The Milwaukee Brewers have signed outfield prospect Luis Lara to a seven-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.
The agreement for Lara, 21, includes $31 million in guaranteed money and maxes out at $79 million, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. It runs through 2032 with team options for 2033, 2034 and 2035.
"Luis is an exciting young talent, and we're thrilled to commit to him long term," Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said in a statement. "He has proven to be one of the premier defensive outfielders in the minor leagues, and he has taken tremendous strides forward offensively this season. With support from ownership, we're pleased to be able to lock in another key player for our future."
Considered a plus defender in center field, Lara has gone from unranked among Brewers prospects at the start of the season to No. 5 in the latest rankings by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, largely because of his improved exit velocity and in-game loft, which had spiked his isolated slugging by about 80 points entering the month.
The 2022 international signee has 144 stolen bases in 447 minor league games. In addition to a 15.8% walk rate, Lara is hitting .338 this season and has seven home runs after never having hit more than four in any prior season.
The Brewers, who had the majors' top farm system entering the season, per ESPN, are locking up their prospects to long-term deals. Prior to the start of the season, the Brewers signed shortstop Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
