It's not the least bit unheard of for players to put off contract talks until a season ends.
What is a bit odd though, is doing that when a contract expires at the end of that season.
That's what the Texas Rangers and ace pitcher C.J. Wilson are looking at, as Wilson declined to discuss an extension in the final year of his deal after the Rangers made a long-term extension off a few weeks back, according to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett.
Wilson is definitely worthy of a good extension, and it's not like he's making chump change now, as he's set to pull in $7 million this season in the final year of his deal, but that is really cheap for an ace.
And Wilson is on the verge of showing he's a true ace. Last season, he was the best pitcher on the Rangers' staff with a 3.35 ERA despite leading the league with 93 walks. True, Cliff Lee was the star of the staff, but by the time Lee arrived, the Rangers had already run away with the AL West.
Wilson's reasoning for not wanting to talk about the deal this close to the season starting was the usual, he doesn't want any distractions in his preparation. That might sound cliche, but for Wilson, it's legit. The guy is all about the mental part of the game.
The Rangers probably don't have a lot to worry about this season, but it would be nice to lock Wilson up before the season comes to an end and the bidding opens up next winter, especially if he can lower that walk total and show he's a capable anchor to the Rangers' rotation.
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"They did eventually make an offer," Wilson said during an appearance on the Ben & Skin Show on ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas. "But it didn't really make any sense for me to bite at the first offer. I was like, 'Well, maybe if you guys would have made that offer in January we would have had time to work it out.' It will take a little longer than two or three days or a week."
