Some rumblings about 2012 options from around the league…
- The Cardinals could still pick up the 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options they hold on Adam Wainwright even though he's having Tommy John surgery, writes Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A pitcher of Wainwright's caliber is a bargain at that price, even if he doesn't get back to being himself until midway through the 2012 season. The options will not vest now that the right-hander will spend the season on the disabled list.
- When asked about the possibility of the options not being picked up and becoming a free agent, Wainwright simply told Strauss "I think I'd end up doing all right."
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) there's a zero percent chance the Mets will allow Francisco Rodriguez to finish the 55 games needed to vest his $17.5MM option. The player's union figures to be vigilant, especially if K-Rod is healthy.
- Rival GMs told Heyman (on Twitter) that the chances of Yankees ace CC Sabathia opting out of his contract after the season are "100 percent." Sabathia was non-committal when asked about the clause two weeks ago.
In other news about Sabathia opting out, water is wet.
CC opting out will probably end up a good thing for the Yankees. Dude’s arm is gonna fall off eventually. He’s gonna get all Bartolo Colon on his next team.
I fail to see how this could be a positive thing for the Yankees.
Sabathia is not going anywhere. He will opt out of the contract, but only to get more money out of the Yankees. He will have 4/92 remaining on this deal entering his age 32 season. Given the lack of quality free agent pitchers available in 2012, Sabathia would be a fool not to opt out. The Yankees will simply open up the purse strings like they always do.
Didn’t he just lose a ton of weight. You can’t “get all Bartolo Colon on his next team” when he is doing the exact opposite of Colon.
He had a ton of weight to begin with, so it’s not like he slimmed down to the size of the Old Spice guy.
How long till Heyman writes something spinning CC opting out as a positive for the Yankees?
He already did, it’s right above your comment.
Hey I’m not Jon Heyman. But I’d like his job…
Them’s fightin words. Next thing you know he’ll say something about your mother.
What? Did that make any sense?
Well it kind of ma… No
Well the guy called him John Heyman. John Heyman is regarded as the used car salesman of baseball reporters on these here boards, therefore many would consider it an insult. When you make fun of someone’s mother, that is also considered an insult. I was likening being called John Heyman to someone insulting your mother. Let me know if you guys need an explanation on any other complicated topics such as how to tie your shoes.
I think it’s more of the fact that you didn’t reply directly to the person who made the Jon Heyman accusation and people were confused.
If no one gets your joke, odds are your joke just wasn’t funny in the first place rather than being too complex for the audience. Unless you’re Andy Kaufman. Are you Andy Kaufman?
His job is the best. Just tweet everything you hear and write an article once a month with an occasional TV/radio appearance every now and then.
Wainwright doesn’t seemed too concerned about his options being picked up. If the Cards decline them and try to low-ball him, I could see the Yankees leveraging him against CC. TJ surgery is pretty predictable. Getting on of the top SPs at a discount, compared to Lee or Sabathia, wouldn’t be the worst thing…
Leveraging Carpenter against Sabathia? Carpenter will be 36 the 1st month of 2011 and 37 next season.. Gonna be migghhtyy hard leveraging that very much. Not even that blow hard Boras could do much with that one.
I believe nictonjr said Yankees’ would use Wainwright against CC if the Cardinals don’t pick up the ’12 and ’13 options.
I think the quote about his options was before the injury, not positive though.
Tommy John surgery typically has a success rate of 85 percent with a timetable for return of anywhere from 8-18 months. Even if Wainwright didn’t return to mid 2012, his options are very team friendly at $9 and $12 million, respectively. Given the lack of quality in this upcoming free agent class in regards to starting pitching, I’d say it’s a pretty good bet that they will exercise those options. Even if he is out for a portion of 2012, it is worth it IMO.
LOL @ my comment about Heyman being deleted.
Go read what he said about Luis Castillo on Twitter before Castillo showed up to camp. He deserves to be called worse than what I called him. I’m not a Castillo fan, but no one deserves to be talked about like that. Especially from a “professional”.
This site is notorious about deleting posts. I’ve had a few that got deleted that would have made it on broadcast TV. (I bet this gets deleted by the censor man now!)
I call it like I see it. The Mets have deserved plenty of criticism over the years, but right now other than ownership “issues” there’s really nothing to be critical over and if you’re going to do it, do it constructively. Heyman has a big problem with that. He always posts his riduclous speculation on Twitter with absolutely no basis. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and usually I take it up with him on Twitter, but seriously, what he said about Castillo REALLY rubbed me the wrong way as it was VERY unprofessional. Sorry to go on a rant and this post isn’t even about Castillo, but Heyman’s comments just…ugh. /rant
Wainwright finished second in the 2010 Cy Young. According to Cot’s baseball contracts, his 2012/13 vested if he finished in the top five. It also says they can be voided if he ends 2011 on the DL.
So…the options became guaranteed years with the Cy Young voting, and the contract says the OPTIONS can be voided…but they’re no longer OPTIONS, they’re guaranteed. What am I missing here? It seems he is under contract through 2013 regardless of injury.
He has to finish 2011 not on the DL. Kind of a 2 part vesting that Cot’s doesn’t have on their site…
if C.C. Sabathia opts out, which it seems like he will based on everything ive heard, i will be even more depressed in baseball, baseball players, and humanity in general. dude is set to make 23 million a year for four years to do something he LOVES!!! and its not enough? id be stoked to make a living (far below major league minimum) playing baseball. if and when C.C. opts out, i will lose a lot of respect for the guy. he may be a good person, he seems like he’s a hard worker, but when 23 million a year isnt enough, thats crazy selfish and crazy greedy
I dunno man, if everyone (and common sense) told you that you could get a hefty raise if you asked for one, but you felt like you were being paid fair market value for your job, are you telling me you wouldnt ask for one? The absolute numbers are different, but the principle remains the same. If you can get more money for doing what you love to do, why not? Are we really concerned about the bank accounts of MLB owners?
Soooooo…you’ll lose respect for him if he opts out of his current deal to get more money, but you’re currently maintaining respect for him, despite the fact he went against his initial insistince upon playing on the west coast to chase that extra $20-60 million to go play in NY?
WHY IS THIS LOGICAL INCONSISTENCY SO PREVALANT ON THIS WEBSITE?!?!
Me, I’ll be proud of the guy for bilking as much money as he can out of a broken system, because gosh darn it, that is the American Way.
(Cue rockets red glare and videos of Eagles crying and Dodge trucks or something)
so sick of contract talk, this is SPORTS…cant ne one talk about the sport or the players performance ne more?? thats all you hear , contracts, money,etc….and all for ratings…its pathetic
He’s going to opt out. Even if he loves the Yankees and doesn’t want to play anywhere else, he’s going to opt out. Not opting out would be a horrible decision, unless he gets injured or has a really down year. If nothing else it just gets the Yankees to pony up more dollars and years to keep him in town. Its going to happen.
You don’t think he could repeat his last contract? I know he’s a few years older but the market has matured as well and he will be the only ace available next offseason. The Yanks will be even more pitching desperate without him on the staff. I could just see him pulling in the same yearly average but tack on a few extra years to the contract. I say all this as a Yankee fan by the way.
CC has what, four years and $94MM left on his deal after this year?
What did Cliff Lee just sign for? Five years and $125MM? What makes you think CC, who will be a year younger heading into 2012 than Lee is right now, wouldn’t get at least that much?
i think your a little off base here. with the market next year for starters being so weak and if he opted out he would be the best FA starter. Now with the yankees missing out on Lee and them not having another ace to fall back on they will have to pay him more than 4 years and 92 million. Lee just got 5 years for 120, you can expect to get more than that. Not getting Lee is going to cost the yanks alot to keep CC. I am thinking he may 7 years 171 that would make more AAV than Lee plus being 2 years younger than Lee.
If he has a good year, he will most definitely exceed the 4/92 he has remaining on this contract after this season. Look at what Cliff Lee just got at age 32, you don’t think Sabathia could squeeze at least 20M AAV out of the Yankees if he opts out? Come on.
why do you think the yankees would be out of the bidding if he opts out? I think they re-sign him but its gonna cost them.
Right. Because only three teams in baseball have money…
The Yanks, Sox and Phillies weren’t in on Adrian Beltre and he didn’t get anything. Oh… Wait…
Anyway, the Yankees will most certainly be in. Why would they rule out signing CC if he opted out? They have the money, they have the need, they’ll be in for sure. And if the Yankees are in, CC will get at least 5/$125MM.
If they were that smart, they wouldn’t have given him the opt out in the first place or signed A-Rod or Soriano to their current deals.
Brian Cashman’s reasonably smart. The Yankees as a whole? Eh…up for debate.
“Yankees will trade for an ace type of SP to bridge them over to the following year where they can go on a shopping spree with all the aces hitting the FA that year.”
Because it is simply that easy and no other team could potentially be shopping for a FOR starter.
If the Yanks lose CC, they lose any chance at contending for a playoff spot for several years as they are an aging lineup w/no SP!
You are truly delusional!
I’m sure Texas, Detroit, Toronto, and Anaheim would have no interest in him either! CC will be lucky to find a job in 2012 using your logic!
Exactly.. Can hear the bells going of right now and gritting of teeth.. What was it that Cashman said before Rodriquez opted out? “we won’t negotiate” and then the Steinbrenner kiddies came rushing in with that 10/275m abomination. Cashman shows no interest in Soriano at all, then that same duet not only gives Soriano an unheard of contract for a setup guy, but gives him opt out years for each and every year against his advice. Jeter? Why not give the guy 2-3 times market value for 3 years, plus a player option while he is a FA against the GM’s advice..Twisting his arm.
Yeah.. Cashman is smart, it’s what forces his hand from above that isn’t really up for debate very much that saves the league.
if a current raise would help benefit me and my family, yes. in an instant. if im making more money than i know what to do with, i really wouldnt care
Thats why Ryan Braun’s recent comments are so respectable. He can clearly make more than what he is right now.
Lester>CC
They have a DH and two players not in their prime…That’s exactly the same as your team except the Yankees players not in their prime are a lot better and have more depth at those positions…Now as for no SP, that’s the deepest section of their farm…That said, losing CC would not be wise.
the jeter deal was all cashman….
uhh….no he cannot. he’s under contract….a contract that he signed. there’s nothing more respectable about Braun saying he’s happy with his contract than what CC is doing. CC is living up to his deal as is Braun. Act like Braun wouldnt opt out if his agent was smart enough to put it in the contract
uhhh….yes he can if he was on the open market he would make somewhere around crawford money if not more. He could complain and what not and request the Brewers restructure his contract or hold out if it were to go that far…but he said he was going to play the remaining years.
i have a crazy amount of respect for braun. he made 2.2 million so far (based on one of the posts) over 3 years and is set to make 4 million this year. 2.2 million is plenty. yeah, he is crazy underpaid for what he is worth, but its crazy admirable for him to even say that he is happy with his contract. id be happy with 4 million. hell, id be happy with 2.2 million. theres a big difference in saying “im happy with 45 million over 8 years” and “93 million over 4 years isnt good enough”
You must mean Ellsbury and Salty as Red Sox players not in their prime. I agree! Only Ortiz is past his prime in Boston plus we have Iglesias/Lowrie and Kalish set to step in for Scutaro and Drew in 2012 whereas Arod and Jeter have a minimum 3 years left in NY!
Do you mean besides the fact that CC Sabathia isn’t as good as Cliff Lee?
lulz