DETROIT — Longtime big-league catcher Wilson Ramos signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Washington Nationals on Sunday and officially announced his retirement from baseball.
The 37-year-old played parts of 12 seasons with seven MLB teams, including a stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2021.
Ramos signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Tigers just before spring training and entered the season as the starting catcher. He hit six home runs in an eight-game stretch in April, but his production declined as he battled a back injury. With Jake Rogers and Eric Haase performing well, the Tigers released Ramos on June 15, 2021, rather than reinstate him from the injured list.
A native of Venezuela, Ramos debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 2010 and was traded to the Nationals later that year. He spent seven seasons in Washington and was named an All-Star in 2016.
He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays before the 2017 season and was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018. Over the next three seasons, Ramos batted .288 with a .785 OPS and 34 home runs in 1,095 plate appearances, excellent offensive numbers for a catcher.
But while Ramos earned high marks for his glove early in his career, defensive concerns grew as he aged.
That contributed to the Mets’ decision to decline a $10 million contract option for 2021 and instead pay him a $1.5 million buyout. The Tigers then added him as a free agent.
Ramos was in the news early in his career when he was kidnapped at gunpoint by abductors who later sought a ransom payment. Venezuelan commandos freed him on Nov. 11, 2011, a date that he had tattooed on his forearm.
After being released by the Tigers, Ramos signed with Cleveland, where he played in nine games. He played independent ball in 2023 and played in Venezuela as recently as last winter.
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