The Diamondbacks are in the midst of negotiating a long-term contract with Paul Goldschmidt's representatives at SFX, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
Goldschmidt, 25, has established himself as one of the game's most impressive young first basemen over the course of his first 193 games. He batted .286/.359/.490 in 2012 with 20 homers and 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Goldschmidt's case would be fairly unique, as he is currently under control through the 2017 season and two years away from arbitration eligibility.
As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, no first basemen have signed long-term deals with between one and two years of service time, though several hitters have done so. Interestingly enough, Goldschmidt's former teammate, Chris Young, inked a five-year, $28MM extension with the exact same amount of service time that Goldschmidt currently has — one year, 59 days.
If the two sides are indeed in the midst of negotiations, it would signal a change in Goldschmidt's attitude. Just over a month ago, GM Kevin Towers told reporters that he approached Goldschmidt about a long-term deal, but was rebuffed as the first baseman wanted to hold off on that discussion.
An extension for Goldschmidt would be the fifth such contract issued by the Diamondbacks this offseason. To date, the team has extended Aaron Hill (three years, $35MM), Martin Prado (four years, $40MM), Cliff Pennington (two years, $5MM) and J.J. Putz (one year, $7MM).
