[ad_1]
13h17: The Rockies announced the deal.
11:47 am: Rockies and right-handed Antonio Senzatela agree to a five-year, $ 50.5 million contract extension, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. There is also a club option for the 2027 season. Senzatela, a client of Republik Sports, was heading for his second trip as part of the refereeing process and was previously under club control throughout the 2023 season.
It’s a pretty surprising first step for new managing director Bill Schmidt, who lost the “interim” label to his title over the weekend. Senzatela has looked like a durable innings eater with a heavy approach at times, but he also has one of Major League Baseball’s lowest strikeout rates and was only online for a modest $ 3 million salary increase this season in officiating. . He will now earn $ 7.25 million in 2022 and 2023 before making $ 12 million per year from 2024 to 2026, according to Passan. Option 2027 is valued at $ 14 million.
Senzatela, 26, has been a lasting spinner for Colorado over the past few seasons, although it should be noted that as of 2019 he was selected in triple A and finished the season with an ERA of just under 7.00. The right-hander was hammered for a 10.34 ERA from July to September this season, but has seen much more success since his return.
In 40 starts and 230 executives dating back to opening day 2020, he’s worked a combined 4.11 earned run average – albeit with a 15% strikeout rate that ranks him 188th out of 198 starting pitchers. have pitched at least 100 innings during this period. Senzatela ranks on the opposite side of the pendulum with the 15th best walk rate over this period (5.1%) and 22nd ground ball percentage (51.1%).
Obviously, the Rockies are betting he’ll be able to keep cutting runs out at about an average pace, relying heavily on his mix of strong control and skill to induce Grounders. Part of the challenge for Senzatela will lie in his ability to reduce the speed at which he allows hard contact. Of the 98 Major League Baseball qualified pitchers this season, Senzatela’s opponents average exit speed of 90.6 mph was the sixth-highest. This is in part due to a propensity to allow hard contact with the ground; his exit speed on balls on the ground is the fourth highest in the MLB, while on balls in the air, it’s a slightly less alarming 27th.
Historically speaking, there are plenty of precedents for launchers in Senzatela’s service bracket – over four, under five – signing an agreement in that lineup. Kyle hendricksThe 2019 extension with the Cubs, a five-year deal with a guaranteed value of $ 55.5 million, is the most recent and closest parallel.
Notably, Hendricks also goes largely against the archetypal batting machine of today. However, it relies more on weak contact and precise control to compensate for one of the slower fastballs in the game, while Senzatela’s power sinker hovers in the 95mph range but just doesn’t miss out. lots of bats.
While both pitchers are heavy command performers, Hendricks had a far superior track record which included a previous third place finish in the NL Cy Young poll. He had already agreed to a $ 7.405 million salary for the upcoming 2019 season, and Senzatela reportedly struggled to earn a second arbitration salary in that range. If Hendricks was indeed cited as a point of comparison in the negotiations, it is a good deal for the Senzatela camp to have approached this same guarantee with a clearly statistical platform.
That said, while the price might be a bit surprising, the Rockies certainly place extra value on pitchers who have shown the ability – and the desire or will – to pitch effectively at Coors Field. Persuading any free agent starting pitcher to commit to a multi-year high pitch pitch is a difficult undertaking. Beyond that, the Rockies have a fairly weak farming system, so trading for a controllable pitcher is easier said than done. Senzatela has had his fair share of success in recent seasons and, if he can continue on the same trajectory he showed from 2020-21, the deal will look pretty reasonable.
From a payroll perspective, the Rox can certainly afford the deal as structured. Colorado had a guaranteed salary of just under $ 47 million on the books for 2022, and Senzatela’s salary takes that up to just over $ 54 million. Charlie blackmon will add an additional $ 21 million when he exercises a player option for the 2022 campaign, but even the next $ 75 million to $ 76 million is nowhere near the record payroll of $ 145 million. Colorado reportedly agree to overtime with first baseman CJ Cron too, but this should not increase the payroll too much in 2022.
Moreover, by the time Senzatela’s salary increases to $ 12 million, the Blackmon contract will be off the books. The Rockies didn’t have a single guaranteed paycheck on the 2024 payroll before this long-term deal, although a $ 16 million club option on the top pitcher German Marquez seems likely to be exercised, unless there is an injury or significant decline. An annual salary of $ 12 million for a Senzatela Nature Sleeve Eater is not a huge price to pay, although the downside with him is greater than with other arms who have signed in this price range – and it’s a bit surprising to see this price tag agreed so far in advance.
Ultimately, Senzatela’s extension reminds us that the Rockies don’t consider themselves as far removed from the competition as their 74-win season and -57 point differential suggest. Colorado resisted conventional wisdom on deadline by choosing to hang on Trevor’s story, Jon gray, Daniel Barde, Cron and other commercial candidates, ultimately only moving Mychal donations despite being buried in the division and lacking long-term control over these players.
Owner Dick Monfort has stated several times in the past that he believes the current Rockies core is capable of competing, although that core will likely turn around at least to some extent with Story’s planned departure. Competing in a division with the top two teams of 2021, plus an imperfect but talented Padres team in winning mode now would seem like a daunting task for most teams, but the Rockies operate on an island and, in many ways, prefer their own unorthodox methodologies to the industry’s most popular trends. Marquez’s group, Senzatela, Kyle Freeland, Gray (if he has resigned) and Austin gomber could certainly form the core of a competitive pitching team, but the Roxes have little depth behind this quintet and will need another year of supernatural health in the rotation just to repeat their 2021 production. list will be needed this offseason.
[ad_2]
Source link