ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin saw more than enough potential in Brock Faber’s rookie season to sign the defenseman to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension on Monday.
The deal doesn’t kick in until the 2025-26 season, after Faber’s rookie contract expires. It comes after the 21-year-old finished second behind Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard in the Calder Trophy voting for the league's rookie of the year award.
“He’s shown that he’s mature enough to handle it. He’s shown that he’s going to keep getting better," Guerin said. “Yeah, it’s worth the risk.”
Faber is one of only four Wild players in history to make the NHL All-Rookie team, behind Jonas Brodin (2013), Kirill Kaprizov (2021) and Marco Rossi (also 2024).
From Maple Grove, Minnesota, Faber led all rookies and was sixth among NHL skaters in averaging 24 minutes and 58 seconds of ice time per game last season. Faber’s ice-time total (2,047:53) was the most by an NHL rookie since 2000-01. He also finished tied for second among rookies with 47 points in 82 games, and his 39 assists were a franchise rookie record.
Faber is one of the young building blocks of a team already looking ahead to having more salary cap room to sign players once the bulk of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s bought-out contracts come off the Wild's books next summer.
Parise and Suter combine to count $14.73 million against Minnesota’s salary cap this season after having their contracts bought out in 2021. That drops to $1.67 million in each of the following three seasons.
Faber was selected by Los Angeles in the second round of the 2020 draft. Two years later, the Kings traded Faber and 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren to Minnesota to acquire forward Kevin Fiala.
Faber’s contract extension through the 2032-33 season comes three weeks after the Wild signed Jake Middleton to a four-year, $17.4 million extension that also kicks in after this season.
Faber, who played for the University of Minnesota, grew up an avid fan of the Wild with his bedroom decorated in all kinds of memorabilia.
"I'm a Minnesota kid, born and raised," Faber said, "and it's always been a dream of mine to be able to wear this sweater and play for this team.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber skates with the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin saw enough potential in Brock Faber's rookie season to sign the defenseman to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension on Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered twice, Cal Stevenson hit a two-run, go-ahead double in the seventh and made a run-saving, highlight-reel catch in the eighth and the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies rallied to cool off the New York Mets with a 6-4 victory on Saturday.
J.T. Realmuto added an RBI double for the Phillies, who have won 10 of 13 and lead the Mets by eight games in the division. The teams will wrap up the three-game series on Sunday afternoon before the Mets host the Phillies for four games Sept. 19-22.
“Really good team win today,” Harper said. “It's a big win. That's a good team over there, and they're playing well.”
Starling Marte singled, tripled and drove in three runs and Luisangel Acuña had a pair of singles in his major-league debut for the Mets, who lost for just the third time in the last 15 games. New York began play Saturday holding the final wild card spot in the National League, one game ahead of the Braves.
With his team down 4-0, Harper launched the first of his two drives off starter Luis Severino with one out in the fourth, a 397-foot opposite-field drive off an 85-mph changeup. He pulled Philadelphia within 4-3 in the sixth with a two-run shot off an 87-mph slider that came on a 3-2 count. The two-time NL MVP, who hadn't homered since Aug. 9, has 28 home runs on the year.
“It felt like a playoff atmosphere, felt like a big situation,” Harper said. “I love that.”
Philadelphia went ahead in the seventh. Danny Young (4-1) surrendered a pair of singles to Bryson Stott and Realmuto to start the frame, with both advancing on Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice bunt. Young slammed his glove and hat into the bench in New York’s dugout in frustration after being lifted by manager Carlos Mendoza for Reed Garrett.
Garrett struck out pinch-hitter Weston Wilson before Stevenson clubbed a 3-2, 92-mph cutter to the wall in right to score Stott and Realmuto.
“Just a huge at-bat by him,” Harper said.
Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless eighth, and Carlos Estévez finished it in the ninth for his 26th save in 31 chances and sixth in eight tries since joining the Phillies prior to the trade deadline.
Hoffman got some help from Stevenson in center field when he robbed J.D. Martinez of a home run with a leaping catch at the wall for the first out of the eighth.
Orion Kerkering (5-2) worked a 1-2-3 seventh after Taijuan Walker tossed three scoreless innings in relief of starter Kolby Allard.
New York gave Severino a four-run cushion. Marte worked a bases-loaded walk in the first before hitting a two-run triple off Allard in the Mets’ three-run third inning to continue his success against Philadelphia. Marte is batting .375 in his career against the Phillies.
Allard, the fourth different No. 5 starter used in as many trips through the rotation, lasted just three innings, surrendering three earned runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Walker, whom the Phillies signed to a four-year, $72 million free-agent deal prior to the 2023 season, excelled in his new role after getting demoted to the bullpen due to ineffectiveness as a starter.
“He's a great teammate,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Walker. “He's handled this like a pro.”
Walker was happy to contribute in a positive way.
“It feels good,” he said. “I feel like I haven't done a good job of helping the team this year. Today was the best I felt all year."
Acuña recorded his first hit with a single to center field off Walker leading off the fourth and started the ninth with a single to center off Estévez. Acuña, a younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., is one of the organization’s top prospects. He hit .258 with 40 steals while splitting time among second base, shortstop and center field with Triple-A Syracuse.
“Good to see him fight and get us going in the ninth,” Mendoza said. “I thought he was good.”
Acuña, 22, started at shortstop and batted ninth. He came over when the Mets traded Max Scherzer to Texas in July 2023. Acuña was promoted one day after All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor left Friday night’s 11-3 victory against the Phillies in the seventh inning because of lower back soreness. Mendoza said the move was precautionary following the game and made the decision to give Lindor another day of rest and recovery.
Severino gave up three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk in six innings. The 30-year-old right-hander made two All-Star teams with the Yankees before signing a one-year, $13 million deal in the offseason with the Mets after struggling to an injury-plagued season and 6.65 ERA in 2023.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: 3B Alec Bohm (left hand strain) and INF Edmundo Sosa (back spasms) played for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in rehab assignments on Saturday. ... Harper winced while batting in the eighth, flexing his right arm. He recently told MLB.com that he was playing with a sore wrist and sore right elbow.
Mets: Marte was drilled on the left forearm by a 95-mph sinker from Hoffman in the eighth but stayed in the game.
UP NEXT
Mets LHP David Peterson (9-2, 2.98) opposes Philadelphia LHP Cristopher Sánchez (10-9, 3.33) in the finale of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Mets' Mark Vientos, left, scores past Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, right, during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
New York Mets' Jose Iglesias, left, scores after Philadelphia Phillies' Kolby Allard, right, walked Mets' Starling Marte with the bases loaded during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo, right, high-fives Francisco Alvarez (4) after scoring during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
Philadelphia Phillies' Cal Stevenson reacts after hitting a two-run double off New York Mets' Reed Garrett during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
Philadelphia Phillies' Cal Stevenson, right, watches his two-run double off New York Mets' Reed Garrett during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, right, watches his two-run home run off New York Mets' Luis Severino during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper reacts after hitting a two-run home run off New York Mets' Luis Severino during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
