Martin Prado signs extension with the Marlins

Amidst the high emotion of the last couple days, we get a bit of good news that was perhaps expected, but the timing of it is appreciated nonetheless:

You’ll have to forgive Clark his small typo as I’m sure he was rushing to be the first to break the story.

Martin Prado first joined the club in December 2014 in a trade with the New York Yankees that also saw David Phelps come to Miami, in exchange for Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Jones and Domingo German. Prado has emerged as a team leader these past two seasons with the Fish, and was one of the first players to step up to a mic in the wake of José Fernàndez’s untimely demise Sunday.

He has contributed approximately 6.3 fWAR in his two seasons in Miami, providing above replacement level work both up at the dish and in the field. This season has seen Martin hit .305/.360/.415 with seven homeruns, 37 doubles and 73 runs batted in.

The deal (three years, $40 million dollars) seems reasonable and is probably close to what he would’ve fetched on the open market, where he was certain to draw keen interest. The Marlins are banking on him continuing to provide an above average bat near the top of the lineup through ages 33-35, but they’re also re-signing a guy who has become the unofficial team captain, and when stories began to come out late last year about Prado’s leadership, you knew it was only a matter of time before the two sides got this done.

The timing of the deal is a strong signal to players who would consider coming to Miami that this is desirable place to play and that the Marlins are going to do their best to move forward, despite the recent tragedy, and be competitive.