Ichiro Suzuki is a darned good baseball player; no one will argue that. But, he may be even smarter than he is talented. Well, that, or his agent is smart and has large cajones. The slap-hitting outfielder just signed a contract extension that locks him up with Seattle through 2012. I think it's a good move by the Mariners. But, his contract is simply awesome, from the player's standpoint.

First, he'll get paid $12 million/year for the next 5 seasons under this deal. He also received a $5 million signing bonus...but it gets better. He will continue to receive $32,000 additional per year as a housing allowance with that amount increasing $1,000 per year, each year. Next, he will be provided with either a Jeep or Mercedes SUV to drive each season. On top of that, he gets 4 First-Class seats from Japan each year to allow his family to visit him in the Northwest US in style. Under this contract, he also has a team-hired translator (concierge) that is with him at all times during the season. Lastly, and I think the best of all, He'll receive $5 million each year (from 2012 to 2032) as salary deferment. That's a comfy retirement. In 2012, Ichiro will be 38...so, I would think he'd sign at least one more 2-season contract (since he's light weight and doesn't beat on his body too badly) which will pay him a dollar or two.

I know, I know, some might argue that Ichiro is actually doing the team a favor negotiating his contract in this manner, but I see it completely different. I guess this is a contract that makes all sides happy. Where do I sign up?