Sox Extend Adam Eaton
Adam Eaton receives a five-year, $23.5-million contract extension from the #WhiteSox.
— Dan Hayes (@CSNHayes) March 20, 2015
Adam Eaton’s deal includes club options for 2020 ($9.5 mil) and 2021 ($10.5 mil). Eaton has a $1.5 mil buyout if either option is declined.
— Dan Hayes (@CSNHayes) March 20, 2015
Adam Eaton’s deal could pay him $43.5 million through 2021 and he’s guaranteed $25 million. #WhiteSox
— Dan Hayes (@CSNHayes) March 20, 2015
Carl touched on this type of extension in one of his 12 blogs he wrote on Kris Bryant and the issue of whether or not he should start the season on the big league roster (he definitely shouldn’t). Anyways, Eaton wasn’t even arbitration eligible until 2016. This is his third year of service time and the Sox had team control of him through 2018. Already established as one of the premier lead off hitters in baseball, and without having even fully tapped into his potential yet, the Sox now have control of him for an incredibly cheap deal through the 2020 season. This is another example of Hahn identifying an impact player in his youth, signing him before his stock shoots through the roof, and solidifying the future with players that are among the best at their positions for a low dollar amount while they’re in the prime of their careers. Previous examples include Chris Sale, Jose Abreu, and Jose Quintana. Sale and Abreu are obviously 1%ers at their positions, and Q is a flat out great 2-3 in any rotation. The thing is, none of these guys are paid near what they provide in terms of wins and losses. Hopefully this is the case for the next 5 years with Eaton as well. All he needs to do is stay healthy, play 140-150 games a year, and this deal is pretty much highway robbery by Rick Hahn. Next up, extending Shark at season’s end.
See everyone at Joe’s on Weed tonight. I’ll be the guy who’s blacked out and losing my rent money on Canadian harness races tonight.