the Arizona Diamondbacks bet on Corbin Carroll.
The prospect has agreed to an eight-year, $111 million contract that could keep the Diamondbacks’ future centerpiece in Arizona for most of his career, According to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. The deal reportedly contains a ninth-year option worth $23 million plus salary scales for the last three years.
The deal value is said to be a record among players with less than 100 days of service time and no non-American league experience, breaking the mark set by The contract worth 72 million dollars signed by Atlanta Braves Outfielder Michael Harris last season.
The nine-figure investment comes after just a 32-game MLB career for Carroll, who got a cup of coffee in the last month of the season last year. The 22-year-old impressed with this limited opportunity, hitting .260/.330/.500 in 115 plate appearances with four homers.
That success continued this spring training, as he was 6-for-18 with three extra-base hits and seven walks in 25 tackle plate appearances on Saturday.
Arizona State drafted Carroll with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and since then has watched the fastback turn into a future star. Rookie eligibility remains the same for 2023 and he is ranked by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the No. 2 prospect in baseball, behind only Baltimore OriolesGunnar Henderson.
Recent Poll Service hails Carroll as a true five-tool player, marked by a maximum score of 80 on his speed, a score of 70 on his glove and a stroke of 65.
Carroll is one of three top 15 prospects for the Diamondbacks as ranked by MLB Pipeline, with Jordan Lawler’s sixth pick of 2021 and Drew Jones’ second pick of 2022 both waiting in the wings, but not expected to debut this year.
Why did the Diamondbacks extend Corbin Carroll, and why did he agree?
As reported, Carroll’s contract will tie him to Arizona through 2031, and possibly 2032 if the Diamondbacks exercise that team option.
Prior to the deal, Carroll was slated to hit free agency after the 2028 season, so he effectively traded up four potentially lucrative seasons that he could offer as a free agent for the immediate safety of a contract that could support him and his family for the rest of his life.
These deals, in which a young player who isn’t even arbitration-eligible signs a long-term extension for less money than he would likely get after years in free agency, are becoming increasingly popular in MLB, because they’re usually great values for teams. the Washington Nationals He did just one day earlier, signing young catcher Kibert Ruiz An eight-year, $50 million deal.
A promising young player can always disappoint or get injured, but it usually hurts the team more when he leaves after six or seven years for a lot more money. Carroll’s bankruptcy may be hard for Arizona now, but the odds of him not being a player at the MLB level seem low, and especially less than the odds of him becoming someone who could control hundreds of millions of dollars in free agency.
As for Carroll, $111 million is still life-changing money, and he can get more if he gets great and stays great at 32. MLBPA has never been happy with these deals, but players are taking them for a reason.
