A “Good Friday” for Contract Extensions
The day started off like any other in the MLB world, teams were settling in after Grapefruit and Cactus League games ended, Opening Day was right around the corner and then one tweet from Buster Olney sent us into a frenzy.
Hearing rumblings of major news… More to come.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 29, 2013
What did it mean? Was the Biogenesis investigation over? Did another player get busted for performance-enhancing drugs? A blockbuster trade? JUST TELL US BUSTER!
The suspension fears were alleviated when Tigers ace Justin Verlander followed by tweeting.
Today is going to be a great day. Big news coming!
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) March 29, 2013
Big news certainly did come starting with the 2011 American League MVP. The Tigers signed Verlander to a new contract worth seven years and $180 million, with a vesting option for an eighth year that would make Verlander the first ever $200 million pitcher. He will make the same $20 million for the next two seasons and then get bumped up to $28 million for each season from 2015-2019. The deal makes Verlander the highest paid pitcher in MLB history, surpassing the $175 million given to Felix Hernandez this offseason.
We weren’t done with just one MVP getting copious amounts of money. The Giants got in on the action handing defending N.L. MVP Buster Posey a nine-year contract worth $167 million. It is the longest and richest contract in the history of the San Francisco Giants. The deal ensures that Posey will be a Giant into the next decade, there is a team option for the 2022 season with a $3 million buyout and includes a no-trade clause. The deal is also the 2nd largest ever for a backstop, just behind Joe Mauer’s eight-year $184 million deal he received from the Twins in 2010. When you lead a team to two World Series titles and an MVP award in your first three seasons, you deserve to be the highest paid player with less than four years of service time in MLB history.
Lost in the shuffle of the Verlander and Posey deals is a savvy five-year, $32 million contract for up-and-coming first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt will stay in the desert through 2017, with a club option of $14.5 million for 2018. Arizona has looked to lock up it’s current talent with Goldschmidt, Miguel Montero, Martin Prado, and Aaron Hill all signed long-term. He broke out in 2012 with 20 home runs and a .286 batting average. The extension will keep Goldschmidt around until he’s at least thirty years old.
Some guy named Tony Romo got a $100+ million extension too, but ain’t nobody got time for that.
-Bryan Mapes (@IAmMapes)
Three Up, Three Down 