Quote:
Originally Posted by sc_superstar
When is too early for an extension
|
As to the title of the thread, it's never too early for an extension, if you can get them for the terms you want. That's the key point. E.g., I will readily sign a marginal player who is clearly better than the best existing FA, to 3+ years at $1-2 mill per year, if at least one of those years, he'd otherwise be a FA.
This is typically easier for players not subject to arbitration, but I've signed about 10% of my arbitration players to attractive 6-7 year extensions. Some players won't entertain an extension, some will only if it's the last season, some will with 2-3 years left in FA. And so forth. For me, I've found the player's contract demands tends to be lower early in his career, and higher later in his career, relative to my spending preferences. So, it makes sense to me to sign earlier if I know I have a long term spot for him. Of course, it's riskier to lock-in when a player doesn't have a long career to look at, but if he's good, his price tab will just increasing as one waits.