Arenado deal reverberates from coast to coast
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — So, how do you celebrate when you hit the jackpot, and find out you’re suddenly going to be paid $260 million over the next eight years of your life?
If you’re Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, you sit on a couch in your apartment Tuesday evening with your brother and cousin, watching YouTube videos of players who were All-Stars past the age of 30. He analyzed the swings of Scott Rolen, Chase Utley, Adrian Gonzales, Adrian Beltre and Jeff Kent while eating sushi. He ended the night by watching all of Giancarlo Stanton’s 59 homers from two years ago. And was in bed by 10 p.m.
He arrived at the Colorado Rockies’ complex at 7:20 in the morning Wednesday, was working out five minutes later, with the only annoyance that his routine was interrupted for nearly an hour by sitting behind the dais officially announcing the deal. It’s technically a seven-year, $234 million extension since he already agreed to a $26 million contract for this 2019 season, making it an annual average salary of $33.3 million, the most by a position player in history.
“I don’t want to follow anybody’s lead,’’ Arenado said. “I was not trying to compare myself to anyone else. I was just following my heart.
“I couldn’t be happier to hopefully spend the rest of my career in Denver.’’
Certainly, there are ripple effects from Arenado’s contract, extending everywhere from New York to Los Angeles to Chicago.
The Yankees watched Manny Machado sign a 10-year, $300 million contract with San Diego, and suddenly now can’t turn to Arenado. The Dodgers, who may have been looking forward to bringing the Orange County native home in 2020, suddenly are focusing their attention on free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper. The Cubs now know the hefty price of business if they engage in contract extension talks with Kris Bryant, with Bryant thrilled to see two third basemen (Machado and Arendado) pull in $560 million in the last week.
Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, a free agent after the season, became a whole lot more valuable. Agent Scott Boras surely now will be demanding at least $335 million for Harper’s free-agent contract, while also insisting on an opt-out clause after the 2021 season. Oh, and that 2019 freeagent class just got a whole lot weaker, perhaps freeing up more money for the likes of pitchers Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, along with infielders Paul Goldschmidt, Xander Bogaerts and Didi Gregorius.
There’s a new gold standard for contracts, and Machado just set the bar for every team and player to see.
“For now,’’ said agent Joel Wolfe. “Harper should get more. We’re expecting that. I’m sure they’re looking at some combination of Stanton, Machado, Nolan. I hope he gets a tremendous deal. I hope he sets a new record. I think it would be great for the players and great for the health of the game.
“But we both agreed we weren’t going to let that noise seep into our negotiations. It was just about Nolan and the Rockies. This is what Nolan wanted. This is what the team wanted.’’
Wolfe has now negotiated two of the four largest contracts in baseball history without the benefit of either player becoming a free agent. He also represents Stanton, who signed a record 13-year, $335 million contract extension in 2014. Why, with the recent rash of contract extensions, with players like New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas and Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola all recently signing multi-year deals to avoid free agency, perhaps this will be the new trend.
“Throughout the history of baseball,’’ Wolfe said, “the elite players always do well. They get their value. They deserve it. It’s the upper middle-class that gets squeezed.’’
Arenado, 27, perhaps would have received a bigger contract if he hit the free-agent market. He might have had the ultimate free-agent bidding war with the Dodgers and Yankees. Arenado insists he wasn’t afraid of the free-agent market, but did worry about the possibility of an injury or a down season.
His contract status, Wolfe said, was already becoming a big distraction, and he has been in camp for only a week. He wanted to make sure this was resolved before opening day. And once the Rockies agreed to provide a one-time-only, opt-out clause after the 2021 season, along with a full no-trade provision, there was no sense waiting.
“It’s a huge commitment on both sides,’’ Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said, “so it’s a natural appraisal situation, sort of mid-contract. We can continue to communicate where we’re at, and we can honestly evaluate where he’s at three years from now.’’
In a perfect world, Arenado retires in Denver and becomes only the second player in franchise history, along with first baseman Todd Helton, to spend his entire career there.
“I based my decision on wanting to be here,” said Arenado, a six-time Gold Glove winner who has finished in the top five of MVP voting the last three years.
Who knows, perhaps Harper soon does the same, if he chooses to play in San Francisco or Los Angeles? The Phillies have been the stalking horse all winter, and are believed to still have the highest bid on the table. Yet, L.A. and San Francisco are much closer to his Las Vegas home, and there’s a whole lot less pressure if he stays west. The Giants aren’t supposed to contend for years. The Dodgers have won six consecutive division titles including back-to-back National League pennants. And the Phillies’ passionate fanbase would expect a World Series upon Harper’s arrival.
Maybe, just as Arenado did, Harper simply prioritizes comfort over money.
“I’m never going to complain about being comfortable,’’ Arenado said, “but I really believe we can win. I wouldn’t make this decision if I didn’t believe that. I’m here for the long haul.’’