Twins: Breaking down Byron Buxton’s contract extension
It finally happened; the Minnesota Twins extended Byron Buxton to a seven-year/$100 million extension. Let’s take a look at how the new deal is constructed and what this means moving forward.
I think Twins front office had enough of our tweets and eventually thought to themselves, ‘maybe we should pay him?’ After all, I did wish for a Buxton contract extension for Christmas. It looks like my gift arrived a little earlier than I expected.
Nonetheless, Minnesota made the right decision by paying him. I don’t think this fanbase would have been too happy seeing José Berríos and Buxton get traded within a six-month span. When healthy, Buxton is a top-five player in the MLB.
He’s the best defensive centerfielder in baseball, he can hit .300 or better with power and his speed is elite. That’s a difference-maker, and when he’s on the field, the Twins are a better team.
Here’s how the deal breaks down:
This is an absolute steal for the Twins. You don’t get a player of Buxton’s caliber on a contract worth $15 million a season. Granted, that’s without incentives, but you knew that was going to be worked into his contract. The biggest problem has been his health. Since 2015, he’s played in 493 games. That’s a total of 479 games missed.
The most he can earn in a given year is $33,500,000. That’s a lot of money, but even if he earns that much, the contract is still a bargain. If you have a healthy MVP season from Buxton, more than likely Minnesota won the AL Central and have a strong chance of winning the World Series. I’ll take that any day.
Buxton earning the no-trade clause is an interesting piece to the contract. ESPN’s Ken Rosenthal explains this is what caused Buxton to agree to the deal. If he’s getting injured year after year, Minnesota can’t trade him unless he signs off on it.
Now the question becomes, how does this affect the outfield situation? Minnesota re-signed Jake Cave for one more year, and most likely this will be the last time we see him in a Twins uniform.
Will the Twins trade Max Kepler? Trevor Larnach and Alex Kiriloff look like future stars, and Miguel Sanó improved late in the season to warrant playing every day at first. This will be something Minnesota looks at this offseason after locking up Buxton up for the next seven years.
How does this affect Royce Lewis and Austin Martin? Some people believed Lewis could have been the future centerfielder, but now that is out of the question. The Twins can’t have two starting shortstops, and Jorge Polanco isn’t going anywhere. Josh Donaldson is solid at third, and Jose Miranda is in line to eventually over that position. Ultimately, this is a good problem to have if you’re Minnesota.
This also sets the tone for players in the Twins organization and those looking to sign with Minnesota. If you play well, you will get paid. I don’t think you could have said that before Buxton’s extension.
This contract extension could come back to bite Twins in the ass, but I think it’s safe to say that won’t be the case. Minnesota locked up a fan favorite and someone who can win multiple MVPs.
Buxton is a Twin for life, and all is right in the world.
