Cardinals reach long-term deal with Martinez
In the final days of negotiations, the biggest thing standing in the way of the St. Louis Cardinals signing pitcher Carlos Martinez to a long-term deal was a few hundred miles of ocean.
“It’s not easy to get in touch at sea,” general manager John Mozeliak explained.
But once Martinez had wrapped up the team’s annual Caribbean cruise over the weekend, the two sides were able to put the finishing touches on a recordbreaking deal.
During a news conference Thursday, the Cardinals announced their fiveyear pact with the talented young right-hander that includes a pair of club options that could keep him in St. Louis through the 2023 season.
The contract is worth $51 million, and includes a $4.5 million bonus and salary this season and $11.5 million each of the next four years, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms were not disclosed.
The options are for $17 million in 2022 and $18 million the following year with a $500,000 buyout, potentially taking the total value of the contract to $85.5 million.
“A lot of people were asking me but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t mention the contract,” Martinez said.
The contract breaks the record for a pitcher reaching arbitration for the first time, surpassing the $38.5 million, five-year deal that the Indians signed with Corey Kluber in 2015.
Martinez, 25, made his big league debut with St. Louis in 2013, but he really broke onto the national scene two years ago, when he went 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA and was voted an AllStar.
He followed up with a 169 record and a 3.04 ERA in 31 starts last season.
“This type of contract is all about the future,” Mozeliak said.
“This is about future earnings, and when you have someone at 25 years old who can hit free agency at 28, his leverage is far different than someone hitting free agency at 32 and not having to earn much at that point.
“Carlos felt it was important to get something done now.”
Martinez, speaking through a translator, called the contract “something I’ve always dreamed of for myself, for my family, since I was a little boy growing up in the Dominican Republic.”
“Thinking of my future, my age, I really thought this was an opportunity I couldn’t let go of,” he said.
Rockies
Mark Reynolds is staying with Colorado at least for the start of spring training. Reynolds agreed to a minor league contract, the team announced, and will report to big league spring training. If Reynolds earns a roster spot, he likely would back up Ian Desmond, who agreed to a $70 million, five-year contract.
Orioles
Baltimore won its ninth consecutive salary arbitration decision over more than two decades, defeating catcher Caleb Joseph, who will earn $700,000 instead of $1 million.