When signing players to long-term deals, teams are forced to look many years into the future. Let's take a look at which player is locked up the longest for each club (guaranteed salaries only).
- Angels: Vernon Wells, paid $21MM in 2014.
- Astros: Wandy Rodriguez, paid $13MM in 2013.
- Athletics: Trevor Cahill, paid $12MM in 2015.
- Blue Jays: Jose Bautista, paid $14MM in 2015. Ricky Romero, paid $7.5MM in 2015.
- Braves: Dan Uggla, paid $13MM in 2015.
- Brewers: Ryan Braun, paid $12MM in 2015.
- Cardinals: Matt Holliday, paid $17MM in 2016.
- Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, paid $18MM in 2014.
- Diamondbacks: Justin Upton, paid $14.5MM in 2015.
- Dodgers: Chad Billingsley, paid $12MM in 2014.
- Giants: Barry Zito, paid $20MM in 2013.
- Indians: Travis Hafner, paid $13MM in 2012.
- Mariners: Felix Hernandez, paid $20MM in 2014.
- Marlins: Hanley Ramirez, paid $16MM in 2014.
- Mets: Johan Santana, paid $25.5MM in 2013. Jason Bay, paid $16MM in 2013.
- Nationals: Jayson Werth, paid $21MM in 2017.
- Orioles: Nick Markakis, paid $15MM in 2014.
- Padres: Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson, paid $5.5MM in 2012.
- Phillies: Ryan Howard, paid $25MM in 2016.
- Pirates: Kevin Correia, paid $3MM in 2012. Matt Diaz, paid $2MM in 2012.
- Rangers: Adrian Beltre, paid $18MM in 2015.
- Rays: Wade Davis, paid $4.8MM in 2014.
- Reds: Jay Bruce, paid $12.5MM in 2016.
- Red Sox: Adrian Gonzalez, paid $21.5MM in 2018.
- Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki, paid $14MM in 2020.
- Royals: Billy Butler, paid $8MM in 2014.
- Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, paid $22MM in 2015.
- Twins: Joe Mauer, paid $23MM in 2018.
- White Sox: Alexei Ramirez, paid $10MM in 2015.
- Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, paid $20MM in 2017.
The Rockies have the last player under contract at the moment, with Tulowitzki's deal running through the 2020 season (and there's a club option for 2021). Meanwhile the future is wide open for the Pirates, who are committed to just $5MM in 2012 salaries and nothing beyond next year.
Oh Vernon. Here’s to many more headaches.
Yeah, but what are the Pirates going to do with that flexibility? Nothing.
I take it Vernon’s contract is front loaded? He’s the 2nd highest paid player this year at $26 million and he’s gonna make $21 million in 2014? Also Troy Tulo @ $14 million in 2020 is a steal.
I agree 100% on your Tulo comment. $14MM in 2020 when Ryan Howard is getting $25M 4 years earlier is insane.
half-baked analysis. the rockies had to guarantee $160M over 10 seasons in order to secure the $14M pricetag in 2020. the howard contract is awful, but they didn’t have to do that
also, the price is actually $18M unless the rockies pick up his 2021 option for $15M
I think it might be a little early to judge this 10 year contract. Tulo is garaunteed 100MM from 2015-2019. The 14MM tacked on for the last garaunteed year means nothing.
Assuming he doesn’t get hurt ala Utley
Wells contract was set up with him making $0.5M in 2008 (+8.5M signing bonus), $1.5M in 2009 (+8.5 again), 12.5 in 2010 (again, + $8.5), 23M in 2011, and then 21M in 2012-2014 with an opt out after 2011 (which he obviously wouldn’t use).
The $26M figure is his $23M salary + the amortized portion of his $25.5M signing bonus ($3.64M per year). So his 2011 salary is listed as 26.64M, but he’s really making “only” 23M.
Front loaded contracts are so much better for both sides if the players are 28 or older. The players get their money right away and when they start to age and their production starts to go down the salary does as well. I hear the players union doesn’t like that though.
Ryan Braun’s looks the best out of the bunch.
Zito’s still the worst 🙁
Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki, paid $14MM in 2020.
Still can’t get over this.. this has the potential to be the best contract in all of sports… by 2020 utiliity players could command 14 million
could be. but imagine if the boston had guaranteed garciaparra — who was a better player at the time than tulo is now — that level of cash for that kind of term in 1999 or 2000. that gives you an idea of the level of risk involved
absolutely huge high risk/high reward situation.
It could be a steal, but it could also be a geeeze this guy is always hurt and we have 4 more years of this crap?
All you have to do really is look at the Helton deal. He really isn’t worth is contract anymore but was a beast! So Tulo could be the same. I hope he isn’t, but he could be.
Teams are more conscious of positional wear on a player. If Tolu starts to wear out, they can move him to third or the OF.
I don’t know that we will all be thinking Tulo is a steal in 2010 at $14m.
When you do a contract like this you are trying to keep the player under team control during his peak seasons at a reasonable rate. I’m sure that the team is prepared to write off a chunk of the back-end of that contract. Pretty reasonable to assume that there will be injuries/regression by the time 2020 rolls around.
Ouch on Wells, Zito, Bay, Santana and Howard.
sabean is going to try to one-up the tulo deal by signing tejada through 2041
Let me preface this with although I am a White Sox fan, I do like Mauer and wish him many healthy playing years, but if he moves from the catcher spot to a corner OF position or DH/1B rotation with Morneau, his contract really stops being a good one. $23 million in 2018 could really hurt. (This is all based off his “tired” legs, if his current DL stint leads to a more prolonged injury worry.)
Would be interesting to know when these deals were signed, as well.
The Pirates can flex some financial muscles this upcoming offseason. I think the Bucs should lock up Andrew McCutchen long-term, with an eye on doing the same to Jose Tabata in the next year or two. The Pirates have a dire need for power (they have very little in their farm system), no long-term solutions for 1B, SS, and RF, and will have trouble finding room on their 40-man roster for some of their prospects. I think next offseason will be the right time for the Pirates to deal some of their prospects in exchange for some players that can fill the aforementioned positions and be under team control for at least the next three seasons.