Decision Time On Baldelli

Back on December 23rd, I asked Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times what kind of trade value Rocco Baldelli had.  Of course, Topkin told me his trade value was miniscule.  Topkin also said:

An interesting sidenote is that the Rays have to decide by April 1 on his 2009 option, picking between a $4MM buyout or a $6MM salary AND then being on the hook for his combined 2010-11 option or a $2MM buyout.

Quite a pickle, and I think the fact that this decision must be made in three weeks was lost in the shuffle.  MLBTR contributor Cork Gaines took a look at the Baldelli situation on his blog today.  As Cork suggests, perhaps some kind of renegotiation is in order.