The Angels announced that they have declined their club option over outfielder Kole Calhoun, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register first reported (Twitter link). He’ll receive a $1MM buyout rather than a $14MM salary for 2019.
This move seemed likely as the offseason drew near, even in spite of a nice 2019 effort from Calhoun. There are several other corner outfield options floating around in free agency and the Angels have a host of needs to address. With top prospect Jo Adell waiting in the wings, this kind of outlay wasn’t particularly sensible.
Calhoun, 32, bounced back from a rough 2018 season. In 632 plate appearances, he slashed .232/.325/.467 and launched a career-best 33 home runs. (Of course, he was far from the only MLB player to put up a new personal high in that department.)
There’ll surely be interest in Calhoun, a well-regarded defender who hits from the left side. It’s possible he’ll field multi-year offers. But odds are he will end up playing for less than $14MM in the 2019 season.
Thanks for all the hustle, the smiles, and I wish you well.
Easy decision
What???? He was a good player
on one side of the ball…. or maybe 3 years ago
Not $14 million good
Not for $14M
He should have won the Gold Glove again.
He plays right field no he shouldn’t of won the gold glove over Mookie not even close.
Mets? Blue Jays? He pretty much fits for any semi rebuilding (aka. tanking) team in a Curtis Granderson-esq role.
Blue Jays have 100 outfielders they have to cut first. His agent can call Miami, Baltimore and Detroit first.
He’s going to end up in Houston… Watch
Josh Reddick says hi
Kyle tucker says hi
D-Backs
I thought he would end up in a Ranger uniform, but they already have enough left hand hitters.
A lefty bat in the AL East with all those short right field porches makes sense to me.
Or a competing team. Ohio teams make sense.
Saving the cash to sign a top free agent. It could be Gerrit Cole.
did you just think of that?
No comment. I have to be the bigger person.
But you just did comment
Get him braves.
A lot of strikeouts…
And homers.
Not happening with Markakis being retained. If they had let Kakes walk, then they could have reached out to him, which actually makes the Markakis signing look a little worse. I would have loved to see him platoon with Duvall. That would have been fun to watch.
Fantastic for strict RF platoon. .816 OPS vs. RHP.
Go get him, Hahn.
How many contenders go looking for platoon options in the corner outfield spots? And if Sox aren’t contenders, again, why waste millions on someone who won’t move them any closer to contention, even if his 2020 season resembles 2019 more than 2018?
Nicky Cordell and Palka Delmonico say hi
The Dodgers, Rays, Indians, Cubs and A’s have done very well with OF platoons.
The White Sox had historically low RF production last season. 2019 Calhoun would be a 4+ win upgrade as the strong side of a platoon.
$8mil-10mil on him makes a heck of a lot more sense than $17.8 for Abreu.
You forgot the Astros. Redick is not their full time RF… is he?
He got two ABs in a third of the games last year.
nice 2019, but hard to forget 2018
You have a short memory because 2018 was an anomaly. He has been a great defensive player for us and a decent bat going back before then. Don’t just focus on the one bad year forward.
Sad to see him go as he was a joy to watch. Definitely the right move though.
Gonna be a south sider. Count it.
What they said
South Philadelphia?
Chicago
Darn- would have loved to keep him but I get why they let him go. Hopefully we can negotiate some new low cost per year deal with him….if not hopefully he goes to Houston, Padres, or another team where he can keep on terrorizing the Dodgers!
This guy has been killed by the shift. Seventeeth in hard hit rate.the last two years for outfielders. It would be better than that if he didn’t try and fail to go the other way.
Great defender, good guy, but he was never going to pick up his option.
Not exactly sure what you’re saying. Are you saying he failed to hit the other way and shouldn’t have tried?
Calhoun totally changed his approach in early 2018 and looked like he was trying to go opposite field more often. (Because he was being heavily shifted.) But it messed up his swing and his head, and he was just awful through most of 2018.
He’s a dead pull hitter who tried and failed to adapt to the shifts. He’s been better off after going back to his strength, but he’s always going to be a guy who defenses can shift on and reduce his production that way.
I’m saying that hitting is hard. If going the other way was easy then there wouldn’t be a shift.
I’m saying when he hit the ball the other way, he wasn’t very good at it. I think the same is true with most players. I’m saying he played in the wrong era.
THANK YOU KOLE!
You play the game the absolute right way and handle yourself like the upmost professional you are.
I’ll miss your diving snags on the run, full extension. I’ll miss that cannon the most.
Great Angel and hope he has a long and gracious career.
What’s playing the game the wrong way? Run to third base after 3 balls or fielding a ball on 2 bounces and then trying to kick it into the bullpen?
I think when people say.. “The right way” I think they are saying he plays hard every day.
I did not know that.
They say no questions a bad question. You proved everyone wrong.
Playing the game the right way. Is sacrificing and giving that extra bit to get to the ball. Kole dives are full comment to true ball, pitchers have to love it.
He might be trying to lift the ball.
But his approach at the plate is fantastic, he never wastes a pitch and he battles every single AB.
He doesn’t yell at umpires or get frustrated with his teammates when they make a mistake. He’s always consistent showing emotions. He could go 20-25 for a week or so and then go 0-25 the next week and you wouldn’t be able to tell.
But I assume you wrote a smart a remark because you’re a UofA grad and your jealous he balled out for ASU.
He’s got no off the field issues.
Agree, he will be missed and loved watching him play the field. Hope he finds a good landing spot!
Maybe resign him 2 years $16M. Insurance against Adell not ready.
We have Goodwin for 4th OF duties, or starting RF if Adell doesn’t win the RF job in spring training.
Goodwin had 1 good year. I doubt he will replicate it.
Hey, they did something smart, finally!
So signing Ohtani and extending Trout was not smart? Only signing players to one year contacts was not smart? There are more things.
I don’t think you know what smart means.
Great player, sad to see him go, but a necessary decision. Amazing defender, inconsistent hitter. A contending team will be happy to have him!
Come put on the old English D and be part of our rental class this year!
He’ll go just south of Anaheim. He’ll sign with the D’Backs. He’s from Arizona so why not. Although he went to HPVU.
Finished college at ASU though…
Exactly
i mean, Phoenix isn’t really that much further south, maybe you meant East?
Either way I think he’s a good fit
It was a no brainer. With the win now mode in place they Angels needed to free the payroll for big FA additions. Jo Adell is as close as a solid spring training away from being the next star in the league and a serviceable Brian Goodwin allows for this move to not hurt the Angels next season.
With Arte willing to increase payroll, combined with money coming off the books I imagine you’ll see others salaries being shed by the Angels as well. The Angels are 2 solid SP, a 3B and C away from being a World Series contender.
Thanks Kole! Always loved the hustle and glove, wish the contact hitting was a bit better.
Let the Adell era begin…
I’m not a big WAR guy, but the general rule is 1.0 WAR is worth about $8M. His 2.3 WAR in 2019 yields $18.4M. So I’m sure he’ll get signed for a decent penny. I understand the Halos are keeping their coin for pitching, which I agree with. Thx to Kole for the killer hustle and attitude; he always brought his best game on the field and in the box.
That 2018 2.3 WAR seemed like an overpay. I would guess 2/$16-18m or *maybe* 3/$21-24m tops is what he gets.
He’s a decent batter but his fielding is his stronger suit and we will miss that
Sad to see the news but it just makes sense. Kole had a good run in right field…but due to his age, lack of a bat and our youth coming up it was bound to happen. Hopefully I am wrong and we resign him…but I feel Adell and the kids are getting their time to shine. And let’s face it…this Adell kid looks to have some really good talent. I hope Kole ends up with a good team and I wish him the best!
While I know Atlanta just resigned Markakis, I could still see the Braves adding Calhoun.
He’ll be alright…..there’s a team in Michigan that would love to have you !!
Slashed .232? More like sputtered to .232. A “nice” effort? Give him a juice box.
“Odds are that he will end up playing for less than $14MM in the 2019 season.”
The odds are that he played for whatever his actual salary was in the 2019 season, and the odds are that he will end up playing for less than $14MM in the 2020 season.
Does the site have editors?
I hope this sarcasm.
love Kole.