'Tis the season for mega-extensions.
First, the Tigers locked up Justin Verlander through 2020 on Friday. Then, the Giants signed reigning National League MVP Buster Posey through 2021. Now, it looks like the next young star to cash in is Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Fox's Ken Rosenthal first reported that Andrus and the Rangers were nearing an agreement late Sunday night following Texas' opening night loss in Houston. This morning, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman (who else, considering Andrus is a Scott Boras client) is reporting that the deal will be for eight years and $120 million. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says it's likely the finalized deal will include an opt-out clause halfway through the new deal.
The deal will keep Andrus in Arlington through 2022. Factoring in the money still owed to him on his current contract that runs through 2014, Andrus will collect $131.275 million over the next 10 years.
It's an impressive longterm commitment, but one that still falls short of the 10-year, $157.75 million deal created when Troy Tulowitzki signed his extension with Colorado in 2010. By the time the new deal kicks in, Andrus will be the third-highest-paid active shortstop in terms of AAV, behind Jose Reyes ($17.6 million) and Tulowitzki ($15.775 million). The deal gives him the 5th-highest AAV among shortstops all-time.
Considering the fact that Andrus is just 24, this deal is truly historic. He's a bit of a special case, as he broke into the majors at age 20, was an All-Star at age 21 and is still growing offensively. The .286/.349/.378 line he put up last season was the best to date in his career, and while he has yet to post an above-average OPS+, he has immense value defensively and on the basepaths.
Given his age, offensive growth and home ballpark, there's a very good chance that this is a deal that could actually end up saving the Rangers quite a bit of money in the long run if he doesn't exercise his option. Even if he does, the Rangers will be getting most of Andrus' prime years at a reduced rate.
