Whatever else you want to say about Jon Singleton, he's a millionaire ten times over.
Singleton is a 22-year-old, 6'2", 255-pound behemoth called up to play first base this week by the Astros after he agreed to a team-friendly deal that guarantees him $10 million over the next five years and could lock him up for another three at well-below market rates.
Singleton was battering Triple-A pitching while Houston first basemen were making their own Triple-A case. The team offered Singleton the contract with the proviso that he would get promoted if he signed.
Teams have lately offered these risk-reward deals to their prospects before they reached arbitration. Offering it pre-promotion is the next logical step.
If this deal appears weighted towards the club for a phenom there are two good reasons for it. One is that there are holes in Singleton's swing. He may very well exit the yard his share of times but struggle to put distance between himself and the Mendoza line.
Another is that the California high school product is an admitted pot addict who returned from rehab last year in worse shape than when he entered. He may have been selling low on his own stock.
Why do it then? Because the call-up to the Bigs was contingent on a contract. Give Houston brass credit for working the system. The Astros aren't going to compete this year, so they weren't in any hurry to promote their best farmhands.
Of course, as with all such deals, Singleton has eight figures to put in the bank if it all comes apart, and 35 of these millions if it all works out. That's a pretty good fallback plan for a youth with a spotty record.
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