D-backs OF Corbin Carroll’s 8-year extension the 1st of its kind

There’s nothing new about MLB teams locking down young talent well before players reach their arbitration years.

But organizations are extending younger and younger players with less service time, and the Arizona Diamondbacks went into unprecedented territory with outfield phenom Corbin Carroll.

No player with fewer than 100 days of service time had ever received a $100 million extension.

Yet the 22-year-old and the D-backs agreed to an eight-year deal, the club announced on Saturday, that is worth $111 million with an option for 2031 that could bring the total to $134 million, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert first reported.

Incentives can max the deal out at $154 million.

Carroll has 32 MLB games of experience and 38 days of service time. He still has his rookie status entering 2023.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke earlier this spring training that having expectations for young players is a dangerous game, but he called the rookie an exceptional talent and one of the organization’s hardest workers.

The D-backs will count on that with a deal that will cover the 2019 first-round pick until he turns 30 or 31 years old.

“He has incredible makeup, and he’s one of the hardest working, most dedicated players we have in our system and on our team,” Hazen said. “And to me, that’s the foundation for a really good player.”

Last season, outfielders Michael Harris II (Atlanta Braves) and Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners) received contract extensions during their rookie campaigns in 2022. Harris set the previous record for most money secured before reaching 100 days in the bigs with an eight-year, $72 million deal ahead of winning National League Rookie of the Year.

Rodriguez agreed to a complex deal that can range from $210 million to $470 million based on a series of incentives and options that allow club flexibility and a high ceiling for the outfielder’s total earnings. He had 108 games of experience before the contract was reported.

The breakdown on Corbin Carroll’s contract with the Diamondbacks:
Year by year salaries through 2030: $1M, $3M, $5M, $10M, $12M, $14M, $28M, $28M.
The club option for 2031 is worth $28M with a $5M buyout.
Carroll receives a $5M signing bonus.

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) March 12, 2023

Carroll’s deal is also the longest deal in D-backs history — surpassing a six-year extension agreed to with outfielder Justin Upton ($51.5 million) — with the most guaranteed money on an extension the club has awarded.

The second is infielder Ketel Marte’s five-year, $76 million extension that runs through the end of the 2027 season with a club option for 2028. Zack Greinke signed the only $200 million deal in team history in 2016 ($206.5 million).

Carroll has not played many games over the past three seasons due to the 2020 minor-league campaign’s cancellation and a shoulder injury in 2021. Last year, he shot up prospect boards and is the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year.

Carroll had a 1.036 OPS with 24 home runs and 31 stolen bases last season in 93 minor-league games before getting the callup on Aug. 29.

Incredibly honored to call the valley my home for the foreseeable future. We are building something special. 🐍🐍🐍 https://t.co/sOW8cSxq3u

— Corbin Carroll (@corbin_carroll) March 12, 2023

He is No. 2 on MLB Pipeline’s list entering the 2023 season.

“I’ve tried to block it out a little bit,” Carroll told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo early in spring training. “I’ve got gratitude for being in that position. But in my mind, I’d never want to feel like the favorite. I always like feeling like the underdog, I always go out there with a chip on my shoulder, just feeling like I have something to prove.”

In his MLB debut, he hit a go-ahead double to help Arizona come back from down 7-0 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Carroll produced an .830 OPS in the majors with four defensive runs saved in the outfield and speed in the 100th percentile of the league.

Corbin Carroll has WHEELS 💨

(via @TalkinBaseball_)pic.twitter.com/uvz56aDAKh

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 2, 2023

The D-backs are counting on a young corps to help propel them to contention. OF Alek Thomas, RHP Ryne Nelson and RHP Drey Jameson made their MLB debuts last year with RHP Brandon Pfaadt gearing up for a 2023 introduction. SS Jordan Lawlar and OF Druw Jones are also top-15 prospects in MLB, while C Gabriel Moreno — an offseason acquisition — is ESPN’s No. 4 prospect in baseball.

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