TODAY: The Marlins officially announced Rojas’ extension.
OCTOBER 27: The Marlins are keeping their shortstop around for an extra season, agreeing to an extension with Miguel Rojas that’ll keep him under contract through 2023. Rojas, who had already locked in a $5.5MM salary for the 2022 season when he triggered a vesting option in September, is reportedly signing a two-year, $10MM deal.
It effectively amounts to the Marlins tacking on an additional year and $4.5MM for what will be Rojas’ age-34 season. The deal does not contain any option years. Rojas, who is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council, recently indicated in an appearance on Chris Rose’s podcast that an extension was in the works. He has previously voiced a desire to spend his entire career with the Marlins, and the front office has similarly expressed interest in keeping the clubhouse leader in Miami.
The 32-year-old Rojas saw his bat come back down closer to his career levels after a monster showing at the dish during the 2020 season. Typically a bit below-average with the bat but exceptional with the glove, Rojas erupted with a .304/.392/.496 showing last summer — albeit in a sample of just 143 plate appearances. That said, this year’s .265/.322/.392 showing in 539 trips to the plate was still a solid mark (97 wRC+), and if you take the last three seasons in the aggregate, Rojas has effectively been a league-average hitter.
League-average offense for a player of Rojas’ defensive aptitude is hardly anything to scoff at. Defensive Runs Saved pegged Rojas at plus-4 for the 2021 season and as a plus-20 defender in 4445 career innings at the position, while Rojas notched a 4.8 Ultimate Zone Rating in 2021 and carries a lifetime 28.5 mark in that regard. Statcast’s Outs Above Average is less bullish on his glovework but pegs him as at least an average defender over the past several seasons. Rojas also has ample experience at second base and third base in his career, so he could eventually slide into a utility role — although all current indications are that he’ll reprise his role as starting shortstop in 2022.
A Rojas extension gets some offseason business out of the way early for the Marlins and locks in a bargain source of cost certainty for the 2023 campaign. That’s likely quite notable for the Fish, who are angling to spend some money in free agency this winter but will surely be operating with some degree of financial constraints. CEO Derek Jeter has voiced an expectation that the Marlins will be “pretty active” for the first time under this ownership group.
Time will tell how that vague description from Jeter is defined relative to other “active” teams in free agency. The Marlins are expected to seek long-term options at catcher and in center field, and they could certainly be in the mix for a corner outfielder to pair with promising young Jesus Sanchez. At the moment, Rojas and right-hander Anthony Bass ($3MM) are the only players on guaranteed contracts in 2022. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects an arbitration class in the vicinity of $34.5MM, and Miami will still owe $3MM to the Yankees under the terms of the Giancarlo Stanton trade.
With a projected payroll in the $55-56MM range, there does appear to be room to add — the question is just how high the Jeter/Bruce Sherman ownership group is willing to push payroll. Presumably, they’ll look for a gradual year-over-year increase rather than soaring to their max budget right out of the gates. However they proceed, they can now do so with the certainty that their ostensible team captain is under control for an extra season.
Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald first reported the Marlins and Rojas were in agreement on an extension. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported it was a two-year, $10MM deal. Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that the contract did not contain any options.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Who is going to sign Correa now?
Some team will slum it…..
Gotta be Detroit right?
Hoping it won’t be. I am still thinking that Hinch won’t be all that welcoming to someone who got Hinch suspended. That he played for Hinch before is more of a reason Correa won’t be a good fit in Detroit.
How did Correa get Hinch fired exactly?
It was Beltran and Cora fault
If Hinch knew nothing about what was happening, Manfred wouldn’t have suspended him for a year.
“I felt that, with what came out of the report, they both had responsibility,” Crane said. “Jeff running the baseball operation and overseeing AJ and all of those people associated with that. And AJ, on the bench and was aware, if you read the report, it’s pretty clear. AJ didn’t endorse this, and neither did Jeff. Neither one of them started this, but neither one of them did anything about it. And that’s how we came to the conclusion.”
10 year, 341 to the Mets.
Thank god. I thought they would go after Correa
Right! The last thing the Marlins need is a mega contract on the books. They’d just surround him with rookies and mediocrity and hope for the best.
He wouldn’t care, he already got his ring and would get paid big dollars in another tax friendly state like Texas and gets to live in Miami. Wins all around.
Who says that they won’t still go after Correa? They can move Rojas around the diamond and Anderson, although GG caliber, can also play corner OF.
I personally don’t see the Marlins going completely in on Correa. I see the Marlins waiting to see what bargain can be had at the bottom of the SS musical chairs market when the seats in the big markets run out. I’m seeing Semien or Story. However, if they go big, Correa is the guy due to age and where the Marlins are at.
De la única forma que le doy extensión es si sale bien barato pq el tipo no tiene poder, no impulsa, no es robador de bases, su obp no es la gran cosa.
Los Marlins necesitan bateo y hay jugadores baratos y que equipos no quieren o no pueden darle juego y que le caerían bien y mejorarian el equipo.
I agree.
I’m not sure…
¿Por qué?
Raul tienes razón. Espero que Jeter y Sherman habren la billetera y contraten a mejores jugadores para complementar el este equipo.
No hay excusas en no hacerlo.
Este es un buen fichaje, es bueno defensivamente y es respetado por todo el equipo. Definitivamente necesitan ofensiva y tienen que encontrar algo, pero tener a Miguel cerca es algo bueno.
$5 million a year for one player? Wow….. they capped out their budget already. What a joke of a franchise.
So you’re saying they shouldn’t take this team friendly deal? Doubt that $5MM is going to add anything better to the team than a solid, but unspectacular, starting SS.
Who’s your squad? As far as I’m concerned, Marlins still have two World Series under their belt within the last 25 years. More than most teams in the Major Leagues. Yes they were under terrible ownership with Loria, but I feel like the new regime is doing a good job so far. Clearly have the best young pitching, now need to surround that with a couple impact bats to become contenders.
How does Kim Ng like her coffee? How about Jeter? I ask because obviously you work for the front office
Or maybe he’s an optimistic fan…
I’m stating facts that are obvious to even the most casual viewers of baseball. How does that equate to your conclusion that I work for the front office? Odd.
Yeah that’s a stretch huh?
How are you stating facts?
“they were under terrible ownership with Loria” – Opinion
“I feel like the new regime is doing a good job so far” – Opinion
“Clearly have the best young pitching,” – Opinion
“need to surround that with a couple impact bats to become contenders” – Opinion
Some of those are opinions I happen to agree with, but none of them are factual statements.
Ranger – reminder that the rangers had a worse record than the Marlins this year 😉
Hiflew – point taken but… didn’t expect my comment to be critiqued. I thought this was a comment section related to baseball?
It is. It is also a comment section related to other comments in the comment section. I was just replying to your comment critiquing someone else’s comment.
Nothing personal, just calling it as I see it.
Maybe those weren’t “facts”, but they are popularly held opinions, some of them bordering on consensus opinions. Jmho.
@hiflew Loria has ruined not one, but two MLB teams as an owner. The only person who thinks his ownership wasn’t terrible is Jeff Loria himself. Maybe it is technically an opinion, but so is saying that Hitler was a pretty bad guy. You could call any statement based on general consensus an opinion if you want to nitpick so much. Pretty much everything stretch said can be supported by solid factual evidence.
I was agreeing with you while using your name lol
But yeah the Rangers did have a bad record. They had the highest attendance though, and that will continue to go up over the next few years as they win more and more. They have plenty of payroll space to add additions over the next 1-3 years as well.
They weren’t replying to you
This is a good deal. Marlins have some good young pitchers but their ownership needs to step up to the plate and start spending more money.
Fire Mattingly
No other team would tolerate his poor managing
Yeah, Mattingly making the playoffs during Covid infections makes him a bad manager. Also, I guess it was Mattingly’s fault that the front office got him a garbage bullpen.
So glad Anthony Bass is signed next year; best player on the Marlins team!
Where is Marlins Fan Base?
Why doesn’t he post about his favorite team and not troll Mets threads.
Bass was actually very good in any inning that was not the 9th. I understand as I hated the guy too but his ERA in the 7th and 8th was around 2.60 so as long as they put him in the right place he can help the team. The problem is Mattingly is awful and will probably try him in the 9th several times come April.
@ludafish
The right role for Bass is when the Marlins are already down by 10 runs.
@Canosucks
Welcome back.
I’m here. Not happy that Bass is signed for another year. Maybe we can trade him to the Mets for Cano…wait…we’re not that stupid.
Fire Mattingly . Go win some ballgames .
and then people will start paying attention
I wish. I get they like not having the revolving door and all, but this season I questioned many moves… He never has been able to manage a bullpen. He seems to pick a couple guys that he relies on no matter what while other more talented players get random sparse playing time. They can definitely benefit from a coach who uses some analytics.
Let’s give Mattingly a chance without Anthony Bass in the bullpen. Any manager that has Bass in the bullpen would have struggled this year.
“spend his entire career with the Marlins”
Hey Miguel, do you not remember playing for the Dodgers?
A $5MM AAV on a two year commitment for a SS worth 2.5 rWAR in 2021 is certainly preferable to a $34MM AAV on a ten year commitment for a SS worth 3.0 rWAR in 2021.
Yeah, Rojas is way better than having Carlos Correa (sarcasm)
You can have your guys with rWar I’ll take the guys who win
I think it’s cool he’s so vocal about staying there. Not many people want to stay with a perennially losing team. Lordd99, I couldn’t agree with you more.
Also, nobody truly knows how good a Correa’s offense really is, outside of cheating. It’s hard to rely on his numbers if you’re the owner of another team and getting ready to spend $34m for ten years, or whatever.
Such a small thing that’s always ate at me on here… why don’t the writers just write “+4 runs saved” instead of “plus-4 runs saved”…. Just use the signs “-“ and “+” for the stats that require a sign. Sorry, the Larry David in me questioning society norms lol… if a reader can’t figure that out that’s on them, or you writer!! Ahaha
Agree Creacher
Max Kepler is likely going to be a target. The Twins need pitching, and Kepler is a low cost controllable player who had an off year. The Twins have depth at the corners position with Kiriloff and Lamarch and need pitching.
You heard it here first.
Jeff Brigham is now available
Terrific extension!
Love Miggy Ro!