MIAMI (AP) — Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has agreed to terms with the team on a $325 million, 13-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations said Monday, the most lucrative deal for an American athlete.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Marlins hadn’t publicly confirmed the agreement. The person said the deal includes a no-trade clause, and Stanton can opt out after six years.
A news conference was planned Wednesday.
The contract tops the $292 million, 10-year deal Miguel Cabrera agreed to with the Detroit Tigers in March. Alex Rodriguez signed the largest previous deal, a $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees before the 2008 season.
Stanton, who turned 25 on Nov. 8, is perhaps the game’s most feared slugger. He has 154 career homers despite playing home games in spacious Marlins Park.
Stanton wasn’t due to become eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season, and signing him to a long-term deal was considered a long shot for the Marlins. They haven’t reached the playoffs since 2003, and he was distrustful of the franchise’s direction after its latest payroll purge in 2012.
Any kind of multiyear deal is a big departure for the Marlins, whose frugal ways in the past alienated fans, angered the players’ union and made them the butt of jokes.
The last time the Marlins spent big was before a poor 2012 season, the first in their new ballpark. Their 2014 payroll of $52.3 million was the lowest in the majors, and owner Jeffrey Loria has been widely unpopular.
Stanton’s season ended Sept. 11 when he was hit in the face by a pitch. Despite missing the final 17 games, he led the NL with 37 homers and a .555 slugging percentage for the Marlins, who went 77-85 but ended a three-year streak of last-place finishes in the NL East.
The Marlins have said they’re not concerned the injuries will have lingering effects. They made locking up Stanton their top offseason priority and overcame his skepticism about their efforts to fielding a winning team.
Stanton made a team-high $6.5 million in 2014. The two-time All-Star right fielder recently won the NL Hank Aaron Award and was voted the NL’s outstanding player in balloting by his fellow major leaguers. He won a Silver Slugger Award and finished second to Clayton Kershaw in NL MVP voting.