After a frustrating 73-89 season, the Minnesota Twins made a big move on Sunday. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Twins are signing star center fielder Byron Buxton to a seven-year, $100-million contract extension, which includes a full no-trade clause.
Here are a few more details regarding Buxton’s new contract, per Rosenthal.
Minnesota Twins get a steal with Buxton deal
Addressing the elephant in the room with Buxton, he has never played a full season, with his career-high 140 games coming back in 2017. For him to take the next step as a superstar, MVP candidate, he needs to be able to be out in center, not on the injured list.
This contract insulates them from further durability issues, in a way, by not offering a sky-high dollar amount, while offering the potential for Buxton to earn more via MVP bonuses and plate appearances.
For Buxton, the key is being available, but now he has millions of reasons motivating him to stay healthy and be able to rack up plate appearances. His 511 plate appearances in 2017 represent his career-high, with his next-highest being 331 across 92 games in 2016.
Buxton, who only played in 61 games last season, will remain with Minnesota for the foreseeable future. And the no-trade clause indicates that’s exactly where he wanted to be, all along.