The Tampa Bay Rays saw enough in the 70 major league games that shortstop Wander Franco played to tie him to a massive contract.
Sources confirm to ESPN that the 20-year-old has agreed to a 12-year contract that guarantees him around $ 185 million. The deal has a maximum value of $ 223 million.
That dwarfs the previous record contract for a player with less than a full year of service time. At age 21 in 2019, Ronald Acuña Jr. signed an eight-year, $ 100 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Franco hit .288 with seven homers and 39 RBIs last season and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He stepped up his game in the postseason, hitting .368 with two home runs and four RBIs in four games.
Franco would not become eligible for arbitration until 2024 and could not become a free agent until 2027, but that was under the current collective agreement, which expires on December 1.
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