José

Ramírez

Ramírez has gone deep twice in three games this spring, hitting .429 during that span. The 33-year-old fantasy stalwart will be a first-round selection in all fantasy drafts this spring after consecutive 30-homer, 40-steal campaigns.

Ramírez looks like he skipped the ramp-up phase entirely this spring, taking minor leaguer Antonio Menendez deep for a three-run homer in the fifth inning to cap a multi-hit performance that also featured a run-scoring ground-rule double earlier in the contest. The 33-year-old franchise icon remains the top fantasy option at the hot corner after returning first-round fantasy value in each of the past two seasons. He’ll be a top 10 pick in all fantasy drafts this spring.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the deal is done, pending a physical. Meisel adds that the new agreement would add an additional four years and $106 million to Ramírez’s current contract and includes $70 million deferred. The 33-year-old fantasy superstar finished third in AL MVP Award balloting this past season. He’s recorded five consecutive 20-homer, 20-steal campaigns dating back to 2021. Cleveland’s franchise cornerstone has cleared 40 steals in consecutive seasons — a pace that’s unlikely to survive deep into his late 30’s — but his well-rounded game is built to age well, positioning him to remain an elite power-speed fantasy contributor even as the raw speed inevitably tapers. He’ll be the top third baseman off the board in all fantasy drafts this spring.

Judge received 17 of 30 first-place votes to narrowly edge Cal Raleigh in one of the most compelling MVP races in recent memory, capturing the award for the second straight season and third time in his career. The 33-year-old Yankees icon led the majors with 10.1 WAR (per FanGraphs) while slashing .331/.457/.688 with 53 homers and 114 RBI across 152 games. Raleigh garnered the remaining 13 first-place votes to finish as the runner-up after delivering one of the greatest offensive seasons ever by a catcher, launching a record-setting 60 homers over 159 contests. José Ramírez finished a distant third, just ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. in AL MVP Award balloting.

Judge takes home a silver slugger for the fifth time in his career. He joins Byron Buxton and Riley Greene in the outfield in taking home the award. The full list of winners: Cal Raleigh (C), Nick Kurtz (1B), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), José Ramírez (3B), Judge (OF), Buxton (OF) and Greene (OF) and George Springer (DH).

Judge and Raleigh headline one of the most compelling AL MVP races in recent memory, with both franchise cornerstones building hardware-worthy cases. Raleigh crushed a major league-leading 60 home runs, shattering nearly every single-season offensive record imaginable for a catcher. Meanwhile, Judge is aiming to capture the award for the third time in four years after eclipsing the 50-homer plateau once again and finishing with a major league-best .331/.457/.688 slash line. Ramírez remains one of the game’s most underappreciated superstars, earning a top-three finish in MVP voting for the fourth time in his 13-year career. The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 13.

Ramírez evened the score in the fourth inning as he lined a 3-2 offering from Jack Flaherty into right field to make it a 1-1 ballgame. He was then cut down attempting to steal second base. The 33-year-old superstar then reached on an error that allowed the Guardians to scratch closer with two runs in the eighth inning, but he was thrown out at second base trying to advance on a ball that got away from Will Vest. Ramírez will find himself squarely in the middle of the first round of fantasy drafts once again in 2026 after another unbelievably productive season.

Technically they clinched earlier in the day as the Tigers fell to the Red Sox, but it had to have felt better to earn their way there on their own after completing the biggest comeback in big-league history after trailing the Tigers by 15 and a half games in July. With his three stolen bases on Sunday, Ramírez finishes the season with a career-high 44 thefts. He had another MVP-caliber campaign, slashing .283/.360/.503 with 30 long balls and 85 RBI. The Guardians will host the Tigers in the Wild Card Series beginning on Tuesday in Cleveland.

Ramírez had his bat literally knocked out of his hands on the pitch before the big hit; he was trying to avoid an inside pitch, only to have it go off the knob of his bat, and the trembling bat wound up hitting catcher Dillon Dingler on the fly. Ramírez is up to 397 career doubles after this. He didn’t touch home plate tonight, so he’s still at 999 runs scored for his career.

It’s the fourth 30-homer season for Ramírez, who also finished with 29 twice. He’s now gone 30/40 in back-to-back seasons (30/30 three times), and he’s one run away from reaching the century mark for a fifth time. He won’t, however, be driving in 100 runs for the fifth time; he has 81 RBI right now, in large part because Guardians No. 2 hitters have batted .198 with a .258 OBP.