The Rays announced that they have exercised their one-year, $7.5MM club option on Ben Zobrist.
The move was perhaps one of the easiest calls for any team with an option over a player, as the 33-year-old Zobrist again turned in an excellent campaign and proved to be a tremendously valuable asset for Tampa. In 654 plate appearances for the Rays, Zobrist slashed .272/.354/.395 at second base and in the outfield corners, and he even chipped in at shortstop and in center field as well.
The upcoming season will mark Tampa’s final year of control over Zobrist, who early in the 2010 season signed a four-year, $18MM contract extension that contained a pair of club options. Zobrist earned $7MM in 2014 — the first of the two option years — and will earn $7.5MM this year, bringing his total earnings on the deal to $30MM over six years. He’s averaged a staggering 5.4 fWAR and 5.8 rWAR per season over the life of that deal.
It will be interesting to see how the Rays approach Zobrist over the next calendar year. He drew considerable interest at the trade deadline and would figure to do so again this offseason were new president of baseball operations Matthew Silverman willing to make Zobrist available. However, doing so would put a significant dent in the team’s hopes of contending next season. They could at some point approach him about an extension as well, or look to shop him next July should they again fall out of contention. Of course, Tampa could also just retain Zobrist through season’s end next year and extend him a qualifying offer, thereby guaranteeing themselves at east a compensatory draft pick following what would likely be another season of excellent production.
Nationals fans have been eyeing him.
Im surprised Zobrist’s contract didn’t include a clause that he could become a free agent if Maddon left the organization.
Even if it did, Zobrist isn’t just in it for the money.
Says who? You? Do you know Ben Zobrist, personally? Have you met him? They’re all in it partially for the money. They are all doing this for a livelihood. They want to earn money and be set for life, earning what they feel they deserve. He signed that extension years ago, before he was the Ben Zobrist we know today. He only had his tremendous 2009 under his belt at the time, and nobody knew if he was a one-year wonder yet. Unless you’re his best friend and he’s told you he’s not in it for the money, I don’t see how you can realistically tell me you know he’s not in it for the money.
whoa there champ take a chill pill, I think it was a joke
well yeah, everybody that has a job—-has it for the money.
This is one time the Rays need to pony up some bucks and extend him for another 4 years or so. He as a ton of value and is a fan favorite. 4/48 might get it done.
Honestly Zobrist has been a great player and a great bargain for the Rays but I would be very wary of extending him through his age 38 season. Playing 528 games on turf at the Trop has to take its toll on his body.
48 MM is nothing for his production, though. Even if he steadily declines an entire WAR per year, going 4.5 to 3.5 to 2.5 to 1.5 that’s still 12 WAR over the life of the deal for under 50 MM, and it would be all FA years. That’s a very fine deal, and still a bargain. I wouldn’t extend him through age 38 at market rates, but 12 MM AAV for what Zobrist brings to the table isn’t market rates. He’s a top-5 second baseman of the last decade, even with missing the first few years of that decade, and he has incredible versatility. At this point, I believe Zobrist is the best player on Tampa Bay, and is putting together a quietly fantastic career.
No brainer
One of the easiest calls of the offseason.
Even at $7.5m an utter bargain.
Got a feeling the Rays are going to trade him
Wouldn’t be shocked, Maddon, Friedman and Price all leaving in the same year can’t paint a positive picture for the team next season.
Exactly