:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63340623/usa_today_12248565.0.jpg)
The Rockies are in agreement on a new five-year contract with right-handed starting pitcher German Marquez that will give him a raise for 2019 and pay him a total of $43 million from this season through 2023. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal were the first to provide details on Tuesday’s deal, which also includes a club option year:
Starter Germán Márquez and the Colorado Rockies are in agreement on a five-year, $43M contract extension, pending a physical, league sources with knowledge of the deal tell ESPN. It includes a club option that can vest into a mutual option if he has two top-3 Cy Young finishes.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 2, 2019
Source confirms: #Rockies agree left-hander German Márquez on five-year, $43M contract from 2019 to ‘23. Deal includes $1M bonus if Márquez is traded and escalators if he wins Cy Young - $1M in the fifth year and option year for first-place finish, $500K for 2nd through 5th.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 2, 2019
Along with Kyle Freeland, the 24-year-old Marquez was one of the anchors for a Rockies rotation that was arguably the best in club history last season. Over 33 starts, the right-hander posted a 3.77 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP, 230 strikeouts, and 57 walks in 196 innings. He also was one of the NL’s best-hitting pitchers, posting a .300/.300/.350 slash line with a homer in 65 plate appearances, and he delivered a satisfactory performance in his lone postseason start, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings against the Brewers.
Marquez is the second player the Rockies have signed to a long-term extension in just over two months, following Nolan Arenado, who inked a new eight-year, $260 million deal with Colorado in late February. Along with Freeland and Jon Gray, he’ll now be expected to serve as part of a three-headed monster at the front end of the Rockies’ rotation for years to come.