March 26: The Rockies have formally announced Tovars extension. Per , the 2031 option has a $23MM salary and $2.5MM buyout March 24: The Rockies and shortstop have agreed to a long-term contract extension that will run through at least the 2030 season. The 22-year-old Tovar will earn $63.5MM over the seven guaranteed years of the deal, and the Rockies hold a club option on his services for the 2031 season that could bring the total to $84MM if triggered. Tovar is represented by the Rimas Sports Agency, and the extension will be official once the shortstop pa ses a physical. Tovar was already under club control through the end of the 2028 season, and this next extension will now add at least two and maybe three more years to his time in Colorado. Due to Tovars young age, hell still be in his prime when eligible for free agency, as hell either be 29 or 30 years old at the end of the deal depending on whether or not the Rox exercise their club option. Tovar entered the 2023 season as a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport. The youngster made the clubs Opening Day roster as the starting shortstop last year but got off to a difficult start before heating up towards the end of April. Tovar managed to carry that hot streak into the All Star break, hitting a solid .283/.314/.479 with nine home runs during that 65 game stretch. Unfortunately, however, Tovar struggled in the second half and hit a paltry .246/.277/.386 the rest of the way. While Tovars 66 extra-base hits hinted at real power potential, the youngster struck out in 27% of his trips to the plate while walking just 4.1% of the time. That undisciplined approach left him with a wRC+ of just 70, 30% below league average and fourth-worst among all qualified hitters in the majors last year. Difficult as Tovars rookie season may have been, his age and prospect pedigree make it easy to imagine Mika Zibanejad Jersey him finding another gear offensively in the coming years, and his glove is already nothing short of elite. Tovars defense at shortstop was worth a whopping 16 Outs Above Average last year, which ranks in the 99th percentile of all MLB fielders . was similarly impre sed with Tovars work in the field, as his +12 DRS ranked behind only , , and among major league shortstops last year. Glovework of that caliber can be a carrying tool that allows players to remain productive overall in the majors leagues even if they struggle at the plate. Thats particularly true at shortstop, where strong defensive players can put together star-level production with even average offensive contributions. For the Rockies, that leaves this deal as a somewhat le s risky arrangement than it might seem on the surface; after all, the deal is somewhat similar to the eight-year, $70MM pact the Pirates and third baseman agreed to on the heels of a 2021 campaign that saw Hayes post a 85 wRC+ in 96 games. That deal maxes out at $82MM over nine years if Pittsburgh exercises its club option, a similar commitment to the $84MM over eight years Tovar will earn if his club option is exercised by the Rockies. For Tovar, meanwhile, the deal locks in life-changing money while still affording him the opportunity to hit the open market in his prime. Of course, in signing the deal he also forgoes the opportunity to hit free agency in his mid-20s, a route which has led other players such as and to ma sive paydays worth $300MM or more. On the other hand, Tovar would surely have to break out and become at least an above-average hitter in the majors to command a deal of that sort of caliber. While such an improvement with the bat cant be ruled out, its certainly understandable for the 22-year-old to prioritize financial security, particularly on a deal that will still offer him a second bite of the apple following his age-29 season. With Tovar now locked up for at least the next seven seasons, the Rockies have now set into place a clear building block for the clubs future. On the heels of the first 100-lo s season in franchise history, the club spent cautiously in free agency with short-term agreements for players such as , , and . That approach leaves little optimism for a 2024 club that appears to be buried behind four highly competitive teams in the NL West. Even so, with Tovar and another emerging youngster in under long-term team control and a farm system rife with exciting prospects like Amael Amador and , its certainly po sible that brighter days lie ahead for the Rockies. With the clubs longest extension since the one afforded to prior to the 2019 season now in place, Tovar is now all but certain to be a major part of that future. . first reported the extension, the seven-year term, and the total value of the contract if the club option is exercised. . reported the extensions $63.5MM value over the seven guaranteed years. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images Dylan Roobroeck Jersey