Report: Jays talked to Guardians about trading for Ramirez to play 2B

The Toronto Blue Jays discussed a trade with the Cleveland Guardians for third baseman Jose Ramirez with the idea of playing the three-time All-Star at second base, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

There are also other teams interested in trading for Ramirez, but it's unlikely that he'll be dealt, according to Rosenthal.

Ramirez, who's under contract for 2022 at $12 million and has a $14-million club option for 2023, logged 145 games at second over his nine-year career. The 29-year-old finished as an AL MVP finalist in three of the last five seasons.

A comparable to what the Guardians might be looking for is the Matt Olson trade between the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves. The A's got former top prospect Cristian Pache, current top catching prospect Shea Langeliers, and pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes. Olson had two years of team control remaining at the time of the deal but signed a long-term extension Tuesday.

The Blue Jays already acquired Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman from Oakland on Wednesday. Toronto shipped out infielder Kevin Smith and pitchers Gunnar Hoglund, Zach Logue, and Kirby Snead in the trade.