Sticking Points 2047.5: Danny Leach Signs Extension

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Sticking Points 2047.5: Danny Leach Signs Extension

Post by aaronweiner » Wed May 19, 2021 8:23 am

Danny Leach deserved a raise a long time ago. The 2043 Steve Nebraska Award winner, three-time Jason Egan Award winner, and three-time ERA champ has been the bedrock of the Rockville rotation for half a decade, and now he's the de facto staff ace. So it was little surprise that Leach got his raise this week: the big righty signed a six-year deal worth a possible $114 million over six years, with the creative cap management that's become a hallmark of the Rockville team.

"Every minute of this ride has been like a dream come true, and I can't imagine playing anywhere else in the world," said Leach. "To step into the shoes of giants like Arthur Dempster and Dan Cannon now and become the staff ace is just beyond me. I have no words."

Leach's deal is a maximum of six years, but he has an opt-out after three seasons, each at $14 million. Leach agreed to the deal to help the ballclub in the short-term while still potentially maximizing his long-term earnings.

"I'm protected if I get hurt, I can renegotiate in three years if that's where I am at the time, and if someone looks at me real funny and I want to leave, I can leave," said Leach. "But this ballclub has done right by me through this deal."

Leach's deal balances nicely with some of the deals that Rockville has acquired this offseason. His deal escalates after the last year of Chip Puckett and Po-sin Shi's contracts, and gives Rockville the flexibility to work out the most mutually beneficial long-term deal with Daniel Pepper while still remaining cap flexible. This sets up a possible lean year in 2051 with Julio Barajas' player option and Bing-de Zhao's contract escalator, but that will give the Pikemen four full seasons to set up for that possibility.

"We're grateful to Danny that he didn't ask us for a price over the moon, because we're over the moon about Danny," said Rockville GM Aaron Weiner. "He's one of the leaders of this team and he's done everything we ever asked of him. He's a real winner."

Leach's career numbers are legendary. He carries a 57-39 record, a 3.04 ERA, and the awards mentioned earlier, as well as 1150 strikeouts in 901 career innings. His strikeout rate did not drop at all as a starter, and it has been speculated that the new-look Rockville defense will benefit Leach more than anyone on the staff.

"I'm excited to have Chip Puckett back on the roster, and Po-sin, and I think we're going to have a great season," said Leach. "I know the other guys on the pitching staff are excited, too. This is going to be so great."

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