Nationals offered Ian Desmond $107 milllion over seven years last offseason
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The Nationals and homegrown, franchise-bedrock shortstop Ian Desmond are
expected to resume contract extension talks this winter, one year before
Desmond can become a free agent. The sides will reconvene with a nine-figure
starting point.
The Nationals offered Desmond a contract extension last offseason that would
have paid him $107 million over seven years, according to multiple people
familiar with the situation. The contract would have included the two-year,
$17.5 million deal Desmond signed last January, meaning Desmond would have
made $89.5 million over five would-be free agent seasons. The deal also would
have included deferred money, decreasing its true value.
Drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2004, Desmond has become a slugging,
all-star shortstop, a clubhouse leader and a pillar in the organization.
Based on his total contribution and the difficulty of finding a shortstop
with his offensive ability, the Nationals may prioritize keeping Desmond
long-term over pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, the other homegrown star eligible
for free agency after 2015.
While $107 constitutes a staggering sum and a significant offer from the
Nationals, Desmond had cause to turn it down. In a league-wide scoring
downturn, the market has rewarded players with Desmond’s ability to hit and
hit for power. One industry source, affiliated with neither the Nationals nor
Desmond, said Desmond would receive far more than $90 million over five years
if he became a free agent after 2015 with one more average season.
Recent precedents back that up. In April 2013, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus
signed an eight-year, $120 million contract extension at age 24, two seasons
away from free agency.
國民在去年季後開出了7年107M的延長合約給游擊手Ian Desmond
但被Desmond拒絕，最終在今年一月時，雙方只簽下了2年17.5M的合約
而這2年17M是原先7年合約的前半部分，也就是說7年合約的後5年共包含了89.5M
Desmond連三年獲得國聯游擊銀棒獎，若明年也能正常發揮的話
在自由球員市場要拿到5年90M的合約也並非難事
預期國民在這個冬天也會繼續和Desmond談延長合約之事宜
同時國民也希望能留下Jordan Zimmermann
Desmond和Zimmermann兩人在明年球季結束後皆會成為自由球員