Phillies Take Chance With Long-Term Extension For Odubel Herrera

Odubel Herrera (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The Philadelphia Phillies recently extended 24-year-old centerfielder, Odubel Herrera, to a seven year, $54.5 million contract with a little over $30 million guaranteed. The former Rule 5 Draft pick posted an impressive season with the team and was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise lackluster year.

Herrera is by no means a player with superstar upside like the Manny Machados or Mike Trouts of the league. However, his play indicates someone that could remains in centerfield throughout his career, and has the upside to be a consistent All-Star.

While he may have had some defensive lapses a few times in the field last year, he was someone that the Phillies could rely on to back them up defensively. His bat had its ups and downs, but overall, was fairly impressive. Last season, he batted .286 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs and seemed to heat up later in the year.

This deal has the potential to go both ways for the Phillies. Herrera has only been with the club for two years, so there is a chance for regression in his play, which the Phillies are hoping does not happen. On the other hand, with him being such a young player, there is plenty of room for improvement, in which case the Phillies could be getting quite a deal.

All in all, this deal seems very reasonable, especially with where this team is at right now. The Phillies will not be competing for a championship this year. So making sure they lock up young talent now will be important for when they are fully rebuilt and are competing later.

Herrera is not the type of player that a team can center itself on, however he is a solid starter with the upside to be much more in the future. It is hard to put a grade on this deal, but for the time being I think this was a solid move for this Phillies organization and can help them out a great deal in the further down the road.