Seattle Mariners: JP Crawford is here to stay, what about Marte

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Apr 10, 2022
Seattle Mariners
J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur via Flickr)

On Friday, the Seattle Mariners announced they had come to terms on a contract extension with J.P. Crawford. How does the new deal affect prospect Noelvi Marte?

Friday, the Seattle Mariners announced they extended J.P. Crawford‘s contract for five more years. This extension now keeps the former Gold Glove-winning shortstop locked into the team until 2026. How does this affect their heralded prospect Noelvi Marte?

The Extension

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Crawford’s five-year extension is worth $51M. There are no option years in it, and Crawford gets a full no-trade clause in the first year. After that, he has a five-team protection list with a $1M bonus for each trade. The first four years of the deal pay $10M each, and the last year is $11M. Finally, the first year (2022) comes with a $5M signing bonus and a $5M salary.

Impact on Prospects

So, with Crawford in hand, the Seattle Mariners are set at shortstop for the next five years. What impact does the extension have on Marte?

The 20-year-old currently plays shortstop for the Everett Aqua Sox, Seattle’s High-A affiliate. But many scouts questioned if Marte would be a shortstop in the Majors due to his 6′ 1″ size. The prevailing thought is that he might be able to start at short before then sliding to third base.

Subsequently, Crawford’s extension means that Marte will be headed to third base sooner rather than later, which works out perfectly for the Seattle Mariners. Currently, they have third base held down by a combination of Eugenio Suarez and Abraham Toro. Neither one of them should prevent Marte from eventually manning the hot corner at T-Mobile Park.

Rewarding Hard Work

Another thing this contract does is show the rest of the team that hard work brings rewards. Crawford is also the first young player M’s General Manager Jerry Dipoto acquired for the rebuild that received a long-term deal. He, of course, won’t be the last one either.

What do you think about the Seattle Mariners extending J.P. Crawford for five years? Let us know in the comments section below.

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