J.P. Crawford, Mariners Agree to 5-Year, $51M Contract Extension

The Seattle Mariners and shortstop J.P. Crawford reportedly reached an agreement on a five-year, $51 million contract extension ahead of the club's Opening Day game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported details of the deal, which will run through the 2026 MLB season.

Crawford has developed into one of the league's best defensive shortstops in recent years. His 14 defensive runs saved over the past two seasons ranks third behind only Carlos Correa and Trevor Story, per FanGraphs. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2020.

The 27-year-old California native was a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2013 MLB draft. He reached the major leagues with Philly in 2017 and played two seasons with the organization before getting dealt to Seattle in December 2018.

Although he's flashed the leather in the field, his results at the plate haven't lived up to the same standard. He's compiled a .698 OPS since joining the M's, which rates 25th out of 30 qualified shortstops over the past three years.

He showed modest signs of improvement in 2021, compiling career-high totals in batting average (.273), OPS (.715), home runs (nine) and runs scored (89) across 160 games for the Mariners.

Crawford is unlikely to emerge as an elite offensive producer, but if he can eventually push his OPS toward the .750 range while maintaining his status as a defensive stalwart, he'll provide the M's with plenty of bang for the buck over the next five years.

Along with his numbers, the infielder has also taken on an important leadership role for a club that's aiming to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

"He's the leader, he's the guy we look up to, to make the big play and all the routine plays and I think he brings a charisma and swagger to this team that is hugely important," reserve Dylan Moore told KING 5 Sports' Chris Egan in March. "It brings out some confidence in other players that might be closed off. So yeah, his value is unmeasurable, for sure."

Crawford added: "Oh, yes definitely, growing up I've always had a leadership role on my teams. So being here and knowing guys want to come up to me and ask me questions and stuff. I'm ready, I want to be that guy."

The shortstop will hit near the bottom of a much-improved lineup that features several key offseason additions, including Adam Frazier, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez.

Seattle opens the season with a seven-game road trip against the Twins and Chicago White Sox before returning to T-Mobile Park for their home opener against the Houston Astros next Friday.