The J-Rod Show is in Seattle!
This afternoon with Julio Rodriguez Mariners A major extension was approaching, with many specific details affecting the overall terms of the contract. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez report first An extension is in the works, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that it’s worth $210 million.
About two hours after this news was first reported, Passan explained the details in a Twitter threadThe term is unusual and, frankly, hilarious to see spelled out. “The contract could be eight, 13, 16 or 18 years. He guarantees Rodriguez $210 million. If the cap is reached, he’s the biggest he’s ever had to pay four years.” $70 million,” he reads in Passan’s first tweet.
The contract starts at $120 million for eight years. Per Passant, it will last until 2029. Then things get fun. In the 7th year, that is, after 2028, The Mariners have 8 or 10 year club options.The overall value of that option will depend on how J-Rod finishes in the MVP vote. However, if Seattle chooses the option, the extension will be his $320 million guaranteed. If the Mariners don’t choose his J-Rod club his option, He’s under contract for another year before it’s time for an optionAfter the 2029 season, he would remain in Seattle for five years, earning $90 million (a way to reach the $210 million figure Passant reported as the lower end of his contract) and joining free agency before turning 30. You can decide whether to In five years he’s sure to sign a contract worth more than $90 million. The extension also includes a full trade embargo clause. Around athleticKen Rosenthalalso reported More on how J-Rod’s MVP finish impacts the deal. Rosenthal also reported Rodriguez’s five-year option could grow to $125.5 million with an All-Star appearance, a Silver Slugger Award and a $15 million signing bonus. Yes, you’ll need a billboard-sized flow chart to keep track of all your terms once you’re done.
The most likely outcome is for the Mariners to choose Rodriguez’s option and remain in Seattle for the rest of his career. No reason to expect anything else. J-Rod is the return of Ken Griffey Jr. J-Rod, like The Kid, is a five-tool center his fielder with a charming personality that has already captivated the game.
This extension certainly means a lot for Rodriguez and the Mariners moving forward, and for baseball as a whole. Stephanie Apstein will write a column about it this weekend on her SI.com, so don’t miss it!
But today we want to take a look at another important aspect of this deal: its implications for Seattle. As we’ve seen in the past with Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki, Russell Wilson and Sue Bird, a city’s sports scene flourishes with stars. The problem is, before the J-Rod extension, the long-term future of Seattle superstardom looked pretty uncertain. Wilson is currently playing for the Broncos due to an offseason trade. Bird retired after the WNBA playoffs, and Breanna Stewart, a pending free agent, signed a one-year deal ahead of this season, presumably so she could play with Bird one last time.
It’s true that J-Rod is only a rookie, so there would have been five more seasons after this season. But without a long-term deal, he could test free agency and Yankees, dodgers, Mets Or any of the other big money organizations. Well, it almost certainly won’t happen.
Also, don’t get hung up on those options. The Mariners have everything under control here. Club options come first, so when they pick up theirs, he disappears. He’s probably the only baseball player who can make the Mariners his attraction for the #1 sport in Seattle for most of the next 20 years, or for much of the current postseason drought (which is probably the case this year. It’s about to end at least). partly due to his J-Rod). If not, it’s because the Seahawks, Storm, Reign, and/or Kraken have come out to sign, replace, or develop stars even brighter than J-Rod, and at that event, Seattle’s entire sports scene will be win. No shortcomings.
Any questions for our team? Send a note to [email protected].
1. Opener
“baltimoreThe result is one race that will be looked back on as a prelude to what is yet to come as it does justice to two great debuts. “
I’m Nick Selbe, writing a column about the American League’s Rookie of the Year race. He analyzes his two stars competing against each other for his one of the three AL wildcard spots.
J-Rod vs. Adley Rutschman in one attractive AL Rookie of the Year race by Nick Selbe
They’re bringing wayward franchises out of the dark. Which is better for taking hardware home?
2. Ichimi
Check out this week’s other great SI Baseball stories.

Eric Lasko/Sports Illustrated
The Little League World Series is 75 years old and still growing by Matt Martell
ESPN’s summer programming isn’t the only most-watched youth sporting event in the world. It is a tournament that spreads baseball around the world.
Most little leaguers dream of the big leagues.I had a dental dream by Emma Baccellieri
When Robert Woolley played in the 1956 Little League World Series, he told SI that his goal was not MLB.
Good Redance, Arte Moreno.Thanks to Waste Trout and Ohtani from Will Lowes
He announced his intention to sell the team on Tuesday after years of bad contracts, mismanagement and utter incompetence.
700 Chase by Dan Gartland (and NL Central Crown)
Albert Pujols and the Cardinals are in tears.
Yankees looking for superstitious solutions in skids by Stephanie Upstein
Replacing cleats? check. Burning sage? check. New York is still struggling to escape a frustrating recession, but it hasn’t failed.
Emma Baccellerieri’s ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ excites players
With no clock, easy, meandering rhythms and clearly segmented action, fielders really have the space and time to have a conversation. So far it’s been a blast.
3. Tom Verducci Notables
just when it appeared white socks They’ve hit the “ceiling” with five straight wins this month, but they’ve lost six of their eight straight wins. 63-62 and the end cleveland By four games at AL Central, the White Sox look very mundane. The proverbial “run” that everyone thinks might come is likely more wishful thinking than anything 125 Games suggests.
What’s wrong with the team that won the division last year with 93 wins? OK, injuries are a factor. White his socks do not include Tim Anderson, Michael Kopech and Yasmani Grandal. But injuries are part of today’s game. Twelve teams have lost more player days to IL than the Sox. So it’s not.
The real problem is that they aren’t playing a style of baseball that helps them achieve long-term victories in baseball. They are a poorly defended team (25th in defensive runs defended).In attack, they chase too much (the only tigers (Few walks, many chases), not enough home runs (only 4 teams hit fewer pitches). At the base giants Reduce the frequency of taking extra bases. Those are fundamental flaws.
The Sox are trailing by 32 points this year. They have 37 games to finally find a ‘run’. This year, they haven’t gone above 22–15 in a span of 37 games. So even if they start playing their best baseball of the year, they’ll end up with 85 wins. That’s probably not enough to earn a postseason spot.
4. Nick Selbe’s W2W4
This weekend’s competitive series slate is a bit thin, with just three matchups featuring teams within five games of the playoff spot. But it’s something of a miracle to have the Orioles involved in his one of those series!Baltimore are just three games away from his third wild card spot in the American League, with 1 Head to Houston to fight for place. AstrosThe Orioles are even more focused on winning at least one of their first two games against Justin Verlander in Sunday’s finale. Next up is the expedition to Cleveland, which feels like a make-or-break stretch for up-and-coming birds. Orioles his magic is unlikely to help.
Another Marquee AL matchup is the Guardians’ trip to Seattle. Friday’s pitching match between Shane Bieber and Logan Gilbert was a highlight. Elsewhere, braves Heading to St. Louis for a potential postseason pairing.Atlanta took his 3 of his 4 cardinals Look to rookie sensation Spencer Strider to kick things off at their first meeting and on Friday.
5. Matt Martell’s THE CLOSER

Goldschmidt is having one of the best offensive seasons in Cardinals franchise history.
Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports
Paul Goldschmidt, the frontrunner to win the National League MVP award, hit just two runs this season after hitting two homers yesterday, hitting 33 homers this season. Phillies Slugger Kyle Schwarber leads the league. 339 batting average and 105 RBI, both of which are the best on the senior circuit. That means he has a legitimate chance of winning the Triple Crown.
Miguel Cabrera was MLB’s most recent Triple Crown winner in 2012 and was named AL MVP for the second time in a row. But to find the last his NL player to win his triple crown, we have to go back 85 years. That was Hall of Famer Joe “Ducky” Medwick, who played for the Cardinals and in 1937 he batted . 374 with 31 home runs and 154 RBIs.
Those are flashy numbers for a Duckster, but what makes Goldie’s season all the more remarkable is that he has 200 OPS+ in 118 games this season. This is Stan Musial’s best record of 1948, averaging (.376), on-base percentage (.450), slugging percentage (.702), hits (.230), RBI (135), doubles (. 46), triples (18), RBI (131), total bases (429), OPS+. Obvious exception? home run. That season, Mann hit 39 dingers, one behind league leaders Ralph Kiner and Johnny Mize. . He was called up due to rain too early to qualify as an official match. At the time, when that happened, the game was restarted at a later date, rather than restarted, otherwise Musial would have been his latest NL Triple Crown winner.
In any case, that’s the company Goldschmidt has kept this season.
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