With more than a quarter of the season in the books, it’s time to check in on some players whose status for the 2019 season could be determined by how they perform the rest of the way. To recap, a vesting option is an option within a player’s contract that can alter the structure of the deal itself should a player stay healthy and/or achieve certain playing-time thresholds.
Though not all vesting options are reported, six players are known to have such options on their current deals. The list…
- Cole Hamels: The Rangers have a $20MM club option on the southpaw for 2019 (with a $6MM buyout). The option vests into a $24MM guarantee if Hamels isn’t on the DL with a shoulder or elbow injury at the end of this season, if he tosses 200 IP this season, and has 400 total innings pitched in 2017-18. The latter clause is the important one, as since Hamels only threw 148 innings in 2017, that essentially ended his chances at hitting the 400-inning plateau and locking in $18MM more in guaranteed money.
- Brian McCann: The Astros have a $15MM club option on him for 2019 that vests into a player option if he doesn’t end 2018 on DL, starts at least 90 games at catcher in 2018, and has at least 1000 plate appearances in 2017-18. With just 399 PA last season, McCann would need a career-best 601 PA this year to gain control over his 2019 status. He does have 118 PA through 33 games, and he made his 30th start behind the plate tonight, so it’s not completely out of the question that McCann could hit both thresholds, if unlikely. There’s also the possibility that McCann plays less down the stretch as the Astros rest him for the postseason.
- Logan Morrison: If the first baseman gets 600 plate appearances this season, the Twins’ $8MM club option ($1MM buyout) for 2019 vests into a guaranteed year worth $9.5MM. So far, Morrison has 154 PA through Minnesota’s first 42 games, putting him on pace to fall just short (596 PA) of the guarantee. Morrison’s attempt could be hampered by his poor splits against left-handed pitching, though he held his own against southpaws in 2016-17 and should see more time at first base in the short term as Joe Mauer is on the DL dealing with concussion symptoms. Morrison has also been hitting much better after an ice-cold three-week slump to open the year (.281/.385/.517 since April 20), so this one might go right down to the wire.
- Seunghwan Oh: The Blue Jays have a $2.5MM club option ($250K buyout) for 2019 that vests into a guaranteed deal if Oh pitches in 70 games. Oh is one of several workhorses to emerge in the heavily-used Toronto bullpen, as the former Cardinals closer has already made 21 appearances and is on pace for 72 games this season. With the Jays struggling, however, one has to factor in the possibility that Oh could be a trade candidate at the deadline, so his role could change if he switches teams.
- Hanley Ramirez: The priciest and most intriguing case on this list, Ramirez has a $22MM vesting option for 2019 that is guaranteed at 1050 plate appearances in 2017-18, and if he passes a physical at the end of the season. After amassing 553 PA in 2017, HanRam only needs 314 more plate appearances this season (and good health) for his option to vest. Ramirez has a .271/.328/.422 slash line, six homers, and a perfectly league-average 100 wRC+ this season, as an .876 OPS in March and April gave way to a slump (.567 OPS) in May. Ramirez turns 35 in December and has been only a slightly above-average hitter during his three-plus years with the Red Sox, so Boston would likely prefer to not have him on the books for $22MM in 2019, especially with other available first base/DH options like J.D. Martinez, Mitch Moreland, Rafael Devers, or Sam Travis. The Sox could justify benching Ramirez more often in the wake of his May struggles, though if he heats up again, the team will need his bat for the AL East pennant race. This is definitely the vesting situation to watch as the season progresses, particularly since the Red Sox will face some further roster-juggling when Dustin Pedroia returns.
- Ervin Santana: The Twins have a $14MM club option on Santana for 2019 that would have become guaranteed if he had passed a physical after this season, amassed 400 IP in 2017-18, and 200 IP this season. The finger surgery that has sidelined him for all of the current season will prevent Santana from hitting the 200-inning requirement for 2018, so this vesting option can be written off already.
The twins will make sure LoMo doesn’t get those ABs if he keeps hitting like this. The market correcting in the offseason was good for the game. We can see more talent on the field, without seeing guys like Kendrys Morales and Trumbo playing on oversized contracts. Even though they aren’t the mega deals that really crush your team. It’s fair to say two similar cases, Alonso and Morrison havent even been worth their modest contracts.
.952 OPS in May, as referenced above. The Twins would certainly be ok with the option vesting if his numbers stay even close to that level
Sure, this hot streak hasn’t gotten his seasons numbers out of the toilet yet. Hopefully he keeps it up, I was a fan of LoMO but his ISO numbers are back down in his career range at the moment. Hopefully he was just finding his way with his new team.
None of these 6 will vest
Han Ram…
There’s at least a 50/50 chance on Oh, Morrison and Ramirez. If you’re playing the odds you took a very bad position saying none of them will. Though, if I were Boston I’d be trying very hard not to let Han-Ram’s option vest. Especially when Moreland has been tearing it up.
If Nunez remains healthy, a combination of him, Pedroia and Devers will take at bats from Hanley as long as Moreland remains productive. His glove is too important not to have in the line up. Barring injuries to others or Hanley reverting back to a start of the season tear, I don’t see enough ABs.
Valbuena and Jim Johnson for Hanley, what do you say? It would benefit both teams. The Sox get out from Hanley’s deal. The Angels get a legitimate #5 hitter, for when Ohtani isn’t in the lineup. Also allows Pujols to get more days off.
Oh man, vesting an option like that, for some fairly mediocre DH/1B at bats out of Hanley…. they need to fill the DH spot, and with JBJ stinking on ice, their only decent option is Hanley right now, sure. But it’s not a good option. It wouldn’t be a great option even without the massive money being activated.
As far as I can see, they have two ways to go:
1. keeps starting him, and then cut him before the trade deadline, and replace him with a similar guy who isn’t sitting on a $22M vesting option. It’s not like there’s a shortage of bat first veterans on the market these days. They don’t even need to look past this article…they could just get LoMo.
2. Platoon him, against lefties and some easier righties. Take their chances with JBJ in the outfield, for anyone else….until the deadline, when they can bring in a decent corner outfielder, and get rid of Jackie Bradley.
But one thing is not an option: paying $22M for an extra 50-100 PAs out of Hanley. Not even Red Sox management is stupid enough to do that.
Ramirez’ situation will become more amplified as the season progresses. BOS has to manage his ABs while remaining focused on winning the AL east. It will be difficult to trade him due to that vesting option. He’s serviceable, and BOS arguably needs his production, but $22M for 2019 is something the organization clearly does not want. I don’t envy Alex Cora in this regard. How do you limit Ramirez’ ABs and prevent this situation from becoming a sideshow?
under scenario 1, let’s say Hanley is cut by the Red Sox, but still manages to fulfill the obligations of the vesting option with another club.
Who pays Hanley for the 2019 season? The new club or the Red Sox? My instinct tells me that it’s the Red Sox.
When a player is traded, they and all of their contractual obligations are transferred to their new team, unless the terms of the trade agreement specify otherwise.
Yeah, there’s no trading him. You either use him sparingly, or you just release him. I’m assuming that once he is released, the vesting option can’t be triggered by PAs for another team.
This would be most fascinating.
No way McCann gets 601 ABs at his age and with the performance of Stassi this far. I don’t see McCann DHing either.
Yeah there’s no way his option vests. The question is, will he decide to retire after that or try to play somewhere else for a year or two longer?
McCann’s still playing pretty well. Gets on base a lot (for a veteran catcher), still has pop…why would he retire? Unless he’s tired of baseball of course…but, if he wants to play, who wouldn’t want him as their second catcher?
I agree, and could see a team like the Braves taking a flyer on him, letting him catch 70-80 games, DH in interleague games, play a little 1B to spell Freeman, and mentor with Freeman as the Braves push closer to their opportunity window.