Josh Harrison had a breakout 2014 for the Pirates, becoming a full-time player for the first time at age 26, making the All-Star team, and hitting .315 with 13 homers and an .837 OPS. And now he’s gotten a big payday to match.
Harrison has agreed to a a four-year, $27.3 million contract that includes team options for 2019 and 2020 that could push the total value of the deal over $50 million. This year’s $2.8 million salary for his first season of arbitration eligibility gets folded into the deal. Pittsburgh now has team control of Harrison through his age-32 season, including his first three years of free agency.
Here’s the year-by-year breakdown of the contract:
Signing bonus: $1 million
2015: $2.8 million
2016: $5 million
2017: $7.5 million
2018: $10 million
2019: $10.5 million option or $1 million buyout
2020: $11.5 million option or $500,000 buyout
Obviously the Pirates on banking on the Harrison they saw last season being the real deal. He hit just .250 with seven homers and a .648 OPS in 229 games through his first three seasons in the majors, but posted much better numbers in the minors. And for Harrison he gets life-changing money one year removed from being a relative afterthought in the Pirates’ plans.