Third baseman locked in through at least 2019 season
The Nationals signed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to a six-year contract extension that will keep him with the organization through at least 2019 with a team option for 2020, the team announced Sunday.
The deal, according to a baseball source, is worth $100 million with the seventh-year option valued at another $24 million. Add in the two years and $26 million remaining on Zimmerman’s current contract and he could earn $150 million total over the next nine seasons.
The agreement concludes months of negotiations between Washington and its most established star. Zimmerman had set a deadline of Saturday morning — the Nats’ first day of position player drills at spring training in Viera, Fla. — to conclude extension talks or table them until next offseason.
“It’s nice that it’s done,” Zimmerman told reporters at a news conference. “It’s where I wanted to be. It’s where I’ve always wanted to be.”
The two sides were close enough to a deal that Zimmerman gave permission to his agent, Brodie Van Wagenen of Creative Artists Agency, to continue negotiating through the weekend. The goal was to avoid a distraction that would linger over the team all summer and into the offseason. An agreement was finalized in the wee hours Sunday morning.
Zimmerman, 27, was the organization’s first draft pick after the team moved to the District from Montreal for the 2005 season. He was in the big leagues by the end of that summer and has started every year since. As the team endured one miserable season after another, bottoming out with consecutive 59-win seasons in 2008 and 2009, Zimmerman was the one player management could consistently sell to fans. He has 128 career home runs and a reputation for late-inning heroics with eight game-ending homers. Zimmerman was an All-Star in 2010, has twice won the Silver Slugger Award and won a Gold Glove Award in 2009.
“I’m excited to get it done with and, more importantly, get out there and start winning,” Zimmerman said. “I’ve been here when the times were bad. They’ve done a great job of building this organization from the ground up. We have young guys that are just now starting to get here, and we’re going to be good for a long time. I wanted to make sure I was here for that.”
Twice in the last four seasons Zimmerman has missed significant time because of injuries — 56 games in 2008 (shoulder) and 61 in 2011 (torn abdominal muscle). Last season’s ailment required surgery. In return for less money, Washington acquiesced on a no-trade clause that begins in 2014 and should keep Zimmerman with the organization for the majority of his career. The signing ensures nine of the team’s top players, including ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg, are under team control through at least 2015.
“This is the cornerstone of the organization, of the franchise — the first draft choice ever,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. “It’s a monumental day. … This was really the No. 1 order of business going into the offseason.”
