Charlie Blackmon agrees to surprising six-year $108M extension with Rockies
The Colorado Rockies didn’t wait until the offseason to cross the most pressing item off their to-do list. The team agreed to a six-year contract extension with star outfielder Charlie Blackmon on Wednesday. The deal is reportedly worth $108 million, according to NBC Sports.
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The move comes as a pretty big surprise, as the 31-year-old Blackmon was set to hit free agency at the end of the 2018 season. Instead, he’ll remain with the club that drafted and developed him.
Blackmon’s deal is structured in a way that keeps him in Colorado for at least four years and as many as six. He’ll make $12 million in 2018, with a $2 million signing bonus. That effectively replaces the $14 million Blackmon received in arbitration. Over the next three seasons, Blackmon will receive $21 million per year.
Following the 2021 season, Blackmon will have a $21 million player option. If he exercises that option, he’ll remain in Colorado. Following the 2022 season, he’ll have another player option worth $10 million, though that figure can increase based on his performance.
After one of the strangest free-agent periods in the history of the game, it’s impossible to predict what the market will look like after 2021. If things operate as normal, it seems likely Blackmon would exercise his first option, keeping him in Colorado for a fifth season. Blackmon would be 34 at that point, and $21 million is a lot of money for a player in his mid-30s. That was the case even before the most recent offseason completely ignored veteran players.
That $10 million option is a much bigger question. Based on all the variables involved, it’s impossible to predict whether Blackmon will stay in Colorado through the entirety of the six years on the extension.
Last season, Blackmon hit .331/.399/.601, with 37 home runs, for the Rockies. He finished fifth in the National League MVP voting.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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