SEA extends Franklin Gutierrez; 4 yrs./$20.5M, option for 5th year

[TooLiveBrew]

Rosenthal confirms. Supposedly there's an option for a 5th year, which -- I believe -- would buy out his second year of free agency (I'd guess the option is a team option, but I'm not sure). As it stands the M's buy out his two remaining arby years, along with one FA year.

 

- FanGraphs' take

- Lookout Landing's take

- USS Mariner/Dave Cameron's brief take (I'd look for more later)

[Funketown]

That's one heck of a deal for the Mariners. Even being extremely conservative, and projecting his arby totals as follows,

 

Year 1 (2010): $4MM

Year 2 (2011): $6MM

Year 3 (2012): $8MM

 

those three years would put him at $18MM for his three arby years. You'd have to figure, unless the wheels completely fall off, that he would be able to gun for a big money deal after that. Maybe I'm missing something. Do arbiters typically undervalue defensive performance? Maybe Gutierrez would just rather have the $20.7MM than risk an injury that would take him out of baseball in spring training next year. Either way, I'm sure Mariners fans will be happy to have him patrolling center field for the next four (five, depending on the option price) years.

[Ennder]

Do arbiters typically undervalue defensive performance?

 

They generally put very little weight into defense.

[endaround]

Yeah, this deal seem like overpaying. By that I mean you would have gotten a similar deal waiting a year and would have a better clue about his true talent going forward. His projected arby total for this year is likely $2m not $4m. Defense only tends to matter at SS for arbitration and only somewhat.

[MessiahRp]

Maybe overpaying on the first year but even if they overpaid by $2mil on year one, if last year was not a statistical outlier and he continues to perform well, buying out one or possibly two years of Arby isn't a bad deal. Jack Z has looked pretty darn good so far in almost all of his moves. I think even the little stuff, like Hall for Kotchman has positive possible ramifications for the M's. I can't remember a new GM changing over almost all of the MLB personnel in such a short time and doing it with such shrewd deals across the board.

[Ennder]

I dunno, I hate the Morrow deal. I think they spent too much on Figgins. It is a mixed bag so far.

[Oldcity]

I don't get hate for the Morrow deal. He's a huge question mark at this point. League was a very good reliever last year.