There’s never a shortage of content to consume about the New York Yankees.
Whether you want words or audio or video, it’s all out there to allow the Yankees’ fanbase to consider what their team is going to look like in the future, and what kind of decisions they might have to make to get there.
But one player’s name has flown pretty much undiscussed in the offseason so far: Heliot Ramos.
It would be wise not to forget about Ramos. He has the potential to be crucial to the Yankees’ future, even if no one is really talking about him.
Heliot Ramos Contract
The first point to make here is that Ramos is only heading into his first arbitration-eligible offseason. That means that he’s under club control for three more years.
Ramos won’t be a free agent until after the 2029 season.
That’s part of what made Ramos so appealing when the Yankees traded for him from the San Francisco Giants in the summer. Even if they didn’t have huge space for a Ramos role immediately, he’d have the chance to break through at some point during the life of his contract.
Heliot Ramos Role
The tough part is figuring out how Ramos fits into the whole picture.
The Yankees presumably won’t have Trent Grisham anymore after free agency, but they still have Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge and Spencer Jones. Ramos plays outfield, just like those three guys.
A first assumption would be that Judge could spend more time as the DH as he gets older — it might be the best way for the Yankees to keep his bat in the lineup. That would also allow Ramos to get more regular playing time.
Bellinger can also play first base, if that ever becomes needed, but it won’t be as long as Ben Rice is healthy.
Maybe Ramos can’t quite be an every-day player, but he should have a path to more time than he got after this season’s trade.
Heliot Ramos Talent
Yankees fans would’ve only seen up close that Ramos hit .198 in 38 games after coming to the Yankees.
But this is a guy who had a .736 OPS in parts of five seasons with the Giants. He twice hit more than 20 home runs in a season, and he’s got solid speed even though he doesn’t often use it to steal bases.
Ramos just turned 27 in September, too, so he’s far from being over-the-hill. He had an All-Star appearance while with the Giants, and while he may not be a star, he’s a really solid MLB player.
With an offseason to prepare for playing a full season for the Yankees, Ramos should be ready to contribute, and the Bronx could benefit from his talent even if he’s not the center of attention at the moment.
Heliot Ramos is Yankees’ Pivotal Forgotten Man