Germán Márquez gets $20 million, 2-year deal with Rockies as he recovers from Tommy John surgery

Updated Sep. 8, 2023 9:02 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Right-hander Germán Márquez agreed Friday to a $20 million, two-year contract with the Colorado Rockies for 2024-25, a deal that allows him to remain with the team as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

The 28-year-old Márquez is in the final season of a $43 million, five-year contract that included a $16 million team option for 2024 with a $2.5 million buyout. He was 2-2 with a 4.95 ERA in four starts this season before surgery on May 12 performed by Rockies medical director Dr. Thomas Noonan.

Rockies manager Bud Black said before the series opener at San Francisco that Márquez “would have garnered a lot of interest” on the open market, but wants to be part of turning the Rockies around.

“I think we know each other," Black said. “We know Germán and Germán knows this organization. He feels a strong loyalty to this organization and I think it speaks volumes to Germán wanting to be a part of this moving forward.”

Márquez's new deal calls for $10 million in each of the next two seasons and allows him to earn $6 million in performance bonuses and $4 million in roster bonuses in 2025: $2 million each for 140, 150 and 160 innings and for 30 and 60 days on the active major league roster. Márquez would receive a $1 million assignment bonus if traded, payable by the acquiring team.

“Germán has been an integral part of the Rockies organization both on and off the field since his first major league season in 2016,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said in a statement.

Márquez is 65-56 with a 4.41 ERA in 173 starts and three relief appearances, and his 983 strikeouts are two shy of Jorge De La Rosa's team record.

“That's the main thing, he wants to be here and be part of the turnaround," Black said. "And he knows his presence, I think there's a leadership component here coming forward from Germán."

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