Guardians get $90 million contract projection on Chase DeLauter despite injury concerns originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Guardians are not known as a team that's willing to spend top-dollar to re-sign or add players on the open market. And the same methodology can be applied to internal extension candidates.
Other than Jose Ramirez, the Guardians have been more than willing to part with veterans for prospects. And while it's only the beginning of his MLB career, there is a worry that a similar path could be awaiting Chase DeLauter.
After a red-hot start to the year, an extension for DeLauter would make sense. And despite his injury risk, The Athletic's Jim Bowden projected that the Guardians' 24-year-old outfielder would get a $90 million deal on an extension this year.
Approximate market value: eight years, $90 million," Bowden writes. "The only potential red flag is DeLauter's long history of injuries, which have limited him to fewer than 200 professional games since he was drafted in the first round in 2022."
Cleveland signing DeLauter to a long-term deal would come with a lot of risk. They typically don't make such deals in the first place, and with someone with injury concerns, it would be an even more out-of-character decision.
But, even though he cooled down a bit following his scorching hot start to the year, he's still playing fairly well for Cleveland this season.
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DeLauter, in 26 games, has five home runs, 21 hits, 12 runs scored, 16 RBIs, five doubles, and one triple to go with a 13-to-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He also has a .233 batting average and an .805 OPS.
While he might not be as red-hot as he was to begin the season, DeLatuer is still just 24 years old and a solid outfielder who would be someone worth keeping around for a long time.
The injury risk is a big issue the team will have to overcome, but if DeLauter can stay healthy, a $90 million deal over eight years would be a bargain for someone as talented as DeLauter.
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