Oakland Athletics: What Could Josh Reddick’s Contract Extension Look Like?

The Oakland Athletics have told the media that they do not plan on trading their Gold Glove right fielder Josh Reddick. In fact, the A’s want to sign him to a contract extension at some point before he becomes a free agent in 2017. Reddick has been with Oakland for four seasons now and it would make sense for the Athletics to lock him up before hitting free agency in 2017.

As predicted by mlbtraderumors.com, Reddick is estimated to receive $7 million in arbitration this offseason. This is a jump up from the $4.1 million he made this year and he definitely deserves it. He hit the most home runs and RBI on the team, maintained a .272 batting average, and was nominated for a 2015 Gold Glove Award.

This upcoming season will really determine the amount of money offered and the length of the contract extension since he has had both good and bad seasons with the Athletics. Reddick has proven that he can be successful – just look at his 2012 season where he hit 32 homers, 85 RBI, and won his first Gold Glove. However, he has also shown that he is injury prone.

The two seasons prior to 2015 were not Reddick’s best. In 2013, it was a nagging wrist injury that landed him on the disabled list and ultimately killed his offensive power at the plate that season. Then, in 2014, Reddick incurred a handful of injuries from a knee injury in June to an ankle and neck injury in September.

Additionally, even though the Oakland Athletics want to sign Reddick to a contract extension, it may not be for as long as some would hope. The Oakland Athletics are not known for offering that many players contracts lasting four or more years. It is likely that this will be somewhere in the two to three year range like Coco Crisp’s two-year extension in 2014. However, the A’s saw Sean Doolittle as a vital part of their bullpen and locked him up with a five year contract.

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Reddick’s contract extension will really depend on how well he plays during spring training and the first month or so of the 2016 season and if he lands on the DL or not. If he is able to stay healthy and continue to be productive both offensively and defensively, fan’s may be seeing Reddick in right for many more years to come. However, if the season starts off poorly for Reddick, a shorter contract worth less money may be in his future.