The Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres discussed a trade involving third baseman Jose Ramirez before he agreed to a reported five-year, $124-million extension earlier this month, sources told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
While it is unknown how close a deal was or what the return might have been, a trade appeared increasingly possible as Ramirez and the Guardians struggled to work out a long-term deal before Opening Day.
The Padres and at least one other team - apparently the Toronto Blue Jays - intensified their pursuits of Ramirez as his contract talks stalled, but the 29-year-old wanted to stay in Cleveland so agreed to a below-market deal, Rosenthal reports.
Ramirez reportedly believes building a legacy with one team will give him a better chance of making the Hall of Fame.
The three-time All-Star has been one of MLB's top players since 2016, generating the third-most fWAR behind only Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, according to FanGraphs.
Ramirez has spent his entire 10-year career with Cleveland, slashing .279/.355/.502 with 164 home runs, 247 doubles, 545 RBIs, and 154 steals in 984 games.
