Orioles Agree to Three-Year Extension with J.J. Hardy

The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a three-year contract extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy worth $40 million. Hardy was set to become a free agent after the season. The Orioles are set to host the first game of the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals Friday night.

The Orioles acquired Hardy in a trade with the Minnesota Twins that took place during the 2010 offseason. His first year with the Orioles was his best offensive season since 2008 when he was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Over the last three years, he’s earned a relatively modest $21 million, which has given the O’s plenty of surplus value. With his new deal, he’s set to double that total.

Hardy slammed a career-high 30 home runs in 2011, batting .269/.310/.491 with a 113 wRC+. He totaled 4.3 fWAR despite playing in only 129 games. Since then he’s been unable to recreate that level of offensive success, though his glove provides plenty of value.

Since 2012, Hardy owns a .255/.298/.399 slash line for an 89 wRC+. That puts him on par with shortstops such as Yunel Escobar and Everth Cabrera. Over the course of his career, Hardy has provided solid pop with a .161 isolated slugging percentage. With the exception of his big 2008 season with the Brewers, his on-base percentage has never been strong, sitting at .312 for his career.

This season Hardy has struggled to hit for power, posting just nine home runs and a .104 isolated slugging percentage. He didn’t hit his first home run until June though he drilled five in August alone. Hardy hit another home run against Detroit and managed a .300/.417/.600 batting line in three games.

While his offensive performance is held back by a lower OBP, Hardy ranks 7th among shortstops with 9.5 fWAR since 2012. He’s an exceptional defender. By Ultimate Zone Rating only Andrelton has better defensively over the past three seasons. Hardy has taken home the Gold Glove award in 2012 and 2013.

The Orioles are paying for Hardy’s glove. He’s likely to provide average offense for the shortstop position. Steamer projects a .253/.297/.392 line for the 2015 season with 17 home runs. That’s a little better than the average major league shortstop, but Hardy’s glove is the main reason for this money. It’s a contract that projects to fit right in at market value, and with the free agent crop of shortstops being particularly thin this offseason, Hardy might have commanded even more.

It’s been a charmed year for the Orioles. Going into the season they were afterthoughts in a division that featured perennial powerhouses in the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. However, they ran away with the division and then disposed of the Detroit Tigers in three games in the ALDS. For Hardy this season got even better.