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BRAIN ATHLETE SPORTZ

Royals, Hunter Dozier Finalizing Four-Year Extension

9:35 am: While the deal isn’t yet complete, there’s “optimism” it’ll get over the finish line, per Alec Lewis and Andy McCullough of the Athletic (via Twitter). If finalized, the guarantee is expected to land in the $25MM range, report Lewis and McCullough. The 2025 option would be worth $10MM, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).

8:59 am: The Royals are finalizing a four-year contract extension with Hunter Dozier, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The proposed deal would also contain a club option for 2025, per Murray.

As a player with three-plus years of MLB service, Dozier wasn’t set to reach free agency until after the 2023 season. Rather than proceed year-by-year through arbitration, the parties are now set to lock in some cost certainty over the next three seasons while lengthening their relationship by at least one year. The deal will buy out Dozier’s first year of would-be free agency, while the club option adds a second additional season of team control.

Despite being selected eighth overall out of Stephen F. Austin University in 2013, Dozier had something of a slow ascent through the minors. He made his MLB debut as a September call-up in 2016, but it wasn’t until the middle of the 2018 season that he had established himself as a big league regular.

Dozier struggled down the stretch as a rookie but seemed to break out as a middle-of-the-order bat in 2019. The right-handed hitter popped 26 home runs and hit .279/.348/.522 across 586 plate appearances that season. Dozier’s batted ball metrics reinforced that power output; his 91.1 MPH average exit velocity placed him in the 83rd percentile league-wide. His hard contact and barrel rates were similarly impressive. Dozier’s higher than average 25.3% strikeout rate and .339 BABIP hinted at some potential regression in future seasons, but his power and decent plate discipline still positioned him as an above-average offensive performer.

The shortened 2020 season, however, proved a difficult one for Dozier. That was the case for plenty of players, but Dozier seemed one of the players most directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He tested positive for the coronavirus last July and was forced to start the season on the injured list. Upon his return, he lacked the same power he’d shown the season before. Whether because of his bout with COVID-19 or merely due to the small sample size (he tallied just 186 plate appearances), the Royals clearly feel Dozier’s .228/.344/.392 line was rather anomalous.

More to come.

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