The Colorado Rockies and RHP German Marquez have agreed to a year / $20M contract extension the club announced Friday.
Marquez, who is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, will now be under team control through the 2025 campaign. The 28 year old was in the final year of a 5 year / $43M contract which had a $16M team option for 2024, with a $2.5M buyout clause. Under the new deal, Marquez gets some financial guarantees as he continues to recover, while Colorado gets a viable starter at a discounted rate.
Also included in the deal are several escalators which could earn Marquez several million more in performance bonuses. An additional $6M in performance bonuses, structured around 140, 150, and 160 innings benchmarks are available, while another $4M in roster bonuses can be achieved as well. The Venezuelan born pitcher’s new deal also includes a $1M trade kicker if the Rockies ultimately opt to move on from him.
Most of the bonuses negotiated by agent Daniel Szew center around the 2025 campaign as Marquez will still be recovering from his procedure through the start of Spring Training in 2024. The operation, which was performed by Rockies medical director Dr. Thomas Noonan, was conducted on May 12th and usually carries a 9-12 month recovery timeline in most cases.
Originally signed as an international free agent by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, Marquez and Jake McGee were traded to the Rockies in exchange for Corey Dickerson and Kevin Padlo in January of 2016. Later that season, the former All-Star made his MLB debut as a 21 year old, making 3 starts across 6 appearances in Colorado.
Over the course of an 8 year career, Marquez has accumulated a 65-56 record with a 4.41 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 983 strikeouts, all with the Rockies organization.
Marquez is currently 2 strikeouts shy of the Rockies franchise record mark of 985 set by Jorge De La Rosa, albeit he’s made it there in 125 fewer innings than his predecessor.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Ian D’Andrea. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.