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BREAKING: #Dbacks sign infielder/outfielder Martin Prado to a three-year extension. twitter.com/Dbacks/status/…
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) January 31, 2013
One of the major desired aftereffects of the Upton trade has occurred. According to the team's twitter account (above), the Diamondbacks have extended Martin Prado for three years after his current deal expires at the end of 2013, meaning he will be under contract to the Diamondbacks through 2016. The team will avoid arbitration with Prado. According to Ken Rosenthal, the total amount of the deal is $40 Million.
One of the major sticking points in last week's Upton trade was whether Prado could be extended or not. It has been widely viewed that if the D'Backs could extend Prado, then the trade would look better from their perspective. If the team was not able to extend him and let him go to Free Agency at the end of the season, then all they would have to show for trading Justin Upton and Chris Johnson would be Randall Delgado and some prospects.
As soon as more specifics on the deal become known, we will update you.
UPDATE:
Nick P. with the full breakdown of the deal (also posted by blank_38 in the comments)
Breakdown on the Prado deal: He'll make $7M in 2013 and $11M in 2014-2016. Total: $40M.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) January 31, 2013
UPDATE 2:
I sat in on the conference call for Prado. Some highlights:
On his initial reaction to the trade:
"(Frank Wren) told me that I was being traded, and I was surprised and so was everyone... Now I see it clearer and I'm happy to be a part of the Arizona Diamondbacks"
On playing Third Base:
"I haven't played a whole year of Third Base, which is gonna be a new thing for me... Right now, I'm playing third and I'm ready for it."
On why he signed the deal now rather than wait for next offseason:
"The way I am right now, I'm happy, I'm just gonna play more, relax more... We talked, we make a good deal"
On where he'll slot in the batting order:
"I'm gonna have to talk with the manager... I let my manager know that I will do whatever he wants and I will adjust myself to the team."
On what he thinks of Arizona's chances in the NL West:
"If we play hard everyday, day in and day out then we're in pretty good shape"
On Kirk Gibson:
"He's an aggressive guy. He likes the little things. He likes to move the runners. I like that, man."
He says that the biggest challenge in playing third is reaction time. Matt Williams being there will help him a lot with the position.
He also said, in response to a question about whether the D'Backs got good value back for Upton, that people have their opinions and that's fine, but he thinks that maybe in a few years people will think differently about the deal.