Marlins lock up Dee Gordon with five-year, $50 million extension

(AP) The Miami Marlins and second baseman Dee Gordon have reached an agreement on a five-year extension, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Gordon will earn $50 million over the deal, with a vesting for a sixth season that’s worth $14 million. The deal does not include a no-trade clause, which is customary with the Marlins.

An extension between the Marlins and Gordon had been anticipated all winter. After breaking out as the regular second baseman for the Dodgers in 2014, Gordon followed up with a sensational season in 2015 and established himself as a vital part of the Marlins after being traded during the offseason.

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Gordon earned his second All-Star selection and won his first National League batting championship, posting a .333/.359/.418 batting line to go along with four homers. He also led the league in stolen bases for the second straight season with 58. Beyond that, Gordon improved with the glove, rating as a +13 in Defensive Runs Saved at second base.

At 27, there’s reason to believe Gordon is now in his prime and has a chance to live up to his value throughout this contract. With this extension, the Marlins will buy out Gordon’s three arbitration seasons, which keeps his salary stable and manageable at a time when it could have soared with another productive season. The deal also covers two years of Gordon’s free agency and potentially a third, which again could look good for Miami assuming the production remains.

Of course, that’s also assuming Miami holds on to him for the duration or even the majority of the deal. We’ve known them to make such commitments and then pull the plug after a short time by moving the contract in a trade. That could become a tempting option over time as well if his contract still looks like a bargain to other teams in need of a steadying force atop the lineup.

As it starts now though, that’s exactly what Gordon will be for Miami’s increasingly exciting offense. Having Gordon atop the order and ahead of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna means the Marlins will be able to create some quick scoring chances and put together some big innings.

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By agreeing to the deal, Gordon appears to be seeking some stability for himself as well. Though it’s likely he could have earned more going year-to-year and then hitting free agency at 30, he’ll be able to relax a bit and do his thing without that constantly hovering over him. There’s value in that to players too, and Gordon earned the right to decide what worked for him through his performance. Gordon could also hit free agency again at 32 or 33, so there would still be room for another good deal down the road.

All in all, this deal looks like a win-win at the moment, though it’s a deal that could easily turn either way before it’s completed.

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