January 20, 2008
Money Well Spent
I've seen the rumors the last few days, and now the Denver Post reports that a deal between the Rockies and Troy Tulowitzki is near.
In a deal first reported in The Denver Post, the Rockies and Tulowitzki have agreed to the parameters of a six-year, $30 million contract with a club option for a seventh season, the largest given a big leaguer with less than two years' experience.
It mirrors the contract structure given in 2006 to Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore, who held the previous salary record at six years, $23.45 million with a club option. A source close to the Tulowitzki negotiations repeated this weekend that a deal "is close."
I love this deal. It pays Troy for his value during his best years. It shields the Rockies from inflation due to arbitration and free agency. If Troy's career path continues as we might expect, he would make more than $30 million in his three years of arbitration. And given the club option, the Rockies locked him up basically through his prime. This is exactly the way clubs should handle their budding stars.
I think Tulowitzki has shown that he does in fact have the tools to be the real deal, and even if his performance levels off from last year, this deal will be a steal for the Rox.
Hard for me to see how this benefits the team or the player - I would think they would both want to wait another year - if he's as good as he was last year - and my guess is ge is - he probably left money on the table. If not the Rox have got to wonder why they're paying some guy $30 m when he has no leverage.
