MLB's Odor Gets Pair of Horses in $50M Contract
Athletes have sought interesting perks in contract negotiations, from new cars to special hotel privileges on the road. Rougned Odor wanted a horse, of course.
The Texas Rangers closed a $49.5 million deal with Odor by throwing in a pair of horses: a mare and a two-week-old foal, according to the Dallas Morning News. The 23-year-old second baseman agreed to the six-year contract, which is worth $60 million if the Rangers pick up an option year, after Rangers Managing Partner Ray Davis offered to include the horses.
Davis, a co-founder of Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE:ETP), raises quarter horses on his ranches. Aware of Odor’s interest in livestock, he sent a photo of four-year-old Smokey with her young foal to General Manager Jon Daniels, who slid his phone across the table during one session of talks.
“His eyes lit up, and I thought, ‘Alright, maybe we have a chance,’†Daniels said.
Listings on Equine.com show four- and five-year-old mares selling for up to $15,000. Some horses are available for under $1,000.
Odor said the horses, along with his higher salary, will allow him to build a Texas ranch and move his family out of Venezuela. Odor was raised on a ranch in Venezuela, and he continues to ride horses during his offseasons.
Odor, widely known for a wild brawl with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista, batted .271 with 33 home runs last season, his third year in the majors.
These are in fact the horses that sealed the Odor deal. This is not a joke pic.twitter.com/O0Ka03RXRb
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) March 30, 2017