J.J. Hardy agrees to extension with Orioles on eve of ALCS

The success of the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 has apparently made J.J. Hardy change his mind about negotiating a new contract to stay in Charm City.

Hardy, the team’s starting shortstop and a free-agent-to-be, had said he wanted to wait until after the season to talk about a new deal.

Now, on the eve of Game 1 of the ALCS, Hardy has reportedly agreed to a three-year extension, reportedly worth about $40 million. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal broke the news. The Orioles made if official Thursday afternoon. The deal includes an option for 2018.

From Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com:

Of all of the Orioles’ pending free agents — a group that also includes Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis — Hardy was the one manager Buck Showalter pushed for the most as the two-time Gold Glove Award winner captains the team’s infield and has been a rock at shortstop.

Hardy, acquired in the 2010 offseason by former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, signed a three-year, $22.5 million extension with Baltimore in July 2011, which included incentives for being an All-Star, Gold Glove Award winner and Silver Slugger. Considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the Majors, Hardy would have commanded a hefty price tag on the open market but has made it no secret that he wanted to stay in Baltimore.

Hardy’s deal shakes up the free agent shortstop market. He was expected to be wooed by a number of teams, including the New York Yankees who will be looking for their Derek Jeter replacement.

Hanley Ramirez — a better hitter than Hardy, but not better defensively — is certainly the top shortstop option now. He’s likely to want a hefty contract, but you have to wonder how effective he can in the field in the coming years.

Hardy, 32, hit .268/.309/.372 this season with nine homers and 52 RBIs. According to Fangraphs’ WAR calculation, Hardy was the sixth most productive shortstop in baseball this season. His defense and Ramirez’s lack of defense made them even, in Fangraphs’ calculations, with a WAR of 3.4.

Other free-agent shortstops this winter: Asdrubal Cabrera, Stephen Drew and Jed Lowrie.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz