Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor really knows how to work a negotiation.
The three-year veteran, who became a household name after punching Jose Bautista last season, saved his biggest haymaker for a new contract.
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Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor really knows how to work a negotiation. The three-year veteran, who became a household name after punching Jose Bautista last season, saved his biggest haymaker for a new contract.
He signed a six-year, $49.5 million pact Thursday with the Rangers.
The kicker? His new deal includes two quarter horses.
Rougie grew up with 🐴s on a ranch in Venezuela.
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 30, 2017
Now he gets that chance here in Texas! pic.twitter.com/bbgEibo5tK
Odor, 23, hit .271 with 33 home runs and 88 RBI in 150 games last season. He also had 14 stolen bases and scored 89 times. The team held a news conference Thursday to announce the deal.
The second baseman's new animals are white and brown.
"I'm the last person to ask about [the horses]," Rangers general manager and president of baseball operations Jon Daniels told MLB.com. "A white one and a brown one."
"Quarter horses," Odor said.
"It's our policy when we make a contract offer, we copy the player on it," Daniels said. "So Rougie has these big numbers in front of him, and he has a poker face. Nothing changed. Then I slid my phone across with a picture of the horses on it, and he said, 'Hey, can you send that to me?' His eyes lit up, and I thought, 'All right, maybe we have a chance.'"
The Venezuelan rides horses everyday during the offseason, according to Bleacher Report.
Odor played for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He was the youngest player in baseball when he entered the league in 2014 with the Rangers. His new deal also includes a $2 million signing bonus, and $13.5 million club option for 2023.