Rougned Odor might have just become Texas’s favorite baseball player. The 23-year-old second basemen re-signed with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, inking a six-year extension worth $50 million. While that would be a good enough deal on its own for both sides, the Rangers threw in a unique signing bonus in for the Venezuelan: two horses.
Odor grew up on a horse farm in his native Maracaibo, so the two horses are more than just a cheap ploy from the Rangers. He’s planning to buy property to set up a ranch in Texas, so the team stepped in to get him started. In the offseason, Odor rides every day, and already owns four horses. His uncle, Rouglas, even called him a “Venezuelan cowboy” in a Bleacher Report profile last season.
It seems like strange contract stipulations are in vogue for peloteros right now, as just last month, former Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez signed a deal with Japanese squad Kōchi Fighting Dogs, stating that he would receive unlimited sushi for the duration of the contract.
The young second basemen truly arrived last season, becoming a fan favorite not only due to his bat (.271 batting average with 33 homers), but also by becoming the number one viral moment of the season with his filthy right hook on Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista: