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Agent: Ramos still seeking 4-5 year contract

Charles LeClaire / Reuters

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.

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