Outfielder Charlie Blackmon, who recently expressed concern about the climate for free agents, opted to take himself off the vaunted 2018-19 market and agreed to an extension with the Colorado Rockies that could pay him up to $108 million.
Blackmon and the Rockies reached agreement on a pact that will pay him $75 million over four seasons, beginning in 2019, with player options of $21 million for 2022 and $10 million for 2023.
Blackmon will make $14 million this season - including a $2 million signing bonus, and $21 million in each of the next three seasons, with incentive clauses based on plate appearances and a no-trade clause in which he can block deals to 15 clubs.
Blackmon, 32, was drafted by the Rockies out of Georgia Tech in the second round of the 2008 MLB draft. Though he never cracked a top 100 prospects list, he has gone on to earn two All-Star nominations and two Silver Sluggers in seven seasons in Colorado in which he’s hit .305/.360/.500 overall. Last season he hit .331/.399/.601 en route to a National League batting title and a fifth place finish in MVP voting.
"I knew this was going to be a big year for me, leading into this season, this season and what would happen after the season," Blackmon said. "I weighed all my options and chose what I feel like is the best decision for me and my family, and that's to stay in Colorado."
In high school, Blackmon was a left-handed pitcher. He was picked by the Marlins in the 28th round of the 2004 draft. A year later, he was selected in the 20th round by the Red Sox after a season with Young Harris College in Georgia. He attended Georgia Tech, where he switched from the mound to outfield full-time. Then he was taken by the Rockies in the second round in 2008.
"I always felt like I was going to be really good at something," Blackmon said. "I really wanted it to be baseball. For a long time, I wanted it to be pitching. Turns out, I stink at pitching ... I'm glad I was able to make that change."
