Shortstop Wander Franco quickly emerged as one of MLB's best players this season and the Tampa Bay Rays are wasting no time locking him up. The club is inching closer to signing Franco to a record-setting contact extension, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ says the deal is expected to be in the 12-year, $225 million range.
The current record contract for a player with less than one full year of service time is Ronald Acuña Jr.'s eight-year, $100 million contract with the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, a record Franco is poised to smash. Here are the largest ever contracts given the players with less than a full year of service time (not including players signed from Japan or Korea):
- Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: 8 years and $100 million
- Luis Robert, White Sox: 6 years and $50 million (signed prior to MLB debut)
- Eloy Jiménez, White Sox: 6 years and $43 million (signed prior to MLB debut)
- Paul DeJong, Cardinals: 6 years and $26 million
- Chris Archer, Rays: 6 years and $25.5 million
The reported 12-year term would cover Franco's remaining six years of team control plus six free agent years. It would cover his age 21-32 seasons, meaning he would still be in line for a large free agent contract once this deal expires. The exact contract terms (salary structure, potential opt-out dates, etc.) are not yet known.
Franco, 21 in March, was the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball going into each of the last two seasons. He was called up to make his MLB debut in June and become an impact player almost immediately, hitting .288/.347/.463 with seven home runs in 70 games in 2021. Franco struck out only five times in his final 31 games, and he went 7 for 19 (.368) in four postseason games.
As much as any single player can be a centerpiece for the Rays, Franco is already the face of the franchise, and locking him up was the only way to keep him long-term, realistically. Tampa will never win a free agent bidding war for an elite player, and they have a long history of trading players when they reach arbitration. Franco could have been dealt in 3-4 years if not for this contract.
The Rays of course have a long history of locking up their best players early in their careers. They famously signed Evan Longoria to a six-year contract worth $17.5 million six days into his big league career, then the record for a player with less than one year of service time. Kevin Kiermaier, Brandon Lowe, Matt Moore, and Blake Snell are among those to sign long-term with Tampa.
Over the last three seasons, the Rays have won more games than any other American League team, and this past season they won the AL East with a 100-62 record. The franchise is still searching for its first ever World Series championship, but they have a very impressive young core even outside Franco, plus a top farm system. They are in position to contend for several more years.
It should be noted Franco's extension extends beyond 2027, when the team's Tropicana Field lease expires. The Rays continue to explore a two-city solution with Tampa and Montreal, which doesn't seem all that realistic. Wherever they're playing come 2028, the Rays know they will be able to open their new stadium will Franco as their cornerstone player.
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November 24, 2021 at 01:00AM
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Wander Franco, Rays close to massive contract extension for 20-year-old star, per report - CBS sports.com
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