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We’ve been talking about it for months. But today, Jeff Passan made it official: Julio is ours and you can’t have him for at least a decade.
BREAKING: Star rookie Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a massive long-term contract extension, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2022
Details are scant at this point, but Jeff and Jesse Sanchez give some insight:
The structure of Julio Rodriguez's massive extension is very complicated, but the topline details, sources tell ESPN: $210 million guaranteed over 14 years with the ability to grow to well over $400M. Includes player and team options.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2022
The great @JesseSanchezMLB was on the deal.
Source: Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez is finalizing a deal with the Mariners. The deal is expected to guarantee him more than $200 million with the possibility earning him as much as $450 million plus.
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) August 26, 2022
Julio wouldn’t have hit free agency until the 2028 season, so five of these years aren’t true “free market value”. My guess, as published on Twitter, is that those years are valued at something like $70m total, and free agency years are in the realm of $25-35m annually. It is possible that this deal stretches beyond 2036 and into the 20-year range, which would make Julio the longest-tenured member of the Seattle Mariners in the franchise’s history.
Once we have more details, we’ll publish an in-depth breakdown here. But for now, take solace in the fact that Julio Rodríguez, wünderkind superstar, is a Mariner for the rest of this decade. We are all so lucky.
UPDATE: Per Jeff Passan in a Twitter thread, some more clarifications, which we’re whipping up into a flow chart for you momentarily. The deal appears broken into team options that would allow for a minimum of eight years (albeit extremely unlikely) and a maximum of 18 years through a team option.
The base of the deal is for eight years and $120 million. It includes this season and runs through 2029. After 2028, the Mariners must decide whether to pick up a club option. The size and length of that depends on Rodriguez’s performance in MVP voting.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2022
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