TUESDAY, 12:52am:ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick pegs it at five years, $22MM plus a sixth year option at $10MM. Crasnick says it buys out one year of free agency and the option would be another. The ’08 season is included in the extension.
MONDAY, 9:33pm:Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that second baseman Ian Kinsler is close to a five-year deal worth $20MM. There may also be a sixth-year option worth $10MM or more.
Grant doesn’t say whether the deal would include the upcoming season; Kinsler recently received a near-minimum deal for ’08. If not, the new contract would buy out two years of free agency with an option for a third.
Kinsler, 25, has a career line of .274/.351/.447 in 250 games. The average AL second baseman hit .284/.339/.416 last year. Kinsler’s probably not among the top ten defensively at his position, if you go by the Fielding Bible awards.
