Carlos Gonzalez and the Rockies agreed to a seven-year, $80 million contract extension last week and the two sides are expected to finalize the deal today after Gonzalez undergoes a physical exam in Colorado.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Gonzalez flew in from Venezuela yesterday and will visit a doctor today, with a press conference “likely” for tomorrow.
Gonzalez wouldn’t have been eligible for arbitration until 2012, so the seven-year contract will cover his final season of pre-arbitration, all three seasons of arbitration, and his first three seasons of free agency. By comparison the six-year, $119 million extension teammate Troy Tulowitzki signed recently covers only free agent seasons, which is why Gonzalez’s deal is $39 million cheaper despite being one year longer.