Ramirez was fourth in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, with 138 points, behind Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Ryan Braun; this was remarkable for someone who played less than half a season in the NL. After the Dodgers lost in the playoffs, Ramirez, a free agent to be, was asked about his future. "Gas is up, and so am I", was his reply, indicating that he expected to be valued highly in the free agent market. After long and contentious negotiations that dragged into the start of spring training, Ramirez signed a two-year $45 million contract to remain with the Dodgers on March 4.