7. Wilson Ramos
Wilson Ramos appeared set to cash in during free agency after the 2016 season, but a torn ACL changed that. This year, he is ready to get that awaited payday.
Ramos became quite the coveted player at the trade deadline after working his way back to health with the Rays. He continued his strong performance with the Phillies, relegating Jorge Alfaro to a backup role. That late season swoon, and their fall from the postseason picture, were not Ramos’ fault.
In fact, as he headed into free agency once again, Ramos had the best season of his career. Between his time with the Rays and Phillies, Ramos posted a .306/.358/.487 batting line, hitting 15 homers and 22 doubles. If there was ever any question as to whether or not he was healthy, Ramos even legged out his second career triple last year.
If a team is looking for an offensive upgrade behind the plate, Ramos would be exactly that. He was one of the best producing catchers with the bat, producing a 130 OPS+. Ramos was also respectable defensively, with his 29% caught stealing rate slightly above average. He may not be a Gold Glove caliber catcher, but Ramos is not likely to embarrass himself behind the plate either.
Wilson Ramos is set to get that large payday he had envisioned. It is just coming two years later than expected.