2:42pm: Heyman has the full breakdown, via Twitter: after a $3MM signing bonus, Polanco will receive a $1MM salary next year, then consecutive paydays of $3.5MM, $5.5MM, $8MM, and $11MM. The options are for $12.5MM (with a $3MM buyout) and $13.5MM ($1MM buyout).
10:50am: In a move that seemed years in the making, the Pirates have announced a five-year extension with outfielder Gregory Polanco. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client receives a reported $35MM guarantee in the contract, which includes two option years (with performance escalators) that could boost its total value to $60MM over seven seasons.
Polanco, 24, was previously controllable through the 2020 season. The extension, which begins with the 2017 campaign, will guarantee those seasons and extend control through the 2021 campaign, thus buying out his first season of free agency. If Pittsburgh picks up both options, he can reach free agency after the 2023 season, when he would be headed into his age-32 season.
The first option year is for $12.5MM and includes a $3MM buyout, while the second is priced at $13.5MM ($1MM buyout). Both could increase by a combined total of $2MM if Polanco can reach the as-yet unreported escalators.
Polanco is entering his third Major League season, though he has not yet reached two full years of service time. He’s a career .249/.316/.369 hitter in 964 plate appearances. Scouts expect him to grow into his fledgling power. A center fielder in the minors, Polanco has mostly played right field due to the presence of Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. Polanco drew rave reviews for his right field defense last season, rating at 6.8 runs above average per Ultimate Zone Rating and 11 runs above average per Defensive Runs Saved.
Considered a consensus Top 25 prospect league-wide prior to the 2014 season in which he was promoted, Polanco has certainly shown flashes of promise but hasn’t yet emerged as the star many believed him to be capable of becoming. In particular, he’s displayed some potentially concerning struggles against left-handed pitching. Same-handed opponents have held Polanco to a paltry .183/.239/.264 batting line in 228 big league plate appearances. Clearly, he’s young enough to make some strides in that department, but the tight-budgeted Pirates will hope that Polanco doesn’t continually require a platoon partner and can instead combine with McCutchen and Marte to form one of the league’s best outfield trios.
The Pirates are known for locking up pre-arbitration eligible talent. McCutchen and Marte both inked similar extensions early in their careers. McCutchen signed a six-year, $51.5MM extension with one option while Marte accepted $31MM over a six-year term with two options. The club also worked out a four-year, $27.3MM extension with Josh Harrison prior to the 2015 season. That deal also includes two options.
This is far from the first time in which the Pirates have attempted to lock up Polanco. Pittsburgh, in fact, reportedly made a seven-year offer to Polanco before he was even promoted to the Major Leagues, and those talks continued into the summer following his promotion that June. The Bucs took another run at extending Polanco last spring but ultimately tabled extension talks early in the season. With this new agreement in place, the Pirates now control Polanco longer than any other member of the active roster.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the deal on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) had financial parameters, while MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter links: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5) added finalized value and details on the pact.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Woohoo!!!!
Hopefully he’ll be able to reach that tall ceiling of his soon. Expecting great things from the entirety of that club, especially the OF
clearly his current batting average of .667 and his 1.750 OPS convinced the Bucs to extend him. Well done!
Seriously though, has anyone run the projections to see what he might have cost during the Arbitration process to see how much they would have paid if they were going year-to-year? I don’t doubt that this will be a good deal but how much do the Bucs actually look to save on him?
what a good deal for the bucs. his defense alone will always merit a roster spot let alone how far his bat goes.
One word:
STEAL
haha sure he us, he can’t hit whatsoever
Keep telling yourself that. Actually, tell someone else, since you seem to think you are on a a fan site where you can troll without bringing any argument or numbers to back you up. Sure he could hit better, and he will. Meanwhile, any fair-minded fan with a brain and a pulse knows that this move is great for the Bucs.
Don’t get me wrong, and I think this will work out for the Bucs, but Polanco hasn’t hit at an above average clip yet. He certainly has room to grow and it won’t take much to make this deal worth it. However, there is definitely risk involved here for Pittsburgh.
there is risk on a 5 year contract with anyone. so yeah, there’s definitely risk here.
Given what Heyward just signed for (as another good defensive outfielder with upside in his bat), they got a steal on Polanco. If Polanco improves any at all, he would have gotten 2/30+ for those free agent years.
he sucks
That’s why he’s the
Pirates opening day left fielder and your hiding behind the Internet pretending to know anything about baseball
He is actually the opening day right fielder. Starling Marte has a pretty solid lock on left field, but I’m just hiding behind the Internet pretending I know about baseball.
All humor aside to say that Polanco isn’t a guy you’d want on your team is a lie.
Agreed. I like Polanco. Have a feeling he might break out this year.
Nice job pirates. I believe Polanco is one of your game changers for this year. He has all kinds of upside, so the $ make all the sense in the world .. Cheers!
Will he pull a Salvador Perez and look for more money in a few years anyway?
As I remember the Royals came to him to up change the contract. I don’t blame him.
Good extension Pirates!
Could this move foreshadow them
Moving another outfielder in the future or not extending cutch? With meadows in the minors it leaves me wondering who will be the odd man out when it comes time to make a
Decision.
It’s not going to be popular initially, but I really believe they’ll trade Cutch before his contract expires in 2018. Worst case scenario they’ll get a compensatory pick when he leaves in FA, but Neil Huntington has shown that he knows how to operate a small market team and moves like this are necessary for sustained success. He’s also shown that he’s willing to take some initial slack (like when trading Jason Bay, Nate McLouth) when trading popular players in their prime in order to stick to his game plan of continued success. Like you said Meadows is nearly ready to be called up, and will still give Pittsburgh a top 5 outfield for under $12M a year in 2017 and less than $14M in 2018, $17M in 2019. Just makes too much sense for them with their market size.
Very well thought out post.
Most likely Cutch will not be extended when his contract expires. Too many low cost options in the minors coming up within a few years. Ramirez, Meadows, etc.
As much as I would love for Cutch to be a Bucco for life, I also foresee Huntington dealing Cutch prior to him walking in Free Agency unless Cutch agrees to another ridiculously team friendly deal to remain here. If he does, AWESOME! If he does not, then Huntington will get an absolute KINGS RANSOM in return for Cutch…
It’s called the cost-effectiveness.
Andrew McCutchen: 6 years/$51.5M (2012-17), plus 2018 club option
Jung Ho Kang: 4 years/$11M (2015-18), plus 2019 option
Josh Harrison: 4 years/$27.3M (2015-18), plus 2019-20 options
Starling Marte: 6 years/$31M (2014-19), plus 2020-21 options
Gregory Polanco: 5 years/$35M (2017-21). plus 2022-23 options
Now the question is will they be able to extend Gerrit Cole.
Not a chance, Boras won’t allow it.
All of those players locked up for a combined $156m. That’s a great job by the Pirates front office.
I don’t see it. As a Bucco fan, I don’t see his bat ever getting over the .260 Avg mark.
Also a Buc’s fan here as well. Did you think that Marte was ever going to pan out and become a major league hitter? Marte started out slow as well. Both played plus defense all along but the bat took a couple of years to pan out for Marte. Now the Bucs have 2 outfielders with arms that no one wants to run on. Even if Polonco averages in the upper 2oo’s for average and hits around 20 HR’s at best, this is a great deal for the Pirates. Do you not realize how many runs are saved by nobody trying to get an extra bas on the Bucs?
I get that he’s very good defensively but as for Marte, I don’t really see his bat either. He’s got some pop but he swings and misses quite a bit.
Really just not true, but watching the games it does seem that way doesn’t it?
In 2015
Marte’s Strike out percentage is 19.4%
Cutch’s Strike out percentage is 19.2%
Polanco’s Strike out Percentage is 18.6%
What you should be looking at is Marte’s horrible walk rate.at 4.3% the second lowest among qualified Outfielders. Yet he still managed a semi-respectable .337 OBP. If Marte gets more patient at the plate and draws a ‘few’ more walks.. watch out.
Polanco’s Walk rate isnt’ the best either about 8.5% or so..
Yeah Polanco could turn out to be another Jose Tabata, But Polanco seems to have a better attitude.
Very true on the Tabata/Polonco comparison. I am only going on what I’ve seen. I like saber metrics but there somethings you can see and hear that make a world of difference. I sure hope that we get the guy everyone thinks he’ll be.
A lot of $$ for a platoon player that can’t hit against a lefty. He was killing me on my FBB last year as he would sit any game that had a lefty starter so I dropped him. No surprise that nobody picked him up. He actually went late in garbage time in this year’s draft, glad it wasn’t me.
Hate to tell you, he can hit lefties. He actually hit better against lefties in AAA if I remember correctly. Remember reading the prospect sites and them gushing over that. He got rushed to the majors early 2 years ago. Raised his average in the majors from 2014 to 2015 by 20 points. You will wish you had picked up Polanco in your precious FBB league.when he is helping the Bucs win real games this season.
This now makes the Pirates the toughest hurdle for my beloved Cubs for the next six years. I think the Cardinals are now the third best team in the division. The Cubs/Pirates match ups this year and for the next six will be something to behold. Congratulations Pirates for locking up the best outfield in MLB.
Great deal for the Bucs. They are finally turning into the Cardinals in depth and business model. The 3rd baseman for the Bucs yesterday is what we are going to see from the Pirates now. Not the current version of Freese rather the 2013 version and how the Cards handled him. Same with Allen Craig. Craig brought Lackey to the Cards. Freese brought Bourjos and Grichuk. Deals were done because they had young guys ready to step in and play give the Cards what they already had with potential for higher ceilings that the players they were replacing plus getting great pieces that helped them win a ton of games in return on the trades. As much as I love McCutchen and would love to see the Pirates extend him, he will bring, as dempsey77 said above, a kings ransom back in return on a trade and you will have either Meadows or Ramirez ready to take over. FInally, the Bucs are being run well in the front office.
If he would stop sliding into the bag with his right leg, letting the bag with his right leg, until his left knee gets in, coming off the base like he did in the eighth? inning yesterday, he’ll be perfect.
Dude comes off the base on the slide about one in three times.
Seriously, as a Pirates fan, I’m very exited by this. The average MLB player makes 4.4 million a year now. He is, at worst, a slightly above average player.
This is a good deal that even if it goes south, shouldn’t hamstring the Pirates financially.
I’m not sure what to think on this one, $35 million is a bunch of money for a small market franchise. This has to be strictly a scouting decision, sabermetrics are only going to help establish his current value. If the bat doesn’t show up, he is basically a really expensive Peter Bourjos or Drew Stubbs.
Started showing up 2nd half of last year 276 average and 749 ops in the 2nd half. The Bucs have seen him for several years now. Not like they have been scouting him and not seeing him every day. Has been hammering the ball too. Exit velocity was over 100 mph I heard on yesterdays at bats.
Good deal for both sides here. The potential Polanco possess is off the charts, and this could end up being a steal for PIT. He has a lot of pop in his left handed bat, but his glove work in the outfield also warrants this contract.
People don’t seem to be realizing that hitting aside, his defense and baserunning were strong enough for 2.5 WAR last year in his age 23 season. Given his minor league track record he is obviously going to improve, even if just a little bit. Being a 3-4 WAR player over that contract isn’t a stretch, which is a nice value. And I’m guessing its backloaded similar to what he would get via the arbitration process, so his pay will coincide with his maturation.
I really like moves like this from small market teams. It makes since. If these players really do reach their cieling, you will never pay this kind of money for them again. It’s what these teams have to do. The amount of risk the Pirates take on in this contract is also pretty small considering what Polanco’s annual income will be.
If Polanco flops the money they eat won’t be too much but for this kind of cash, he doesn’t have to do much to be worth it. However, to be a contender, they need him to be more than league average no matter what is AAV is.
This is what I am waiting on John Hart to start doing. He had a brief start with Teahran and Simmons who has since been traded but it will be nice once these prospects start working their way out to sign them to deals like these. I remember Hart being the originator of it with the Indian clubs of the mid 90’s. Hopefully he can continue it and teach Coppy the way to do it. If I am not mistakin the Pirates GM is a Hart disciple himself.
Another sign that things have changed. Over 4o comments on a Pirates related post. Just a few short years ago, not matter who was signed, no one really cared.. Boy baseball in Pittsburgh is fun again!
I’m 30 and lived in Pgh all but my college years and 4-5 years ago I could only talk about the Buccos with two bartenders and my dad who I suspect simply humored me cuz I’m his son. Now I can talk to people on the street I’ve never met about the Bucs, it’s a night and day type difference.
I am sitting in downtown Pittsburgh as I type this, and there is just something about baseball being back that brings life to this place. Love this city, and love my Bucs.
It is wild hearing people talk about the Pirates again. My youngest and the circle of friends all go to games a lot over the last several years. Many in the late teens-early 20’s are big fans as since they have recognizable players and are extending several of them, they are taking an interest. As buccosfan and dempsey77 are saying, wild that Pirates talk big again. Even out doing Steeler talk on the radio shows.. For about 20 years, nobody cared about the Pirates spring training routine or the 1st month of the season. All anyone talked about was mostly the NFL Draft and if the Pens were winning some hockey talk. Wild….
I’m checking you guys off of my ballparks list this year. I should make it to a game in late August. Any suggestions on a ballpark pub after the game?
McFadden’s, Mullens, or Grille 36, all around the ballpark.
Glad some of the other people gave you some ideas., It has been awhile since I did the pregame and after game stuff. Places all have changed. Stinks getting old!
rangers-lifer… Several different ways you can go.
1–If you’re with a group of guys…aka without your wife and kids, then make a stop at the “Tilted Kilt”. Check them out online…worth your while…lol
2–On the Clemente Bridge side of the stadium, there are 2 fantastic places to grab a drink and some darn tasty food if you’re hungry. And you can actually access BOTH from the inside of PNC Park after the game is over.
2a) Atria’s GREAT food…it’s a little more upscale than a standard pub, but a really fantastic joint. Best lobster bisque in the city by far.
2b) Rivertown Pour House…this place is a local Brewery in the Pittsburgh area, and they have several locations in the Pittsburgh Meteo area…tremendous beer selection, they truly have something for everyone regardless of what kind of beer you prefer. Also, they are MORE THAN EAGER to allow you to sample multiple beers prior to making your decision on what you want to order. If you’re a beer guy, Rivertown is an absolute MUST visit.
3–Finally, also on the Clemente Bridge side of the Park, but OUTSIDE the ballpark and across the street is a bar called Hi-Tops. Nice place, also, you can frequently run into athletes there. However this would be my last choice amongst the four establishments!!!
Check them all out online…all depends on who is with you, but regardless of who is with you, as I said above, Rivertown is a 110% absolute MUST.
Enjoy!
If you end up being at one of the games that’s in my ticket package, I’ll meet you at Rivertown and toss a few back with you (that’s where I go after nearly every game, unless I want Beef on a Wecht, and a bowl of Lobster Bisque lol, then it’s all Bout ATRIA’S!)
Thanks for the help! It will just be me and my brother. Two twenty-somethings kicking it at the ballpark 🙂