The Arizona Diamondbacks are taking a significant step to ensure that a potential franchise player is tied to the club for years to come.
The Diamondbacks agreed to an 8-year, $111 million contract with outfielder Corbin Carroll, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal also includes a club option for a 9th year that would take the total value of the contract to $134 million.
The agreement comes despite Carroll having played just 32 games at the MLB level, but Arizona is clearly convinced with what it has seen from the young outfielder. It was an admittedly impressive debut, with Carroll hitting .260 with four home runs in his brief stint at the MLB level. He will get a full season at the MLB level this season, and is the early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year.
Making attempts to sign young players to huge deals to buy out their arbitration years and some of their free agent eligibility has become a common tactic in recent years. The Diamondbacks are betting that Carroll will turn into a star and are paying him like one already, even without a full season under his belt.
