One Day After Surgery News, OF Picks Up $18M Option

It's been a busy week for Colorado Rockies 12-year veteran outfielder Charlie Blackmon. On Thursday, he announced that he would be undergoing surgery on his knee. On Friday, he picked up his option for 2023.

Charlie Blackmon plans to pick up his $18 million player option with the #Rockies for next season, he said. He’s not thinking beyond 2023 yet

— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) October 1, 2022

The option will be worth $18M, and, according to Blackmon, he's not thinking past next season as of now. It'll be his 13th season in the Mile High City.

By surpassing 575 plate appearances (he had 577), a $5M bonus kicked in for 2023. 

He's 36 now, and age has begun to take its toll on the long-time Rockie's production. After a career average of over .300 for his first 10 seasons, he's dipped a bit the last couple of years, finishing at .264 this season, with a .733 OPS, the lowest of his career since he became a regular in 2014. He had 16 homers and 78 RBIs. 

Blackmon is a 4-time All-Star, peaking with a .331 average and 1.000 OPS in the 2017 season, to go with career-highs of 37 HR and 104 RBIs. He's one of the most memorable and valuable Rockies in franchise history, and stands 1st all-time in career triples, 2nd in hits, total bases, singles, and stolen bases. 

He'll have surgery on a torn meniscus next week, but should be fully recovered for spring training. 

Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports