Julio Rodriguez Contract Might Set Mold For Next Generation Of Young Stars

The Seattle Mariners went to great lengths to ensure Julio Rodriguez remains the face of their franchise for a very long time.

The M’s on Friday locked up the young phenom to a massive new contract, per multiple reports. Rodriguez is expected to make more than $200 million and could earn up to $450 million, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, who broke the financial terms. ESPN’s Jeff Passan followed up to say the “very complicated” extension is for up to 14 years.

According to Passan, there are both player and team options in the agreement.

Without knowing the specifics of options and what exactly would trigger the full worth of the deal, it still feels like a potential game-changer. A 14-year deal is historic in its own right, but this sort of agreement between player and team could completely revolutionize the way business is done in baseball. Granted, Rodriguez has all the makings of a generational superstar not seen in Seattle since Ken Griffey Jr., so it is not surprising to see him as the recipient of such a deal.

But this certainly feels like a pretty fair baseline and mechanism for both the player and team to win. In the long run, Rodriguez might technically give up earning power. Just about any long-term contract for a 21-year-old star will look team-friendly. If he turns into what he looks like — someone on the level of Mike Trout or Juan Soto — he might end up costing himself some money. The flip side to that? $200 million guaranteed. That sure helps.

For the Mariners, it’s a commendable commitment to a core player around whom the team can build for years. Seattle isn’t necessarily a small-market team, but it hasn’t been known to reel in massive-money free agents, either. If the M’s let Rodriguez get to market, they probably would have lost him. Most teams do. But they also knew in order to avoid ever getting there, they were going to have to pay up. Kudos to them for doing that, and if Rodriguez maximizes the full potential of the contract, then the Mariners win just as much as Rodriguez. Not just that, it’s a tangible step to prove commitment to fielding a solid team now and in the future.

Both sides made concessions, but it also feels like both sides win. That typically means it’s a pretty fair agreement, no?

There are, of course, potential drawbacks. Plenty of people raved about the Fernando Tatis Jr. extension, and the jury is very much out on that one given recent developments. It’s also assuming the Mariners will do the right things, too. The Angels locked up Mike Trout, and well, look where they’re at.

But for now, this generally seems like a good thing for both Rodriguez and the Mariners. Life-changing money for a player who could and should be the in-his-prime face of a franchise that is looking to end a very long postseason drought. Hopefully this sort of trend continues across the sport.