LOOK: Julio Rodriguez honored with parade in home country after taking home AL Rookie of the Year, making playoffs with Mariners
Julio Rodriguez had an incredible rookie season. His play was a huge reason the Seattle Mariners were able to break one of the longest postseason droughts in sports. Not only did they make the playoffs, they won a series and played a game at home in front of their fans for the first time since 2001.
He earned Rookie of the Year as a result, receiving an astounding 29 of the 30 first-place votes. He easily defeated the Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
As a result, even though the Mariners did not reach their ultimate goal of winning the World Series, Rodriguez was given a parade of his own.
Julio Rodriguez got his own parade in the Dominican Republic https://t.co/R0rmgNcRgd
Parades are usually reserved for championship winners, but his home country of the Dominican Republic wanted to celebrate their budding star anyway. In that country, he was the star of a short parade celebrating his incredible feats.
What is Julio Rodriguez' contract with the Seattle Mariners?
Seattle mad waves by signing their rookie sensation in the midst of his rookie year. It's becoming more and more common for teams to lock up young talent (like the Atlanta Braves did with Ronald Acuna Jr. or the Tampa Bay Rays did with Wander Franco). However, it is still rare to see it before they've even completed one full season.
However, during his eventual Rookie of the Year campaign, he signed a massive 12 year, $209.3 million contract. It ties him to the Mariners through the 2034 season, and there are club options beginning in 2030.
It is the fourth-longest active contract in Major League Baseball. Despite that, it's only ranked 57th in terms of AAV, so it's arguably an incredible deal for the Mariners.
Players like Charlie Blackmon, Jose Berrios, Salvador Perez, and Marcus Stroman all make more per year than the Rookie of the Year.
As he continues to get better, which the Mariners fully expect, Rodriguez will continue to outplay his contract. It will look better by the year for a Mariners team that suddenly has a very bright future.