Mariners to Sign Julio Rodriguez to Extension Worth at Least $210 Million

But the deals have continued regardless. Recently, Atlanta struck again, signing outfielder Michael Harris to an eight-year, $72 million deal on Aug. 16 despite his having played only 70 games in the majors at the time of the deal.

For Rodríguez and the Mariners, the deal represents a commitment to stick with a player they developed after decades of watching their stars leave. The team that drafted and developed Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodríguez saw both superstars leave in their primes but will now presumably have Julio Rodríguez, whom they originally signed as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2017, for the majority of his career, and most likely the entirety of it.

The Mariners invested heavily in their roster this past off-season, signing last year’s A.L. Cy Young Award-winner, Robbie Ray, to a $115 million contract and trading for third baseman Eugenio Suárez and outfielder Jesse Winker to complement a core of Rodríguez, first baseman Ty France, catcher Cal Raleigh and the right-hander Logan Gilbert.

Currently, that has added up to Seattle’s being 68-57 through Thursday, which had them in second place in the A.L. West and leading the Baltimore Orioles by 2.5 games for the A.L.’s third wild card.

If that holds, Rodríguez will have already accomplished two of his ambitious goals: ending the playoff drought and being an All-Star. Then, he would just need a World Series ring and 480 more home runs.

James Wagner contributed reporting.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/sports/baseball/julio-rodriguez-mariners-contract.html