The Indians and second baseman Jason Kipnis have agreed to terms on a 6-year contract extension (2014-2019) worth $52.5 million, with a team option for 2020. The contract breaks down like this:
- $1 million signing bonus
- $2 million for 2014
- $4 million for 2015
- $6 million for 2016
- $9 million for 2017
- $13 million for 2018
- $14.5 million for 2019
- $16.5 team option or $2.5 million buyout for 2020
Those are nearly identical terms to what I projected in January, just with an additional year on the deal.
Kipnis would have been arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2015, and would have been eligible for free agency after 2017, so this deal puts him under team control for an additional three years. The contract locks Kipnis up through his age-32 season (with the option covering his age-33 year).
We'll have more on this later this morning. The short version: I like this, but wish 2019 was a team option too.