Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Gregory Polanco to Five-Year Extension
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Gregory Polanco to a five-year contract extension, hoping the future is bright for the young outfielder.
Yesterday, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan broke the news that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Gregory Polanco had come to terms on a five-year extension. The deal also includes two club options.
Source: Outfielder Gregory Polanco, Pirates agree to five-year extension w/ two club options. News at Yahoo Sports: https://t.co/QVLe4Q8jWW
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 4, 2016
Over the course of the contract Polanco will earn $35 million. Brad Johnson notes Polanco could make as much as $60 million over the life of the deal with incentives. The contract will go into effect in 2017, and it ensures that Polanco will be in a Pirates uniform through his age-30 season.
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This signing continues Pittsburgh’s trend of locking up young pre-arbitration talent. ESPN News Service compared the deal to extensions signed by Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. The Pirates, who have MLB’s 24th-ranked payroll this season, have become known for finding creative ways to gain a competitive advantage in a small market.
Buying out the arbitration years of young cost-controlled talent has allowed the Pirates to retain potential superstars at a discount. However, this strategy runs the risk of sunk costs in a player who doesn’t live up to his projections.
Baseball America ranked Polanco as its #51 prospect following the 2012 season, and #10 after 2013. He played 89 games for the Pirates in 2014, and last year he was a part of the big league club for the entire season. In his first full season he had ups and downs at the plate. In the first half of the season he struggled, hitting .228/.290/.379, but he rebounded in the second half with a .284/.347/.383 line.
Barring injury, the extension keeps Pittsburgh’s outfield of Marte, McCutchen and Polanco in place until at least 2019. Polanco has struggled to live up to high expectations, but the Pirates hope that his second half rebound is a sign of better things to come.
Next: MLB Rankings: Top Outfielders in 2016
Even if he struggles at the plate, Polanco has shown an ability to contribute defensively. Last season he finished with 12 DRS and a 6.8 UZR. Clearly there is more than one way for Polanco to provide value, and if his hitting does come around this extension could be a steal for the Pirates.