Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriguez: A rookie with extravagant contract extension

The Mariners intend to keep their great rookie in Seattle for a considerable amount of time. The Mariners have signed AL Rookie of the Year front-runner Julio Rodriguez to a mammoth extension that could eventually total $470 million, making it the richest contract in MLB history. The agreement may possibly last for up to 18 years, which would make it the most extended contract in MLB history.

Rodriguez was regarded as one of baseball’s top prospects going into the season, and he has lived up to the hype. With 20 home runs, he leads all rookie batters, and he has 23 stolen bases, two less than Bobby Witt Jr. Oscar Gonzalez of the Guardians and Adley Rutschman of the Orioles are ahead of him in the American League rookie rankings. 799 OPS and 3.5 fWAR, respectively, respectively, according to Fangraphs.

Rodriguez also put in a strong performance at the 2022 Home Run Derby, finishing a thrilling second to Juan Soto.

Rodriguez signs the contract, becoming the most recent amateur to do so in order to remain with the organization where he started his career.

Contract information for Julio Rodriguez

There are many perks and alternatives in this contract that have the potential to significantly alter it.
According to Kramer, the contract could be for as few as eight years or as long as 18, depending on the player and team options.

The actual deal lasts only eight years, from 2022 to 2029, with an initial payment of $120 million. Based on Rodriguez’s standing in the MVP voting, the first club option is for eight or ten years and is worth between $200 million and $350 million. That may raise the total to $470 million, surpassing Mike Trout’s 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Angels.

Rodriguez has a player option for five years and $90 million if the Mariners choose not to exercise it. He could do so if neither the player options nor the club options are exercised.

The Mariners have recently awarded a number of significant extensions and contracts, but none as significant as the one offered to Rodriguez. They agreed to a five-year, $115 million contract with free agent and current AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray over the offseason. Additionally, they recently extended contracts with promising players, including J.P. Crawford, Evan White, and Marco Gonzales; Crawford’s five-year, $51 million agreement was the largest of the three offers.

This agreement marks a significant compensation increase for Rodriguez. When he placed second in the Home Run Derby and received a prize of $750,000, he more than doubled his 2022 income from his rookie season salary of just $700,000.

Until the 2028 season, when he would be in his final year of arbitration, Rodriguez was under the team’s control. Now, when he turns 36 and becomes a free agent in 2037, he won’t be available.

Similar Agreements

Julio Rodriguez’s contract is part of a current trend where teams are signing young stars to enormous long-term contracts early in their careers to prevent them from entering the market during their primes and incurring significant fees.

When the Rays signed Wander Franco to an 11-year, $185 million contract in November of last year, they made sure their former No. 1 overall prospect would remain in Tampa Bay until 2034, when he will be 33 years old. It was the most recent agreement of this kind to be completed.

Here are a few more players who signed contracts at the beginning of their MLB careers:

Player Team Year signed Years Dollars MLB games played
Tim Anderson White Sox 2017 6 $25 million 99
Paul DeJong Cardinals 2018 6 $26 million 108
Scott Kingery Phillies 2018 6 $24 million 0
Ozzie Albies Braves 2019 7 $35 million 226
Eloy Jimenez White Sox 2019 6 $43 million 0
Ronald Acuna Jr. Braves 2019 8 $100 million 115
Evan White Mariners 2019 6 $55 million 0
Luis Robert White Sox 2020 6 $50 million 0
Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres 2021 14 $340 million 143
Wander Franco Rays 2021 11 $185 million 70

The teams have a clear incentive to sign players to these contracts before the deadline. They are guaranteed to maintain control of superstars during their prime years without having to be concerned about losing them to free agency or having to spend even more as they continue to make a name for themselves in the major leagues.

For the players, it guarantees a significant wage raise over the rookie contracts they have previously agreed to and serves as a sort of insurance in the event of injury or deteriorating performance. Some of the aforementioned contracts appear to be good buys because players like Tim Anderson, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Luis Robert have given their clubs a lot of value on cheap contracts. While DeJong has struggled to recapture his rookie form and Scott Kingery has only a.454 OPS in 52 games over the past three seasons, others, like Paul DeJong and Scott Kingery, have turned early career hoopla into substantial paychecks.

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