Rosenthal: Royals deal with Perez could be model for Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs
Mar 4, 2016, 9:33 PM | Updated: Mar 5, 2016, 3:18 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt flips the baseball to first base during a spring training baseball workout Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A contract restructuring by the Kansas City Royals and star Salvador Perez could become a model for the Arizona Diamondbacks if they hope to fairly pay first baseman Paul Goldschmidt now and well into the future.
FOX Sports’ columnist Ken Rosenthal lists Goldschmidt as the first player who could benefit from the unlikely new deal for Perez — if it becomes a trend.
The 2015 World Series MVP was originally on a value of a contract: five years, $7 million and with three team options. After escalators, the total contract would pay Perez just $16.5 million, Yahoo! Sports reported.
The team knew it wasn’t fair, so it agreed to restructure the catcher’s contract. A new five-year, $52.5 million extension begins in 2017, and Perez gets a $6 million signing bonus on top of $13 million per year salaries in the final two years, according to Rosenthal.
Like Perez, Goldschmidt is locked in for the next few years but already isn’t paid what he’s worth. He’s to make $5.75 million this coming season, and though Arizona can pick up a $14.5 million option to keep him through 2019, that’s still extremely favorable to the D-backs.
That’s right: Goldschmidt’s highest possible salary under this contract is $1.3 million less than the value of the qualifying offer in 2015 (the qualifying offer is determined by averaging the 125 top salaries from the previous season).
This, remember, is a slugger who ranked in the top-5 of nearly every important hitting category during 2015.
Goldschmidt, of course, hasn’t complained about his contract, and it’s important to remember the Diamondbacks are under no obligation to redo it.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, he’s locked in through 2019.
Yet, the D-backs know they found a diamond in the rough when they inked Goldschmidt, and respecting how much he does for the club could lead them to making a decision based on the human element of fairness. Acknowledging how much they want him to remain a D-back could take them on the same path the Royals’ found themselves while weighing Perez’s future.
