Third baseman Miguel Sano is in agreement with the Minnesota Twins on a three-year contract extension, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. It includes a club option for the 2023 season and will buy out two year sof free agency.— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 11, 2020
Earlier on in the evening it was noted that Minnesota and
Miggy had not reached an agreement. While that may suggest things trending
towards a filing disparity or a hearing, it was then later reported the club
had inked him to a three-year, $30 million contract. Sano will receive $27
million over the first three years, with a $14 million club option or $3
million buyout in year four.
Slated to hit free agency in the 2022 season, this new deal
buys out two years of free agency with the possibility of a third. The deal
will take Sano through his age-30 season, and could keep him in a Twins uniform
until after he turns 31.
After being a heralded prospect expected to lead the Twins
to the Promised Land, he’s gone through quite a bit of growing pains. From nearly
winning Rookie of the Year, to playing right field, to off-field
transgressions, a demotion to Single-A, and ultimately a rise that culminated
in a career year, the 26-year-old has experience it all.
That career year in 2019 shouldn’t be looked at solely
through numbers either. It started out with a trip from Rocco Baldelli to the
Dominican, and was soon aided by the presence of elder-slugger Nelson Cruz. The
message has been one of maturation and commitment. Sano has always possessed
the entire toolkit when it comes to playing baseball, but choosing to harness
it has been a different story. He put in the work both physically and mentally
last year, and unsurprisingly the results followed.
Over 105 games Sano clubbed 34 dingers and posted a .923
OPS. His .346 OBP and .576 SLG were noteworthy on their own. He generated a 138
OPS+ and looked the part of a power bat in one of the most dangerous lineups in
the sport.
The extension follows a similar pattern to those handed out
to both Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco a year prior. The hope would now be that
the Twins would hammer out a deal with starting pitcher Jose Berrios. Both he
and Byron Buxton look the part of future cogs as well, and coming to a common
ground that creates future certainty would be a great development for the club.
Minnesota still has work to do this offseason, but they
nailed this in locking down their Bringer of Sano.
It’s entirely conceivable that by the time Miguel Sano plays out his new #MNTwins contract, he’s second all time on the home run list in Minnesota history.— Ted (@tlschwerz) January 11, 2020
