Johan Santana and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a $150.75 million, seven-year contract, a record for a pitcher and the last major step needed to finalize the team’s blockbuster trade with Minnesota. After the sides were granted an extra two hours to work on a deal, the Mets announced about 30 minutes before the new 7 p.m. EST deadline that negotiations had concluded. The pitcher was scheduled to take a physical Saturday.
Santana’s contract topped the previous mark for pitchers, set when Barry Zito received a $126 million, seven-year deal from the San Francisco Giants last offseason. Santana was due $13.25 million in the final year of his contract with the Twins, and would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series.
The only players with larger packages are New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez ($275 million), Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter ($189 million) and Boston outfielder Manny Ramirez ($160 million).
Santana’s average annual salary of $21.5 million is second only to A-Rod’s $27.5 million. Among pitchers with multiyear contracts, it topped the $18.3 million of the Chicago Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano.
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