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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The Royals and [Joakim] Soria reached agreement Saturday on a six-year contract agreement that runs through 2014. The deal is believed to include $8 million in guaranteed money over the next three seasons with club options for 2012-2014 that could boost the total value to $32 million.
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Soria is making $426,500 this year in his second big-league season. The new deal offers removes the possibility of salary arbitration after 2009 and 2010. It also offers the possibility for the Royals to avoid a third year of arbitration and up to two years of free-agent eligibility.
The deal’s total value, including option years, projects as roughly $30 million if Soria remains a reliever. It includes about $2 million in accelerator clauses if he becomes a starting pitcher.
AP: Soria signs multiyear deal with Royals
NTNgod
Posted: May 17, 2008 at 08:24 PM | 12 comment(s)
Related News: General, Kansas City
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Interesting there is an accelerator if he becomes a starting pitcher. Nice to know management is considering moving him to the rotation.
Its updated now. Total value with options could be $32 million.
I like the look of this contract from both sides, even with Soria possibly giving up free agent years. Relatively minimal risk on the Royals part, relatively large year-to-year security on Soria's part.
That's a pretty nice deal for the Royals. In an open market, you'd be thrilled to get Soria at $8 million just for this year. You get about half of the age 28-32 years, and Soria hits the market with some prime years still to sell.
I have to admit, I thought Soria would be a lock to go to the Yankees when Mariano Rivera retired. I'm not sure if it's the complexion, the facial expression, or what, but he and Rivera are linked in my mind.
comps. Papelbon hasn't hit arb years or been bought out yet. Street is making $3.3 in his first arb year (no buyout) so we can project him to be around $5 next year, barring a buyout/collapse/injury ... let's call it $8.5 total for his first two arb years. After that he'd probably be $7.5-8 in his last arb year then who knows what on the FA market.
Chad Cordero actually went to arb in his first year and got $4.2; the Nats signed him for $6.2 this year. That's $10.4 for his first two years of arb, making Soria look like a bargain.
Any other good ones?
So, with inflation, assuming he continues to close and do reasonably well, surely he'd at least match Street and probably be in Cordero territory or higher. So if things go well, the Royals save $2-3 M in the first two arb years, probably another $1-2 M in the 3rd and potentially heaps in the 2 FA years. If things go OK but not good (i.e. starting soon he becomes a mediocre closer or a good middle guy), they probably lose 2-3 M in the first 2 years, then don't pick up the option. With a disaster, they're out $5-8 M. That looks a reasonable risk to me given the closer market -- even if it's not optimal (and I'm not saying it isn't), it's close enough. (Whether the closer market is "reasonable" is a whole other question.)
And just imagine if he can successfully make the transition to starter.
With Justin Upton backing him in RF.
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