The Colorado Rockies have signed stalwart right-hander Germán Márquez to a two-year contract extension covering the 2024-25 seasons, the team announced Friday. The contract is worth $10 million each season and includes $10 million in bonuses in 2025, reports ESPN. Márquez had Tommy John surgery in May and will miss the start of the 2024 season.
"Germán has been an integral part of the Rockies organization both on and off the field since his first Major League season in 2016," Rockies GM Bill Schmidt said in a statement. "We are excited to secure Germán's future in Denver with this extension and can't wait to see him back out on the mound."
This is the final guaranteed season on the five-year, $43 million contract Márquez signed in April 2019. That deal included a $16 million club option with a $2.5 million buyout for 2024. The new contract locks him in for 2024, which will be a partial year following Tommy John surgery, and what should be a full season in 2025.
Márquez, 28, originally joined the Rockies in a four-player trade that notably sent Corey Dickerson to the Tampa Bay Rays in January 2016. He made his MLB debut that September and pitched to a 4.25 ERA in 793 2/3 innings from 2017-21. Márquez was 16% better than the average pitcher those years once adjusted for ballpark and the league's run-scoring environment.
Prior to his injury earlier this season, Márquez allowed 11 runs in 20 innings in four starts. Colorado's rotation was thin to start with coming into the season, and subsequent injuries have left them to rely on journeymen like Chase Anderson, Ty Blach, Chris Flexen, and Connor Seabold, among others.
Márquez is one of the best pitchers in the relatively short history of the Rockies. He ranks among the franchise leaders in wins (65), innings (1,016), strikeouts (983), WHIP (1.28), pitching WAR (16.0), and many other important categories.
At 51-88, the Rockies have the third worst record in baseball, better than only the Oakland Athletics (43-97) and Kansas City Royals (44-97). Colorado has not had a winning season since 2018.
