After reports emerged last night that the Nats were closing in on an extension with Cade Cavalli, the team made it official this afternoon. The 28 year old right hander is signing a 4-year contract that includes a club option for a 5th year. Those first four years will cost $47 million and the team option is for $23 million.
This is not some super long term deal, but given Cavalli’s age and team control that makes sense. After this season, Cavalli had three more years of club control. That means that the Nats will be buying out at least one free agent year with a chance to buy out a second.
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With that context, a five year deal always felt like the sweet spot. That is pretty much what this contract is. If the club option is picked up, it will be a 5 year $70 million deal. That is actually $10 million less than what I predicted this morning.
That feels like a great length and takes Cavalli right through his prime years. By the end of the fifth season, Cavalli will be 33 years old. This deal means that Cade Cavalli will spend his prime years in DC. That should be music to Nationals fans ears.
In their announcement of the deal, both Paul Toboni and Mark Lerner were quoted. They spoke of Cavalli’s resilience and character, as well as his baseball ability. That resilience was really tested in Cavalli’s journey. As we know, his Tommy John recovery was less than smooth. About 18 months ago, this day felt very unlikely, but here we are.
This contract has been well earned and feels like a great deal for both sides. For the team, they lock up their ace for four to five years. Meanwhile, Cavalli gets long term security after his career looked to be in jeopardy only a couple years ago.
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If Cavalli continues to pitch like he has this year, the deal will be a bargain. On the season, Cavalli has a 3.12 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 164.2 innings. The newly extended Cavalli will have a chance to get his 200th strikeout tonight against the Cardinals.
This is a massive day for both Cavalli and the Nats. It is a statement that the Nats are actively looking to keep core pieces in the building long term. You can question whether the deal should have been longer, but it is done and Cavalli will be a National for the foreseeable future.
Tonight will be a celebration of Cade Cavalli and his new contract. Hopefully he can continue to do what he has been doing all season and deliver another quality start. This is a big win for the Nats and hopefully this is the first of many extensions.
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