The Mariners and Julio Rodriguez, their rookie superstar, have reached an enormous contract extension that may keep the 21-year-old Dominican outfielder in Seattle until 2036, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez on Friday. The contract may be worth up to $470 million, which would make it the single-largest deal in MLB history in terms of overall value, depending on opt-outs and certain escalators.
It’s a major deal, a no-brainer, and a historic occasion for a franchise that has skipped the previous 20 Octobers. With this agreement, potential turns into actuality, the rosy future turns into a livable present, and the Mariners secure a generational player for future generations.
Julio Rodriguez possesses all the qualities you look for in a franchise player, including tremendous talent, a love for the game, the desire to keep getting better, unwavering delight, respect among teammates, a ton of charm, and a radiant smile that could brighten even the darkest Seattle day. He is the absolute ideal, the truth, and the face of the game. He is the kind of baseball player to whom you can write a blank check and, more crucially, the kind of person with whom you can fall in love as a supporter.
His energy is limitless, his charm contagious, and he exudes a distinctly innocent air. People who are close to the Mariners have joked that they find it hard to believe he is real. A decent guy with mountains of talent? Impossible! Is this thing on?
Although he is real. The future is now even more so.
As with every significant contract deal, there is undoubtedly some risk for the Mariners. Giving a guy a $210 million guarantee only 108 games into his MLB career is a risky bet that what we’ve seen so far is a sign of things to come. However, it’s a risk worth taking. The alternative is too dangerous and unpleasant to even contemplate.
Ask the Washington Nationals, please.
Before it was too late, the Nats didn’t take Soto’s request for an extension seriously. Soto appeared to change overnight from a promising rookie to one of the best young batters we had ever seen. The generational Dominican superstar outfielder’s worth increased as expected, flying well past Washington’s desired price range. The Padres now have Juan Soto.
It’s straightforward: Whenever a prospective “Forever Player” knocks on your door, you allow him in and don’t let him go.
Fernando Tatis Jr. himself is testimony of this, with his subluxated shoulder, motorbike accident, and PED suspension, among other things. Prior to the 2021 season, “El Nio” inked his own colossal extension, which he promptly justified with a third-place MVP result. Tatis is still a baller, despite the fact that his reputation, fame, and legacy have all unquestionably suffered as a result of recent events. Tatis will probably continue to play at or near an elite level in 2023 and beyond, despite everything that has horribly gone wrong for him and the Padres in 2022. He will be doing it in San Diego.
Which team would you choose to be on? The group that signed a contract extension and has through a great deal of hardship and heartbreak this year, but yet has a promising future? Or the squad that is forced to watch its adored superstar — the person who fans believed would one day have a curly W logo permanently inscribed in bronze in upstate New York — frolic in someone else’s dirty laundry?
In other words, it’s preferable to have offered a significant extension and lost than to have never managed to secure agreement on one.
Julio skyrocketing into “baseball player that everyone refers to by just their first name” status only four months into his MLB career.
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 27, 2022
Rodrguez’s inaugural season has been a resounding success in every manner, heralding the inevitable crowning of a top talent headed for superstardom. He has a slash line of.269/.328/.471 through 108 games, which results in a 132 OPS+ (32% higher than league average) and a 4.3 bWAR. He is the youngest Mariner to do it since A-Rod, having hit 20 home runs and stealing 23 bases.
Although he lost to Juan Soto in the Home Run Derby finals, Rodrguez, the lone rookie selected to the All-Star Game, won the night by establishing himself as a prominent figure in baseball.
That was just the start.
Although the contract itself is incredibly intricate, let’s take a closer look. According to reports, the Mariners will need to decide whether to exercise an option on Rodrguez after the 2028 season. The size and duration of the option (eight or 10 years) would rely on how he places in the MVP voting. If the Mariners decide against that option, Rodrguez will have two options: 1) he can choose to leave the contract and sign a free agency contract, or 2) he can activate a five-year, $90 million extension that runs until 2032.
This building serves as a compromise lesson. If Rodriguez fulfills the prediction, he will be paid accordingly, becoming the highest-paid athlete in the lengthy history of the sport. He has $210 million and ten years of insurance to fall back on if any injuries or irregularities arise.
THREAD: There’s a lot to digest on Julio Rodríguez’s extension with Seattle, per ESPN sources. The deal could be for 8, 13, 16 or 18 years. It guarantees Rodriguez $210 million. If it maxes out, it will be the largest ever: $470 million. The details are important. Here they are.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2022
There is almost no scenario in which the Mariners would exercise their option, allowing Rodriguez to explore his marketability. If he’s good, he’ll spend his entire career in Seattle; if he’s not, he’ll spend the majority of it there. Although there is a lot of legalese involved, Julio should have no trouble buying a home in the Pacific Northwest.
Today, no Mariners supporter is anxious. Nobody who enjoys baseball in Seattle should be concerned about where ownership’s funds may end up in 2034. In this ridiculous competition, supporting a team means being able to root for the players you like and enjoying it when they win. The Mariners are achieving both of those goals by extending Julio.
Fans of M have already heard it all before. With no apparent sparkling silverware, they have witnessed the rise and fall of stars. True sports legends Edgar, Griffey Jr., the Big Unit, Ichiro, and King Félix spent the majority of their careers in Seattle, winning over the support of the community but never leading the team to a World Series. Ask Seattle’s divisional rivals in Anaheim; superstardom does not ensure victory in October.
Rodrguez is still only a small component of the puzzle. He will need to continue to be the center of the Mariners’ strategy. Despite Rodriguez’s best efforts, one guy cannot carry a whole club in this game of basketball. However, building a squad is a lot simpler when you know who will play third base and center field through 2036. Whether or not the unknowns are resolved, you will be able to visit T-Mobile Park and watch Julio Rodriguez make you gasp for the next 14 years.
It’s difficult to be critical of it.
Jake Mintz is a baseball reporter for FOX Sports and the more boisterous half of @CespedesBBQ. He spends much of October alone because he is an Orioles fan who lives in New York City. He almost likely rides his bike when he’s not watching baseball. Follow him on Twitter by typing in @Jake Mintz.
