Dodgers second baseman Ryan Theriot will be eligible for arbitration for the second time this winter. He will earn $2.6MM this season after losing his arbitration case with the Cubs last offseason, when he filed for $3.4MM.
Theriot, 30, hit .284/.320/.327 in 412 plate appearances while playing both second base and shortstop for Chicago before being sent to the Dodgers in the Ted Lilly trade at the deadline. In 132 plate appearances as Los Angeles' everyday second baseman, The Riot has hit .307/.380/.377, drawing nearly as many unintentional walks (13) as he did with the Cubs (16) in 280 fewer plate appearances. UZR pegs him as an average defender at second, but well below that level at short.
It's tough to imagine GM Ned Colletti acquiring a player only to non-tender him a few months later, but he has to at least entertain the option with Theriot. A career .288/.352/.363 hitter, Theriot received a $2.1MM raise last offseason, and a strong finish with the Dodgers could bump his salary up another $2MM this offseason. The free agent market looks to be flooded with light hitting middle infielders that could approximate Theriot's production for a fraction of the cost.
Remember, Colletti doesn't have to non-tender Theriot only to let him walk. He could attempt to re-sign him at a lesser salary, perhaps exchanging a second guaranteed year for a salary discount.
With that in mind, it's time for you to weigh in. Click here to vote whether or not you think Theriot will be non-tendered, and here to see the results.
They have to re-sign him. They traded their starting 2nd sacker to get him. I bet Ivan DeJesus is the starter next year. Frank McCourt’s crimes against Dodger humanity must cease.
If he is non-tendered, he’d be a decent backup option for the Orioles for starting SS next year, considering the lack of SS options out there for us for the offseason
I bet the Pirates would take a look at him if he does hit the open market. Fits the mold that they would need as SS or 2B.
Why would you non-tender someone who is doing good?
Because the owner has milked the franchise
“It’s tough to imagine GM Ned Colletti acquiring a player only to non-tender him a few months later”
Given the fact that it’s Ned Colletti, not really.
It’s tough to imagine Ned Colletti acquiring a job.
Minimum salary minor league call up is the most likely senario.According to Mr. McCourts testimony lower payroll, higher costs for everything including tickets is his business model as a Dodger team owner.McCourt knows he can put out a garbage team and still be one of the top teams in attendance.
I don’t know if they’ll retain him, but I do think they could make a low level trade rather than simply letting him walk.
The poll question should have been should Theriot be non-tendered instead of will he be non-tendered. The obvious answer then would have been yes but since the question was will he be non-tendered we have to try and guess what Ned Colletti will do, and that’s like trying to guess which seat he sat in on the short bus, it’s hit and miss.
Theriot could be replaced with any number of cheap players who would produce approximately as much as him. Their scrap factor might not be off the charts like The Riot’s but the actual stuff that matters in a baseball game would match up pretty well with him, you know, things like being good at baseball etc etc….
Why pay someone $4.6 million when you could pay someone $400,000 and get the same thing?
Frank McCourt read the Marlins and Pirates financials online and was heard to say “Daaaaamn, those guys are geniuses. Someone get me Colletti on the phone, I’ve got an idea.”
LOL, the Dodgers CAN’T non-tender Theriot.
They need him just based on the fact that they need an everyday 2B (Carroll really should be a utility player) and he is versatile in that he can also play SS, which could end up necessary given the fragile nature of Raffy.
The Dodgers have no viable replacements in the minors for Theriot.
He will be offered arb and will probably get a 1 yr deal unless they can negotiate a contract, IMO.
I think a better question is who else is available? The answer, not much below 33, 34 years of age (in many positions). Theriot is not an eye-popping great player, but he is a solidly above average bat that draws walks, savvy base-runner, and is about as good a 2B glove you can get. Plus, there’s the added bonus of team chemistry if Lilly comes back (fingers crossed).So that along with the Dodger’s “take my wife, please” payroll fiasco, I see Colletti to continue to hire singles hitters and not play into the market for somebody like Dan Uggla if they come into free agency.
I’m a cubs fan, and while i like Theriot, i don’t think you really appreciate how average he really is. He steals bases sure, but only has a career success rate of about 60%. He’s got a decent career batting average, but a sub-par career on base percentage. He has virtually no power to speak of, and of the few career home runs he has, most came at Wrigley (very much a hitters park). His defense isn’t horrible, but his range is far too limited for shortstop, maybe only average for 2B. Plus he’s already 30, so what you see is pretty much what you get.
I don’t know the Dodgers minor league system, but honestly you can get the same numbers out pretty much any triple-A infielder for a fraction of the cost.
I’m a cubs fan, and while i like Theriot, i don’t think you really appreciate how average he really is. He steals bases sure, but only has a career success rate of about 60%. He’s got a decent career batting average, but a sub-par career on base percentage. He has virtually no power to speak of, and of the few career home runs he has, most came at Wrigley (very much a hitters park). His defense isn’t horrible, but his range is far too limited for shortstop, maybe only average for 2B. Plus he’s already 30, so what you see is pretty much what you get.
I don’t know the Dodgers minor league system, but honestly you can get the same numbers out pretty much any triple-A infielder for a fraction of the cost.
I’m a cubs fan, and while i like Theriot, i don’t think you really appreciate how average he really is. He steals bases sure, but only has a career success rate of about 60%. He’s got a decent career batting average, but a sub-par career on base percentage. He has virtually no power to speak of, and of the few career home runs he has, most came at Wrigley (very much a hitters park). His defense isn’t horrible, but his range is far too limited for shortstop, maybe only average for 2B. Plus he’s already 30, so what you see is pretty much what you get.
I don’t know the Dodgers minor league system, but honestly you can get the same numbers out pretty much any triple-A infielder for a fraction of the cost.
The could be really solid, if he would just commit to 2B. The guy was absolutely brutal at SS this past year for the Cardinals, but he can still hit and he comes to play everyday.