Internet rumors turned into realty this evening as the Omaha Cyclones announced the signing of top free agent Aki Kondo to a 6-year deal that will potentially pay Kondo a cool $221 million dollars.
With that $221,000,000 agreement, it looks as if Justin Niles finally has his first true ace for the franchise. While there have been some swings and misses in past years, and even some good pitchers who have suited up in Omaha since 2030 when Niles took over, none of those pitchers were of the quality of Aki Kondo.
“We couldn’t be happier.” Said GM Justin Niles. “We really felt that pitching was an area we could improve on this coming season. There were a lot of quality arms in free agency, but no arm was of the degree that Aki brings to the table. This is a monumental signing for the club that will allow us to compete with the hardest division in baseball.” Niles continued.
Kondo has gone 119-89 with an ERA of 4.02 in his career, compiling 2,082 strikeouts in just 1,840 innings pitched. Last season, easily the best of his career, Kondo went 17-4 with a 2.54 ERA and struck out 207 in 194 innings pitched. His 8.1 WAR was first among pitchers on the leaderboard.
One thing to watch for from Kondo is the amount of home runs he allows. Last season he allowed just 12 home runs, after giving up an average of 30 per season in the 10 years prior. Omaha’s ballpark is known for its home run hitting, so don’t expect Kondo to give up just 12 home runs this season.
It’s also worth pointing out that while the contract could pay Kondo $221 million dollars, analysts were quick to point out that it is probably unlikely. The fifth season is vesting option for Kondo, where he must make 32 starts in 2047(the fourth year on the deal). If he fails to do so, at the age of 33, then that will wipe out not only the 5th year payment of $45,000,000 but also the important 6th year player option of an even $50,000,000. So this is likely a 4 year deal that is still going to pay Kondo a total of 126,000,000 or an average of $31,500,000 per season.
