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These days, it’s all the rage in the Majors to extend young, budding stars. Even with the impeding lockout and revised CBA, teams are still doing it, such as the recent news of the Cincinnati Reds locking up 23-year old pitcher Chase Burns for seven years and $105 million.
The deals make
sense for both sides, by buying out the player’s arbitration years and a year or two (or occasionally more of free agency). For the player, they get guaranteed generational wealth, even if their performance slips or they suffer a catastrophic injury. For the team, they get to extend team control for a price that will likely end up being a discount, and usually won’t break the bank if the player underperforms.
Needless to say, the San Francisco Giants have a prime candidate for such an extension, in the form of first baseman/designated hitter Bryce Eldridge, who casually has a .265/.358/.469 line in his age-21 season, while showing mammoth power. That said, the Giants have not historically been an organization to make this type of move. So … will that change this year?
