Odubel, Phils both benefit from extension

PHILADELPHIA — It made perfect sense for the Phillies to sign Odubel Herrera to a five-year, $30.5 million contract extension.

First and foremost, Herrera, 24, has been remarkably productive in his first two big league seasons. His 7.8 Wins Above Replacement from 2015-16 ranks 38th in Major League Baseball according to FanGraphs, just behind players like Robinson Cano (8.1), Daniel Murphy (8.0) and Dexter Fowler (8.0). Simply put, if Herrera maintains that level of production, or improves upon it, he will be a perennial National League All-Star team candidate. Any team would love a player like that.

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“This boiled down to two things: what type of player is Odubel and what type of person is Odubel,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said Friday morning at a news conference at Citizens Bank Park. “As many of you know, this guy can do just about everything on the field. He can hit, he can run, he can play defense, he’s growing into some power.

“And as important as maybe all those factors are, he plays with energy. And for a young team like ours, the culture we’re trying to build, the style of play that this young man produces on the field, that’s something that’s very important to this franchise.”

But the contract, which began to take shape shortly before Thanksgiving, is also very club friendly. It has an average annual value of $6.1 million, which is in line with deals utility players Steve Pearce ($6.25 million AAV) and Sean Rodriguez ($5.75 million) signed this offseason. Of course, the biggest reason Herrera’s average annual value is so reasonable is that the Phillies bought out the four years before Herrera could have become a free agent, which is when teams have tremendous financial leverage.

But the Phillies also bought out Herrera’s 2021 season at $10 million, which would have been his first season post-free agency, and they have an $11.5 million club option (or a $2.5 …

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