C.J. Wilson dramatically altered the course of his career last year by requesting a chance to move from the bullpen to the rotation and after thriving as a starter he’s potentially now just one season from a big payday as a free agent.
Wilson and the Rangers have had some talks about a contract extension, but yesterday the left-hander told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that “it doesn’t look like a deal is going to get done before we break camp.”
Wilson described the talks as “amicable” and made it clear he’d like to remain in Texas after this season, while general manager Jon Daniels offered only that “we value him and we’re not going to close the door on anything.”
The two sides avoided arbitration with a one-year, $7 million deal and Wilson has already been named the Opening Day starter, but like many prominent players he’s said that once the season starts he doesn’t want to be distracted by any contract talks. Texas may want to see Wilson repeat his success as a starter before handing him a huge deal, but if he does that it might be too late to keep him from hitting the open market as a 30-year-old free agent.