Heliot Ramos ‘proud’ to join Yankees following SF Giants trade

ARLINGTON, Texas — If Heliot Ramos’ All-Star appearance at this very ballpark two years ago didn’t cement his status as one of the Giants’ biggest recent homegrown success stories, then his second straight Opening Day start this year should have left little doubt.

Ramos became the franchise’s first left fielder to do so since Barry Bonds two decades earlier.

Just over four months later, Ramos looked at one of the televisions in the visitors’ clubhouse at Globe Life Park and couldn’t believe what he saw along with his name on the screen.

“My heart was beating hard,” Ramos said.

Just a little while later, hugs were being exchanged and the soon-to-be 27-year-old Puerto Rican had time to process his shocking — if not surprising — trade to the New York Yankees.

“If they traded for me, it’s because they want me,” Ramos said. “I’m very proud I’m with the Yankees at the end of the day. That’s an organization that as a kid, in Puerto Rico, everybody knows about and everybody wants to play for. So I’m happy for this new chapter.”

It would have been hard to imagine the Giants moving off Ramos when the season began. But his defense never fully recovered from a terrible 2025, and his offense never quite reached the heights that made him an All-Star in his first full season as an everyday player.

Ramos was 17 years old when the Giants drafted him 19th overall in 2017. Nine years and two presidents of baseball operations later, Buster Posey made him the second former first-round pick traded away this season, joining catcher Patrick Bailey, who was sent to Cleveland in May.

He had been their longest-tenured position player. Now, besides Logan Webb and injured infielder Casey Schmitt, the entire 26-man roster has been turned over since the end of 2023.

“Obviously I love the Giants,” he said. “It’s all I know. I’m very blessed that they … gave me the chance to be a big leaguer, gave me the chance to be who I am today. They’ve seen me grow, they’ve seen me become the person who I am today. It’s gonna obviously have a big place in my heart. At the end of the day, I’m very happy to be a New York Yankee.”

While Ramos was excited to be headed to a hotbed for Puerto Rican culture, he was more jazzed about the chance to team up with Aaron Judge, a prospect that never came to pass when the Yankees slugger spurned the Giants’ pursuit in free agency a few winters ago.

“I can’t wait to hear from Judge,” Ramos said. “He’s one of the best hitters this game has. I need all the tips I can get. [Giancarlo] Stanton, all those guys. It’s gonna be fun, for sure, talking to them and all that.”

In Puerto Rico, “everybody in Puerto Rico loves the Yankees,” said Ramos. He might have been the only Red Sox fan on the island. His older brother, Henry, was originally signed by Boston.

“I’m not gonna say who I was a fan of growing up,” Ramos said with his signature hearty laugh. “But I grew up watching [the Yankees], for sure.”

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Ramos’ name began surfacing in rumors leading up to Monday’s trade deadline as he represented the organization’s best chance to add premium talent in a firesale that saw five of his former teammates shipped elsewhere in four other deals.

The Yankees, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, were scouting him heavily.

Given the Giants’ glut of corner outfielders and DH types, plus Ramos’ value as an established right-handed hitter with power and three years of team control, he turned into a trade chip.

The Giants were thrilled with the two players they got in return.

Kaeden Kent, Jeff Kent’s son, was a player San Francisco targeted in last year’s draft before he went off the board with the 103rd pick. Manager Tony Vitello, who tried to pry him away from Texas A&M in the transfer portal, commended his work ethic instilled by a Hall-of-Fame father.

Kent, who is hitting .302 with a .792 OPS in High-A, has “a swing we really like,” Posey said.

The bigger prize was 22-year-old left-hander Henry LaLane, considered the Yankees’ No. 5 overall prospect by MLB.com, who Posey described as an “upside starting pitcher.”

LaLane, who stands 6-foot-7, recently joined Kent in High-A and has a 2.77 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts) with 98 strikeouts to 26 walks in 78 innings this year.

Giving away years of control didn’t scare off Posey if the price was right. He also shipped hard-throwing lefty reliever Erik Miller, who like Ramos won’t hit free agency until 2030, to the Red Sox for former top prospect Marcelo Mayer.

“Really just weighing the talent return against a couple of really good big leaguers,” Posey said.