Mariners, J.P. Crawford agree to 5-year, $51 million contract: Source
Sophia Edwards The Seattle Mariners and shortstop J.P. Crawford have agreed to a five-year contract extension, the team announced, worth $51 million, a source told The Athletic. ESPN first reported Crawford’s new deal.
The deal, which includes a $5 million signing bonus, will pay him $5 million in 2022, $10 million each year from 2023 to 2025 and $11 million in 2026. The deal covers Crawford’s three remaining arbitration years and two free-agent years. He had previously agreed to a one-year, $4.85 million contract for 2022, but the new deal supersedes it.
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Crawford, 27, hit .273/.338/.376 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs last season. He won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 2020.
A first-round pick of the Phillies in 2013, Crawford joined Seattle in a 2018 trade. He has played in 213 of 222 regular-season games over the last two seasons.
“Seattle is a special place for me, and I can’t wait to be a part of the team that brings a championship here,” Crawford said in a statement. “This place is going to be nuts when we do it. We all saw that last year. I’ve said before that I’m here to win, and we’re going to win for a long time. Let’s ride.”
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
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'Dark days' to a bright future: Tracing the rise of the Mariners' J.P. Crawford
How Crawford’s offense caught up with his defense in 2021
Corey Brock, Mariners senior writer: Crawford, who won his first Gold Glove Award in 2020, had a breakout season offensively in 2021. He had a career-high 169 hits and was consistent from April through September. His offensive success finally arrived as he was willing to use the entire field. His swing decisions were better, which helped to lead to a big season.
How good is he defensively?
Brock: Crawford became a Gold Glove Award winner in 2020 under the tutelage of infield coach guru Perry Hill. He’s always had a strong arm, but he’s found a way to get himself in a better position defensively to make plays than he ever did in Philadelphia. No reason why he couldn’t pick up a few more Gold Glove Awards in the future.
Are the Mariners open to other such extensions?
Brock: This is yet another example of the Mariners securing their young players to extensions. They have done the same with first baseman Evan White and pitcher Marco Gonzales and they will continue to look to lock up their young players. They’ve already approached Jarred Kelenic in the past and will likely do the same with Logan Gilbert and, I can imagine, Julio Rodriguez at some point.