SAN DIEGO — Second baseman Jedd Gyorko and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $35 million.
The deal kicks in next season, with the club retaining an option for a sixth year in 2020 at an additional $13 million.
The 25-year-old Gyorko, a Morgantown native who became an All-Big East player at West Virginia, is earning $510,900 this season.
Last season he hit .249 while belting a team-high 23 home runs and 63 RBIs as a rookie, but was hitting just .163 to start 2014. However, Gyorko cracked his first homer Sunday in a 5-1 win over reigning AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer.
“We are happy to sign Jedd and secure the rights to two free agent years,” Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said in a statement. “Jedd is a homegrown player in his fifth season with the Padres organization and has been a consistent performer every step of the way. He has shown us a real commitment to this organization and to the city of San Diego.”
Corey Brock of MLB.com reported the team has never awarded a contract extension to a player so early into his major-league service.
A second-round draft pick in 2010, Gyorko played third base during three minor-league seasons before shifting to second base in spring training 2013, facilitating his move to the big-league club. His defense was solid, resulting in a .992 fielding percentage that was the highest among rookie second basemen in major league history.
Gyorko’s new contract hikes his salary to $2 million in 2015, followed by $4 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017, $9 million in 2018 and $13 million in 2019.