Throughout the offseason rumors have suggested the Miami Marlins were working on signing second baseman Dee Gordon to a contract extension. The club reportedly got that done last night.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported on Wednesday evening that the Marlins and Gordon have agreed to a five-year, $50 million contract extension that includes a $14 million vesting option for a sixth season. Jon Heyman says the option vests if Gordon reaches 600 plate appearances in the fifth year of his contract or 1,200 plate appearances combined in the fourth and fifth years. Additionally, Heyman adds the vesting option has a $1 million buyout.
However, Gordon does not get a no-trade clause in the new extension.
Once the deal becomes official, Gordon will be protected financially throughout his three arbitration years (he was eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason) and the Marlins will control him for his first two years of free agency.
The 27-year-old made the Los Angeles Dodgers pay for trading him last offseason. The Marlins acquired Gordon (as well as Dan Haren) in December of 2014 in exchange for Andrew Heaney, Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes.
The second baseman exceeded expectations, to say the least, during his first year with the Fish. He won the National League Batting Title after hitting .333/.359/.418 with 88 runs scored, 4 home runs, 46 RBI and 58 stolen bases (led MLB). He also led the league in hits with 205 and captured his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. He was voted an All-Star for the second consecutive season.
Now that the Marlins managed to settle Gordon's long-term future this offseason, the club could be a force in the weak NL East. The team brought aboard Don Mattingly as manager and Barry Bonds as hitting coach this offseason in addition to signing starter Wei-Yin Chen. Rumors have also indicated the team now wants to keep outfielder Marcell Ozuna instead of trading him, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, so the Fish's balanced roster could make a significant impact (barring injuries, of course).
Stay tuned for an official announcement on Gordon's new contract.