Royals Facing Option Decisions

Now that the World Series has ended, the clock has started for clubs to make decisions about any player options for 2010. The Royals have three such decision to make, involving Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta.

Bob Dutton of The KC Star breaks down what we might see happen with those three…

• Decisions on Crisp's and Yabuta's options are due five days after the end of the World Series, Olivo's just three days.
• The team has shown "little inclination" to pick up Crisp's $8MM option, but his $500K buyout isn't exactly cheap. Crisp was limited to just 49 games last year due to a shoulder injury.
• Dutton notes that the Royals continue to "express interest in negotiating a new contract with Crisp that contains a low guarantee with significant performance bonuses."
• Olivo's $3.3MM option is mutual, meaning he can walk even if the team picks up their half. He's expected to push for a mutli-year deal, which would make the Royals look elsewhere.
• Yabuta has put up a 7.14 ERA in 51.2 IP in two years in KC, so the team figures to walk away from his $4MM option, instead paying him a $500K buyout.