The Rockies took a step toward solidifying their rotation on Friday afternoon, announcing a two-year extension with starting pitcher Germán Márquez. The deal, which spans the 2024-25 seasons, guarantees him $20MM. Márquez, a client of L.A. Sports Management, will receive $10MM annually over the next two seasons.
The deal also contains up to $10MM in additional incentives. Márquez would reportedly receive $2MM bonuses for spending 30 and 60 days on the MLB roster during the 2025 season. He’d trigger additional $2MM bonuses at each of 140, 150, and 160 innings pitched. The contract also contains a $1MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade.
“Germán has been an integral part of the Rockies organization both on and off the field since his first Major League season in 2016.” Rockies senior vice president and general manager Bill Schmidt said in the team’s press release. “We are excited to secure Germán’s future in Denver with this extension and can’t wait to see him back out on the mound.”
The 2023 season was the last guaranteed year on Márquez’s contract. Colorado had a $16MM option for next season, though they were likely to opt for a $2.5MM buyout. Márquez underwent Tommy John surgery in May, meaning he won’t be back until mid-2024 at the earliest. Now, he will remain with the Rockies for at least two more years, allowing him to rehab with an eye towards late next season and beyond.
Márquez has been in the Rockies organization since 2016, when the team acquired him in a trade with the Rays. He made his MLB debut that September and pitched his first full season the following year, posting a 4.39 ERA in 162 innings pitched en route to a fifth-place finish for NL Rookie of the Year. Over the next four seasons, he was one of the most durable pitchers in the league. From 2017-22, only three pitchers made more starts than Márquez: Gerrit Cole, Patrick Corbin, and Aaron Nola. Prior to this season, he had spent only one stint on the injured list in his big league career.
If Márquez suffers no setbacks and quickly shakes off the rust in his return, the terms of the extension seem perfectly reasonable. Colorado is offering more up-front security than Márquez would’ve gotten had they bought him out, while the $10MM salary for the ’25 campaign could be strong value for the club if Márquez recaptures his pre-surgery form.
Colorado now has three veteran starters under contract through 2025. Kyle Freeland is signed through 2026, with a vesting option for 2027. Meanwhile, Antonio Senzatela is signed through 2026 with a team option for 2027. Senzatela recently underwent a Tommy John procedure of his own. The Rockies will hope to have Márquez and Senzatela back to anchor the rotation alongside Freeland at some point in 2024.
MLBTR’s Steve Adams first reported Márquez was signing a two-year, $20MM guarantee with $10MM in incentives. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the specific incentive structure.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
lol boring
> Can’t tell which franchise is more clueless,
> the Angels or the Rockies
If you combine Angels with Rockies you get Angkies. Hmm, kind of similar sounding to Yankees. If only there were other similarities?
I guess cause he eats innings? This is so Rockies.
PV
Lot’s of dumb taeks on MLBTR isn’t surprising
What would be the benefit of the Rockies NOT extending Marquez?
I guess it has something to do with Strasburg? Difference being German is a very short term team friendly deal?
Bad takes on MLBTR… What else is new? Military leaders ignoring Oppenheimer kicking off the cold war? Why am I not surprised?
filihok — The Rockies 2024 option on Marquez could be bought out (especially since he won’t pitch in 2024). #5 starters are pretty easy to find assuming Rockies’ management had a clue about building a contender., which they don’t. They don’t spend wisely
I feel sorry for Rockie fans because this is the same team that used to have Larry Walker, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado to name a few. They need to tear down and get whatever prospects they can to start building up their system.
The Kris Bryant deal made sense for Kris, not at all for Colorado. This one, though cheaper, is another head scratcher.
According to the film (which I saw last night), he tried to warn them, but it was boom or bust.
Maybe you should send them your resume and they can let someone that knows what they are talking about run the team. But I guarantee you have no ability to put your money where your mouth is. And so it goes…
You’re right on that one!
PV
Yes. His option could be bought out. Are you suggesting that that would be the best move they could make? Why would you think that?
Are you suggesting that Marquez is a #5 starter? Why do you think that?
Are you suggesting that extending Marquez is not spending money wisely? Why do you think that?
Putting aside 3 consecutive bad years and only pitching 20 innings last year… what do you think the market value is for that type of player and who exactly were the Rockies bidding against where they felt the need to go 2 years 20 mill guaranteed?
case
3 consecutive bad years? How do you figure?
Before I knew the contract details I guessed 2 years and $23 million. So, 2 years and $20 to $30 seems very reasonable to m.e
Never throwing another major league inning?
Yes I think buying out his option would be the best move. But if not, just offer him a tad more than the option so he stays thru 2025. (He will not pitch in 2024.)
Marquez—at best—is a #5 starter (career 4.41 ERA). No excuses about Coors Field, please. His best year ever was in the shortened season (2020) with a 3.75 ERA.(81 innings).
As I’ve already said (just my opinion), I think it’s time for Dick Montfort to tear it all down and start anew. Marquez is not a building block for the future—which is many years away for the Rockies—so, except for the fact he eats innings (but not in 2024 and how many after a year off in 2025?) —I don’t see the value in Marquez.
PV
His option was for $16 million
How much would you consider a tad more?
If he declined that, would you prefer to let him go for nothing?
From my point of view, the deal is totally fair for both sides.
“Marquez—at best—is a #5 starter (career 4.41 ERA). No excuses about Coors Field, please. His best year ever was in the shortened season (2020) with a 3.75 ERA.(81 innings).”
I disagree with you about his value. And I disagree VERY STRONGLY, that we should exclude park effects when measuring player value. That’s absurd.
Other teams almost certainly see the value in Marquez, so letting him go for nothing is letting a valuable player go for nothing.
He is not worth $16M, especially not pitching in 2024. ($2.5M buyout). If I was GM, I’d let him go for the $2.5 and spend the found money ($13.5) on some one or two more valuable. Anyone can find one or two #5 starters for $13.5M.
Of course, you’re welcome to your opinion.
No excuses about Coors Field, please.
========================
So we are supposed to dispense with with the notion that some parks benefit pitchers and some benefit hitters.
PV
“He is not worth $16M
especially not pitching in 2024”
He sighed for $30 million max. So, the Rockies agreed that he was not worth $16 million per season between 2024 and 2025.
“If I was GM, I’d let him go for the $2.5 and spend the found money ($13.5) on some one or two more valuable.”
Here’s the list of upcoming free agents
mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/2023-24-mlb-free-agents…
Who do you think you could get that would be better than Marquez for those prices?
“Anyone can find one or two #5 starters for $13.5M.”
Perhaps. I don’t think anyone is likely to find a better pitcher than Marquez for that price
If you’re looking at 2024 only, yeah, you may be able to
If you’re looking at the total of Marquez’ deal plus the team’s ability to trade him, I don’t think so.
JB
Yeah. Apparently
Yikes
I’ll grant you this:
Marques career at home = 5.07 ERA
Marquez career on the road = 3.80 ERA
And the rest of his peripherals suggest a #5 Starter, nothing more. Why pay that much just for innings that won’t even be pitched in 2024?
Like I said, you’re welcome to your opinion.
PV
Which peripherals suggest that?
I’m in the mood to learn something today
From 2020 to 2023
ERA- 6% better than league average
FIP- 6% better than league average
xFIP- 9 % better than league average
I don’t see 5th starter in any of those numbers
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&st…
Citation for the above stats on Marquez
Angels are clueless (teams do well without starting pitching right?) and the Rockies are just bizarre (not even close to competing in a big spending division, not stocking up on talent through trades or bringing in a lot of players on smaller contracts to see if they stick…. then BAM, Kris Bryant mega contract, obviously).
Marquez contract tracks.
Rockies better run, but worse luck. Angels lucky but worse run. Not sure which Id rather have.
The consistently do well in attendance. They don’t aim for the playoffs and they aren’t willing to sacrifice their fan base through a rebuild. So, they stay mediocre.
No you boring
Another bad move by the Rockies.
At least it’s not Abad move.
Time to pun’t
SS
How so?
What would be your recommendation?
To make him easier to trade this off-season?
He’s coming off TJS and due back the second half of ’24. Doubt any team is trading for him.
Trade assets for some value while they can? It’s the Rockies. That’s not their MO. I feel bad for their fans and I’m a 41 year old Mets fan.
*Ryan Reynolds But Why gif*
The Rockies are the most amusing bad team that operates like a good team.
Is there anything the Rockies can do that you guys won’t crap on?
It’s basically a one year bounceback deal for 2025 while letting him rehab and mentor young pitchers in 2024 while he is out with TJ. German can break several team career pitching records in early 2025 and then if the Rox need to at the deadline, they can trade him. If they are in contention, even better.
I think it could be a good deal (but nobody really cares what I think). The salary is an unknown right now so that’s a big factor. 2 years $25MM? Over would be bad, under makes it better for the team the lower it goes.
$25MM would be way too steep for 1.5 years of German at best.
I’m thinking closer to $15MM.
Hemlock
I care what you think
At least this comment shows at least a somewhat reasonable opinion. That’s a lot more than can be said most of the time here.
There are plenty of things they could do, they just choose not to do any of those.
It’s just that the Rockies make one bad signing/roster decision after another after another after another, so people are conditioned to be highly skeptical of their transactions.
That’s a fine reason if people have the intelligence of a beagle. But higher thinking organisms should probably judge each action on their own.
@beyou Marquez COL is at a huge disadvantage when it comes to signing pitchers. Unless they break the bank as they once did for Hampton no premier FA pitcher is going to sign there. Extending Marquez they keep an arm who has only been with their franchise and was quite durable the 6 yrs leading upto TJ surgery. The deal only being 2 years offers them some protection and also gives them a window to extend him even longer if he bounces back 100% when he returns. I’d say this was a pretty good signing by them.
It’s a 2 year deal, but at least 1/2 and likely closer to 1 of those years is going to be lost as he comes back from TJS. If he bounces back 100%, do you really think he’s going to extend for anything less than FA $?
Did I mention anything about getting him to sign cheaper? I said it gives them a window to extend him. Does it not give them an exclusive period of time where only they can extend his contract when he is a member of their franchise??
If you have to pay what you’d pay were he a free agent, that’s not a benefit.
They have the ability to sign extend him before he hits free agency. That is a benefit for any team hoping to keep a player. In the case of the Rockies, any advantage at signing quality starting pitching is a huge benefit.
Thank you. This was just a good business move
When a franchise is so listless and lacks a real plan, each individual move matters less. Like how much is one starter going to impact one of the worst teams in the NL over the next 2 years?
@Changed regardless if they are contenders, the Rockies are a product and said product has to have an arm on the mound every game. A player such as Marquez has name recognition with Rockies fans. He might not be the most appealing pitcher out there, but I’d say most fans would rather see a pitcher such as him opposed to some random call up or unproven arm. Viewing every signing as a make or break for contending just does not really bode with reality. These teams are businesses and every signing I’d a piece of that businesses brand recognition.
In fairness, hiflew, the comments section at MLBTR is filled with fans of other teams crapping on all the other teams.
This is bad?
It’s a factual observation–nothing more.
upo
Yeah
People could post s9mething useful or insightful, instead they post drivel.
“Several (Rockies) career pitching records” says it all
All it says is that the team hasn’t been around as long as most of the other teams in the league and they have never had a really long term starting pitcher like they did with Todd Helton. Older franchises will probably never have most of their pitching records broken simply because pitching is different now.
To me, the guaranteed $10M for 2024 seems steep. If Marquez rebounds fully by 2025, he’s going to get paid $20M for the 2025 season as those $10M incentives are easily achievable. If he does not pitch at all in 2024, then this becomes a 1 year/$30M deal is essence. It would have made more sense to offer him $5M for 2024, and perhaps some incentives for 2024 should he pitch that season. Just my two cents.
That is the problem with the contract. It’s not long term, so it won’t end up being a massive fail like the KB contract, but this is mostly just downside/risk for the team. You’re paying him to rehab in 2024, then if he’s good again in 2025, he’s gonna be gone. You’d think that the team could have gotten an additional option year on this type of contract.
The Rockies like playing it rocky.
It worked for Balboa. Nine times.
This comment deserves an award of some kind.
Nine times.
Sounds like Ferris Bueller’s mom reacting to his number of absences.
Oh, wait, I’m sorry, it was two.
Just like that “cornwhisperer” guy likes Felipe Vázquez.
Wait until someone says, “His ERA+ and FIP are solid, along with his K/BB rate, but his Savant page is meh, so it’s a bad signing” 321…
His ERA+ and FIP are solid, along with his K/BB rate, but his Savant page is meh, so it’s a bad signing.
Glad somebody said it. He doesn’t like alternative opinions, so he has me blocked.
Rotfl
Wonder how Kris Bryant feels about. Marquez was the one who unfortunately hit him in the head with a baseball that got a way a few years ago. 2018 I think it was. I was in right field 2nd deck standing only and heard the ball to helmet. Obviously I’m not serious. But it’s rare for the Rockies to extend anyone.
Uh, the Rockies have been extending many of their adequate players over the past few years. Marquez the first time. Freeland. Sensatella. McMahon. Bard. Diaz. Blackmon a few years earlier, and Arenado. Many of those have not turned out well, but wrong to say they rarely extend anyone.
Okay then I’ll rephrase. It’s rare for the Rockies to sign an extension that worked in the long term or in their favor.
Rockies had a $16 million team option for 2024
(Hear that Samuel and Dorothy? A team option. They could have exited the contract if they wanted due to a player injury)
Obviously, they didn’t want to pay him $16 million for part of a season. Nor did they just want to let him go at the end of the season.
So, they deal makes sense.
I’ll set the over/under at $23 million
Call it $16 million for 2025 and 7 million for 2024.
$20 million guaranteed
$10 million in bonuses
Reasonable.
Makes a bit more sense than my deal, probably. They also had more time to think about it.
He’s a good pitcher. The team needs him and right now he probably needs them more with so much up in the air after his surgery. At least now he can relax about his contract status and concentrate on getting better, plus working towards his return next year.
Now, if they could only find four more of him lying around somewhere, they would be in good shape.
How is $20MM for a year and a half (maybe) of German a good deal? Probably $24MM if he’s healthy in 2025. That seems very steep for a pitcher like Marquez.
BS
Because we value him differently
I don’t have the patience to get into player valuation with a random commenter without a show of good faith
>How is $20MM … for a pitcher like Marquez.
He’s recovering from Tommy John surgery.
He’ll be 29 in February 2024.
He was paid $15.3MM this year.
Let’s say he throws 160 innings in 2025.
That makes it 2 yrs $30MM.
I see a career total of 16.0 bWAR in 8 seasons; a 2.0 bWAR pitcher per year.
———
Okay, here’s $30MM — go sign a 2.0 WAR 29-yo pitcher for 2 years for that much money. To pitch half his games in Colorado.
Hem
Well, see
You didn’t look at his ERA and not take park factors into consideration
They have played over .500 in just five of the past 20 seasons. And it’s not like that organization has been devoid of talent, struggled with attendance, or lacked payroll. Either get your stuff together or fold. I don’t have time for a team like that in my life.
Team draws loads of fans and makes a lot of money. It’s a highly successful franchise.
“while the $10MM salary for the ’25 campaign could be strong value for the club if Márquez recaptures his pre-surgery form.”
If he does that he’ll get paid 18 million in ’25 with the incentive clauses.
Marquez is still going to need a good portion of ’24 to mend from TJ surgery. Fans from other teams can make their negative comments, but Marquez has been an All-Star and has adapted well for Coors Field pitching. This is a good move by the Rockies.
A German Marquee network? What a house of horrors. Couple of portly krauts who refuse to say anything critical about Cubbie leadership in fears of being censored and being forced to retape segments? Bunch of sergeant Schulz’s. “I know nothing. Nothing. Nothing”