SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners and outfielder Victor Robles agreed to a $9.75 million, two-year deal on Monday that keeps him under contract with the club through the 2026 season.
“Since joining the Mariners, Victor has been a dynamic presence on the field and a great fit in our clubhouse. He has showcased the ability to impact the game in all phases,” Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have him in the organization for at least two more years.”
The deal also includes a $9 million option for 2027. Robles could have become a free agent this fall.
Robles has been a revelation for the Mariners since they signed him on June 4, three days after he was released by Washington. At first, the 27-year-old struggled to get playing time, but once he cracked the lineup he's been a significant contributor for the Mariners in their postseason push.
The speedy Robles is hitting .303 with seven doubles and three homers in 42 games since joining the Mariners. He’s also been excellent as their primary center fielder for the past three weeks with Julio Rodríguez sidelined by an ankle injury.
The signing also gives Seattle some certainty about its outfield next season. The group likely will include Robles, Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena, who was acquired from Tampa Bay before the July 30 trade deadline.
Once a top prospect with the Nationals, Robles played in just 36 games last season and then started off terribly this year. He batted .120 in 14 games before being designated for assignment on May 27. Days later, Seattle was quick to give Robles a second chance and signed him for the rest of the season.
The importance of adding Robles was highlighted when Rodríguez went down with a high ankle sprain on July 21. Robles has started in center field 17 times in the 18 games since and, despite Rodríguez coming off the injured list Sunday, it's likely Robles will continue playing center for the foreseeable future.
“Vic is an entertainer. We're in the entertainment business and I talk all the time to these guys, ‘Be who you are.’ And that's who he is,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said during the recent homestand. “That's what allows him to play really well. It's what allows him to be free. He's not out there thinking too much. He's just out there being Vic.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Seattle Mariners' Victor Robles, right, hits the ball for a foul during the first inning of a game against the New York Mets, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Liv Lyons)
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn was not about to put everything on the line in her first World Cup race back after more than five years of retirement.
Not with her history of crashes and injuries.
Not with her new titanium knee.
Not at age 40.
Vonn took a low-risk approach and finished 14th in a super-G on Saturday, crossing 1.18 seconds behind Austrian winner Cornelia Huetter.
“This was the perfect start,” Vonn said. “Today is just the first step and I’m not looking for more. Today I really needed to get to the finish. I wanted to have a solid result. And that’s exactly what I did.
“There’s definitely a lot that I have left to give," Vonn added. "Today was not the day to try to do anything special.”
Still, when Vonn came down, the crowd of Swiss-flag-waving fans turned silent in anticipation and all of the other top skiers watched her run on a perfectly clear day in the Alps.
“To have her back on the world stage is just fantastic,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard. “Just the attention she’s bringing to the sport and the role model she is — it’s a big day.
“These kind of moments transcend outside of just sports. We see it with Mikaela (Shiffrin) and what she’s done recently, which is just superhuman as well, setting all those records."
Vonn lost time early in her run but nearly matched the top finishers in the middle and bottom section of the Corviglia course.
When she reached the finish and saw her time, Vonn flashed a wide smile and waved to the crowd.
“I didn’t risk anything with the line. I was a little bit conservative in some sections, but overall I skied really well. Now I just need my top section to be a little faster and I’ll be in really good shape,” said Vonn, who is planning to race another super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday.
Vonn finished less than a second off the podium, which also included Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami in second place, 0.18 behind Huetter, and Sofia Goggia in third, 0.33 back.
“I’m really close to being there," Vonn said. "I’m just not quite there yet.”
Vonn started No. 31 under a new wild card rule for former champions. But that still meant going after all of the current top-ranked skiers had raced.
“The course was a little bit bumpy when I went and so some sections I was a little bit more conservative with my line," she said. “But in some sections I was really fast.”
Vonn had to cut her career short in 2019 due to a series of crashes and injuries, but then she had knee replacement surgery in April and had two titanium pieces inserted into her right knee. Her knee feels better than it has in years, so she decided to come back.
“The last few years of my career were so much different than they are right now," Vonn said. "I’m skiing without thinking about my knee, which I really haven’t done since I first tore my ACL in 2013. So it’s been a long time that I felt this good and I’m a little bit older, but honestly, I’m a hell of a lot stronger than I once was.”
Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher also took advantage of the wild card rule and returned this season after five years away. But then Hirscher tore his left ACL while training in giant slalom and announced earlier this month that his comeback season was done.
Vonn left the tour with 82 World Cup wins — the record for a woman at the time and within reach of the then all-time Alpine mark of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women’s record held by Vonn was eclipsed last year by Shiffrin, who now has an outright record 99 wins.
Shiffrin, who shares the record of five wins in St. Moritz with Vonn, isn’t racing this weekend as she recovers from abdominal surgery to clean out a puncture wound she sustained in a crash last month.
Vonn is attempting to enter unchartered territory in terms of success at an advanced age in women’s skiing.
The oldest woman to win a World Cup race was Federica Brignone, the Italian who won the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, in October to start this season, at age 34.
“It’s super impressive,” said Vonn’s U.S. teammate Jacqueline Wiles, noting that Vonn didn’t have as much preseason preparation as other skiers. “If anybody could do it, she could. The more she gets comfortable and gets kind of back up to speed, she’s going to be right in there.”
So will Vonn charge harder on Sunday?
“Step by step,” Vonn said. “Patience.”
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Italy's Sofia Goggia, left, hugs United States' Lindsey Vonn after Vonn competed in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn, right, is congratulated by Red Bull Head of Athletes Special Projects Patrick Riml after she competed in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn, right, smiles after completing an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Til Buergy/Keystone via AP)
United States' Lindsey Vonn looks on before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn looks on before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn looks on before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn does a course inspection before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
United States' Lindsey Vonn concentrates during the course inspection before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
United States' Lindsey Vonn concentrates during the course inspection before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
