Cubs and infielder David Bote agree to terms on a five-year contract extension that includes club options for 2025 and 2026 seasons
The Cubs announced a contract extension with infielder David Bote prior to the second game of the three-game set in Atlanta on Wednesday. Bote signed a five-year extension worth a guaranteed $15 million that covers the 2020-2024 seasons. The deal includes club options for the 2025 and 2026 campaigns. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
According to Gordon Wittenmyer, Bote will be paid $950,000 in 2020, $1 million in 2021, $2.5 million in 2022, $4 million in 2023 and $5.5 million in 2024. Bote received a $50,000 signing bonus. The club options are worth $7 million in 2025 and $7.6 million in 2026. There are two buyouts on the options. The buyout on the first option (2025) is worth $1 million and the second buyout (2026) is for $500,000. Bote has an incentives package for the 2023-26 seasons based on plate appearances.
Bote, 25, broke into the big leagues with the Cubs less than a year ago and has batted .246 (48-for-195) with six home runs and 33 RBI in 78 career games. He was originally selected by the Cubs in the 18th round of the 2012 Draft and played only 23 games above the Single-A level in his first five professional seasons before enjoying a breakout campaign in 2017 with Double-A Tennessee, earning Southern League mid-season and post-season All-Star honors. Bote was an Arizona Fall League All-Star later that year and was selected to the Cubs 40-man roster on Nov. 20, 2017, attending Major League spring training for the first time in 2018.
The infielder made his Major League debut with the Cubs last April 21 in Denver, a few miles away from his childhood home, and doubled in his first major league at-bat. Bote authored several clutch moments during his rookie campaign, including seven game-winning RBI and a pair of walk-off home runs, only the third rookie in franchise history to turn that trick. Bote became the second player in Major League history to hit a walk-off grand slam trailing 3-0 at the time as his pinch-hit, two-strike blast lifted the Cubs to the 4-3 win vs. Washington on Aug. 12 on Sunday Night Baseball.
The versatile Bote last season saw action at third base (56 games), second base (13 games), shortstop (two games) and left field (one game).
Bote was originally drafted by the Cubs out of Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas. He was born in Longmont, Colorado, graduated from Faith Christian Academy in Arvada and currently resides in Thornton with his wife, Rachel, and children Shayli and Riley.