D-backs Open Talks With Corbin Carroll On Long Term Deal

The Diamondbacks have opened up talks to lock up Carroll on a long term deal.

Corbin Carroll enters the 2023 season as one of the top prospects in baseball, thanks to his five-tool impact on the baseball field. The Arizona Diamondbacks see him as the cornerstone of their franchise and have opened up negotiations to a long term extension according to the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro. Piecoro reports that a deal currently isn't imminent as of the moment.

The D-backs already control Carroll through the 2028 season, so the team will seek to sign him to a contract that goes beyond the next six seasons. It makes sense for Arizona to lock up their top prospect before he breaks out in the big leagues, although that will still require them to make a significant upfront investment. These are examples of players who signed extensions with less than a full year of service time in the past four years:

• Julio Rodriguez (2022): 12 years, $210 million guaranteed 
• Wander Franco (2021): 11 years, $182 million guaranteed
• Ronald Acuña Jr. (2019): 8 years, $100 million guaranteed
• Luis Robert (2020): 6 years, $50 million guaranteed
• Eloy Jimenez (2019): 6 years, $43 million guaranteed

The likely ballpark for a Carroll extension could be somewhere between what Robert and Acuña got. It would also serve as the biggest extension given to a pre-arbitration player the team handed out since Paul Goldschmidt signed a five-year, $32.5 million extension before the 2013 season. 

Carroll was originally drafted by the D-backs with the 16th overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft as an athletic center fielder with a strong hit tool, top of the scale speed, and underlying power despite a smaller frame. He would make his debut with Arizona just three years later despite the minor league shutdown in 2020 and a shoulder injury that wiped out almost all of his 2021 season. In 32 games, Carroll hit .260/.330/.500 with four home runs, a 133 OPS+, and 1.2 bWAR. Over the full course of the season, that would have prorated to roughly 5-6 WAR. As a result he's been considered the overwhelming preseason favorite to win the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year award.

With the young outfielder's potential value, the D-backs are hoping to extend Carroll well below market rate in exchange for financial security. The timing of finalizing an extension will also be important, as the price to lock him up could dramatically increase if he comes as good as advertised. It's also worth noting that Rodriguez (463), Franco (308), and Acuña (487) all signed their extensions with more than 300 career plate appearances. Carroll enters the 2023 season with 115 career plate appearances. 

A long term extension would not only keep Carroll around for the foreseeable future, but also means the team sees him as a key player on the next contender. With waves of prospect talent expected to hit Arizona, the hope is the farm system can produce the core of players on that team.