Despite tearing the ACL in his right knee for the second time in five years this past September, Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is still hoping to cash in on a long-term deal as a free agent during the offseason.
The 29-year-old backstop's agent, Wil Polidor, told Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post his client is seeking a four-to-five year contract.
Ramos' rehab is expected to take six-to-eight months, which puts him somewhere in the April-June range for a return, so if a club were to sign him long term, they'd do it knowing he'd be unavailable for a big chunk of next season.
The Venezuelan reportedly declined a three-year, $30-million offer from the Nationals last August, but he may be able to secure a $17.2-million qualifying offer from them this winter if he's unable to find the long-term deal he's seeking.
Even with the injury and potential long layoff to begin next season, the 2016 All-Star remains the top catcher available in a slim offseason market for backstops, which also includes Matt Wieters and Jason Castro.
Ramos posted career-best numbers in home runs (22), RBIs (80), doubles (25), batting average (.304), and OPS (.850) for the National League East champions in 2016.
He made $5.35 million last season.