal remains the same: A World Series," the native of Bani, Dominican Republic, said in his opening remarks on Thursday.

“The ultimate goal remains the same: A World Series”#Guardians José Ramirez in his opening remarks #GuardsBall x @WEWS pic.twitter.com/sX0yQrVorn
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) January 29, 2026

Ramírez may go down as Cleveland's greatest player in franchise history

Across his career, Ramírez has posted a total career bWAR of 57.6, a truly impressive feat. He's averaging a slashing line of .279/.353/.504 for an OPS of .857 with nearly 1,700 hits. He's also just 15 home runs and 13 stolen bases away from 300 in his entire major league career.

Since 2016, he's also finished inside the race for MVP all but one time, marking one of the most dominant stretches of production on the diamond in recent memory.

With him getting locked down in Cleveland for potentially the rest of his career, the Guardians will have a chance to remain in playoff talks each season. The hope is eventually a World Series title; the only thing left is to build a winning roster around him.

Antonetti was asked about whether or not they'll be able to do that now with a lock of cap space still available, with him saying that there is "some savings" flexibility in place. Whether or not the front office decides to act on any of the free agents still available or go out and make a trade is up in the air.

Either way, as long as they've got a guy putting up over 30 home runs in back-to-back seasons, they'll remain in playoff talks.

While it should come as no surprise, Dolan confirmed that Ramírez is well aware of how much the Cleveland faithful believe in and support him.

"“He’s recognized that his fans have supported him, good or bad throughout his career," Dolan said.

Ramírez went on to follow up on Dolan's comment, sharing that he believes he's "50-50: 50% Dominican, 50% Clevelander." He initially joined the club way back in 2011 at the age of 18, and if he stays through 2032 or beyond, he'll have spent over half his life in The Land. That alone truly signifies his commitment to the city he knew very little about.

As spring training slowly approaches, Ramírez is expected to continue giving his all to the city, with expectations of contention on his mind. The Guardians' first chance to show what they've got planned for 2026 will come on Saturday, Feb. 21, against the Cincinnati Reds.