Braun Contract Extended Through 2020

[schlesinj]

According to a baseball source, the extension pays $105 million from 2016-2020 and includes $10 million signing bonus. Braun will earn $19 million in 2016-18, $18 million in 2019 and $16 million in 2010, and the 2021 mutual option is worth up to $20 million with a $4 million buyout. It includes a no-trade provision, and Braun agreed to defer some salary “to help keep the team competitive.”

The $21 million average annual value of the extension is second-highest ever for an outfielder, after Manny Ramirez’s two-year deal with Dodgers.


Linky

[Bodhizefa]

Braun's a great player, but the Brewers have got to hope he continues improving (his underlying stats like contact and walk rate have been going in the right direction for a while now) to the point where he becomes a superstar elite talent for this to really be worth it for them in the end. I wonder if Fielder will feel dumb when he goes into the off-season and has to take a 5-year $95 million deal knowing that he probably could've been treated similarly to Braun had he played ball in negotiations with the Brewers.

[schlesinj]

Do they have the cash to sign both of them to contracts similar to that? I assume this is just to appease the fans, no?

[chancellor]

Mark Attansio has the cash to do whatever he wants, but he won't sign Fielder. That well, I believe, is poisoned beyond recovery. Given Fielder's issues with weight and his dad's history, I'm glad they won't sign him to any long-term deal.

IMO, even through 2019 for Braun is a monstrous risk.

[Moonlight J]

They already controlled Braun through 2015. Why given him $10M now when they had exclusive negotiation rights for another few years? After all, he's essentially been the same player over the past four seasons rather than improving as most do into this age range and now they're giving him $19M a year as he's in his 30's? Dumb

[Bodhizefa]

They already controlled Braun through 2015. Why given him $10M now when they had exclusive negotiation rights for another few years? After all, he's essentially been the same player over the past four seasons rather than improving as most do into this age range and now they're giving him $19M a year as he's in his 30's? Dumb

I don't completely agree that he's been the same player. Over the past few years he's been slowly morphing into a high contact guy with increasing walk rates as well. If he can figure out a way for the power to not drop any further, he's profiling as someone who could really be a special hitter for a good stretch. Then again, that stretch was already covered in his original deal, so this does very little to explain why in the world the Brewers went ahead and did this.