Phillies: Odubel Herrera’s contract is still an insane bargain
By John Town
Just in case you forgot, the Phillies are getting an insane bang for their buck with Odubel Herrera’s contract and the value he provides.
I was scrolling through my Instagram feed earlier today when a recent post from Odubel Herrera came up. The Phillies center fielder was showing off shoes and other things he bought from a Phillip Plein store, a luxury fashion store (which I only figured out by Googling). The picture alone looked expensive and made me wonder just how much money Herrera was making this year on the contract he signed after the 2016 season.
Herrera is making “just” $3 million with a $350,000 signing bonus this season. Obviously, this money would be life-changing for 99.9 percent of the people reading this article. Compared to other huge MLB contracts, Herrera’s salary still pales in comparison.
In 81 games this year, Herrera has a .280/.333/.469 line with a 115 OPS+. He has racked up 47 runs batted in and 42 runs scored this year. His 14 home runs are already tied with his total from last year and just one shy of his career high in 2016 when he was an All-Star.
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The only thing dragging down Herrera’s overall value this season is his defensive performance. He has been worth two wins above replacement on offense, but -0.4 on defense. His overall WAR this year is just 1.4 because of this. Even though his fielding percentage is the same as last year, he has -5 defensive runs saved and a -10.4 UZR/150. It is the first time his defense has been rated negatively in his career.
Even with Herrera’s defensive numbers being poor, he still is the second-most valuable position player on the team behind only Cesar Hernandez. Among all National League outfielders, his 1.6 fWAR ranks 15th.
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When you look at Herrera’s overall production this year, he has far exceeded the value of his contract. Even with the season just halfway over, he has been worth $13.1 million according to Fangraphs. This $10 million surplus is exactly what the team was looking for when they signed him to the long-term extension.
The best part about Herrera’s contract is that it remains a bargain all the way until the end, like most pre-arbitration extensions. Herrera will make $10.35 million in the final guaranteed year of the deal in 2021 when he is 29 years old. He could have a half of a season exactly like this one, miss the entire second half, and still be worth more than what he is being paid.
The team would still be in the black even in his 2022 and 2023 team option years.
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Even though Herrera can be a frustrating player at times, when you look at how much he is being paid, he has given Philadelphia much more value than he has been paid.