Arroyo signs two-year extension

[CincyRedsFan30]

Reds lock up Arroyo

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Two days after signing their No. 1 starter through at least 2010, the Reds made the same move with No. 1A.

Right-hander Bronson Arroyo agreed to a two-year extension Thursday with an option for 2011.

That means Arroyo and Aaron Harang will be in the rotation for at least the next four years.

The new deal pushes Arroyo's deal to $33.07 million, including the buyout. It pledged $25 million in new money. The deal is an extension of the three-year deal Arroyo signed with Boston Jan. 19 of last year. I

Arroyo's old contract was to pay him $3.8 million this season and $3.95 million in 2008. The extension includes a $2.5 million signing bonus, payable in 2008.

It will pay him $9.5 million in 2009 and $11 million in 2010. The Reds have an option for $11 million in 2011 with a $2 million buyout. The 2011 salary can rise to $13 million based on inning incentives.

Harang will make $4.25 million this season, $6.75 million in ’08, $11 million in ’09 and $12.5 million in ’10. There is a club option for $12.75 million with a $2 million buyout for 2011.

Arroyo went 14-11 in 2006 with a 3.29 ERA and led the major leagues with 240 2/3 innings.

Arroyo, 30, made the All-Star Game last year and was awarded by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America as the winner of both the Johnny Vander Meer Award as the club’s Most Outstanding Pitcher, and the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.

He ranked among the NL pitching leaders in starts (35, tied for first), ERA (fourth), complete games (three, tied for fifth) and strikeouts (184, tied for sixth).

Arroyo has set career highs for starts, innings and quality starts each of last three years.

The Reds got Arroyo in a trade for Wily Mo Pena March 20 of last year.

[Slyder]

Huge Cudos to WK for this. Now we have 2 guys set in the rotation and dont have to rush Bailey into roles he isnt ready for .

[missionhockey21]

Honestly, I am not thrilled from first glance. Arroyo was indeed a huge pitcher last season, but that was coming off some nasty results and meeting some hitters he has never faced. Don't get me wrong, I am not upset by any means. I We still have him on the cheap for two years and even though by the end of the contract, he'll be starting to push it age wise, I really don't see him ever regressing to the lowest of the lows he had in Boston, I just don't know if we can expect 2006 from him for the next four years. Another way to look at is to just average out the four years and in total the deal looks like a bargain. I am glad that we have a buyout on the last year, just in case. All in all, way to go RCast/Krivsky.

Nice commitment at least from the ownership to lock up our aces and hopefully ensure that they plan to build around Bailey-Harang-Arroyo and build a winner. More importantly I think this is speaking big on Arroyo and Cincinnati. So many want to dismiss Arroyo in wanting to leave for FA as soon as possible (for Boston) but this shows that he thinks we can be a winner in Cincy and he was willing to sign again and not test the market two years from now. For both of our top guys to do that is heartwarming to say the least.

[redsrbetter]

Amazing! This was definitely unexpected and a pleasant surprise. I scremed for joy when I read this post. Nice 1-2 punch for the next few years. Krivsky is definitely locking up what once was a weakness. At least we know that our rotation is starting to look above average. Especially if Bailey can be the force we expect.

I have the same uneasy feeling as mission, and I do not think he will produce as he did last year. But his arm angles do and will continue to confuse people and that is where he is at his best. I think he will regress a bit, but not greatly. Maybe by 2011 we will see hitters become used to Arroyo. But right now, this makes the team's future a whole lot brighter. The last few days explains Bailey will not be alone at the top of what would have been a mediocre rotation.

[NFLman2033]

yeah, now can i make my Jimmy Haynes and Paul Wilson comparison..

seriously.. a little too soon to lock him up.. I mean his 2nd half was pretty bad.. if he throws a whole season like that 2nd half we are in big trouble.. I really think we needed to wait on making this move.. I do like that we are concentrating on Pitching.. but it seems a bit rushed..

I really hope Homer comes in and is everything he is projected to be we are going to need it. because even if the 2nd half of last year is an indication.. Arroyo is a good enough #3 starter.. but if Bailey does poorly, we maybe in hell with pitching for a couple years.. I know I didn't want Bailey to make the team out of ST because I wanted to see how he does in AAA first, but this team really needs Bailey to fire it up out the gates and make opening day roster..

[Mr. D™]

another great move, to bad it isn't for 4 years instead of 2 years, he's my favorite pitcher we have

now we need to lock in a few more players

[redsrbetter]

NFL brings up a great point. Arroyo did struggle in the second half. The comparison between him and Paul Wilson is very fair. Remember in 05 when Wilson had an outstanding first half and just couldn't get past the 10 win mark after that? Arroyo pretty much copied that in a better fashion. The injury bug hit Wilson again though and I would hate to see anything like that happen to Bronson, but all we can do is hope for the best in that sense. This may be a stretch to some of you, but I still think Wilson could have been a good pitcher after the '05 season. He never really got the chance last year because of the injury. Jimmy Haynes on the other hand got that second chance and plummeted. So the comparison is still not fair between he and Arroyo.

I still like the signing and will not expect as big of numbers from Arroyo this year. It also mixes in with what mission said in that opposing bats may have caught on to his style. Who knows, but its definitely something to discuss. What do the rest of you think about this?

[Providence A's]

2 years / $25 mil? wow...he's not worth that IMHO...I guess they're just "overpaying" him at the end to balance out the cheapness in the beginning?

[Fishercat]

Arroyo Ownage!

[redsrbetter]

No doubt, it is a hefty contract. But imagine how big it would be if he did have a strong second half. It is almost as if he may have crutched the past and blessed the future. I don't think he would have seen an extension if the contract would have been for more.

Talking about the future though. This deal may also hurt it a bit due to the chance of not having the money to buy that needed FA or not being able to afford that trade deadline deal because of his contract.

[Mr. D™]

2 years / $25 mil? wow...he's not worth that IMHO...I guess they're just "overpaying" him at the end to balance out the cheapness in the beginning?

My opinion is he's worth every penny, so what he slumped near the end, it's not like he can't rebound from that

[browntown653]

$12.5 mil a year for a guy who had one good season does seem a little bizarre to me. But at least they seem to be committing to locking up the pitching talents in the organization.

[albbla2000mu]

That sort of contract gets you a guy like Gil Meche in the open market. I by no means feel he is going to be an All-Star level pitcher in years to come. But...he is a better pitcher than you could acquire via free agency for that type of money. A very nice re-signing for the Reds.

[ghettochild]

lol.

harang...okay, its about time. get ready for four more seasons of harang-a-k's (C)2005-2007



arryooyoyoyoyoyoy...not worthy of a harang-a-k.

[CincyRedsFan30]

2 years / $25 mil? wow...he's not worth that IMHO...I guess they're just "overpaying" him at the end to balance out the cheapness in the beginning?

That's exactly what they're doing.

In essence it is a little over $8 million per year for four years (not counting the final option/buyout year).

Not bad, especially based on the market.

He's no Eric Milton, that's for sure.