MIAMI -- As the news of shortstop Hanley Ramirez's six-year, $70 million deal becoming official trickled through the Marlins clubhouse before Saturday night's game with the Royals, Florida players were brimming with optimism for their star shortstop, the franchise -- and themselves.
"I'd just like to congratulate him, because he definitely deserves it," outfielder Cody Ross said. "I think he's the best player in the game right now, and he's worked hard to get to this position."
Ross's hope is that the Marlins, who came into Saturday's game tied for first in the National League East despite having lost four straight, can use the good news to create momentum.
"The way the organization is moving, it's exciting to sign him, and build around him -- and it's definitely a stepping stone, since it's the largest contract in club history," Ross said.
"It definitely gives everybody else hope that they're starting to build toward the future. Whether that's with guys up here, or guys down in the Minor Leagues, you never know what's going to happen. You think they'd like to keep this core group together, but nobody knows that. We were talking about it earlier that if you trade Miguel Cabrera, anybody's tradeable."
Second baseman Dan Uggla is excited that, through 2014, if he too remains a Marlin, he and Ramirez's up-the-middle double-play combination will remain intact.
"Everybody is excited for Hanley. It's a good move on the club's part," said Uggla, who has been on an offensive tear of late, hitting .400 with 10 home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 16 games. "Who knows what they're going to do with me -- or anybody else -- but obviously, they've made strides with Hanley, which leads you to believe that they're going to do that with a few more guys. But we have to wait and see. He's one of the best players in the game, and he makes me a lot better, so obviously I would love to play next to him for a long time."
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Ramirez, a five-tool player whose accolades include Rookie of the Year Award honors in 2006 and a franchise-record 125 runs scored in 2007, is maturing at a steady pace. Ramirez is already among the league leaders in most offensive categories this season.
"I don't think he needs to do any better," Gonzalez said. "He's not the type of guy that needs to steal 40 bases all the time or something. He's fine the way he is."
First baseman Mike Jacobs, along with Uggla, have played in the infield with Ramirez for the last three years. They played their rookie season together in 2006, and have gotten to know one another off the field as well as their playing styles.
"I think we've benefited this year, especially from playing together for the last three years and, hopefully, we can stay intact for a long time," Jacobs said. "There's a lot of guys here who are arbitration eligible, so we know what they like to do and don't like to do, so hopefully, [Ramirez's deal] is a sign of things to come."
Closer Kevin Gregg is in his second season with the Marlins, but is happy for the young man from the Dominican Republic who is normally securing the shortstop position when he takes the mound with the game on the line.
"He just got $70 million -- who wouldn't be happy for him?" Gregg said. "He's definitely one of the premier players in the game right now and he got what he worked for. The owner has committed some money to a player who obviously we can build around, which shows that we're moving forward in baseball and we think we can compete.
"He's been given this contract on how good he's been, but also on the potential of how good he's going to become."
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