No matter if a Major League Baseball season takes place in 2020, there are certain players who will be in position to decide whether to exit their current contracts next winter. Whether it be by way of an opt-out clause or a mutual option, here’s a look at the players who will be able to choose to take their chances in free agency…
Opt-Outs
Back when the Marlins extended outfielder Giancarlo Stanton on a historic pact worth $325MM over 13 years in 2014, they included a one-time opt-out for next winter. Stanton has put up at least one phenomenal season since he signed that deal – he won the NL MVP and hit 59 home runs in 2017 – but injuries have hampered him on a regular basis. He’s now a member of the Yankees, who acquired him in a December 2017 deal, but Stanton played in just 18 games last season. He’ll still be owed $218MM for seven years after this season, and for at least the time being, it’s very tough to think of Stanton leaving that money on the table to test free agency.
Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, a member of the Yankees’ archrival in Boston, will have two years and $38.75MM remaining on his contract after this season. He’ll be 33 then, and will continue to be someone who’s known as a defensive liability, so should be opt out? It’s up for debate. The big-hitting Martinez remains an offensive standout, but his production last season fell (granted, he did still slash .304/.383/.557 with 36 home runs in 657 plate appearances). He subsequently chose not to opt out after last season, as doing so would have cost him his $23.75MM salary for this year.
One of Martinez’s former Tigers teammates, outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, will also have to choose whether to revisit free agency next offseason. Castellanos is another defensively challenged slugger, one whom the Reds guaranteed $64MM over four years this past winter. He’ll be 29 by the time the 2021 season rolls around, and by saying goodbye to his Reds pact, he’d be leaving $48MM on the table (including a $2MM buyout in 2024). It’s not easy to determine whether that will happen; some of it depends on how well Castellanos fares in 2020, if a season occurs. Carrying over the tremendous production he posted late last season after the Cubs acquired him from the Tigers may make Castellanos more inclined to try his luck on the market again, but his output at the plate has been more good than great throughout his career.
Mutual Options
For the most part, mutual options don’t get picked up. Either a player’s so effective that he opts for free agency or he’s not useful enough for his team to exercise the option. Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy and reliever Wade Davis are among those who have mutual option decisions waiting after the season, but they’ve struggled in the club’s uniform so far. With that in mind, Murphy’s on track for a $6MM buyout (as opposed to a $12MM salary), while Davis figures to receive a $1MM buyout instead of a $15MM payday.
Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun ($15MM mutual option, $4MM buyout), Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake ($18MM mutual option, $5MM buyout) and Cubs lefty Jon Lester ($25MM mutual option, $10MM buyout) could also find themselves looking for new contracts next winter. The same goes for Mets reliever Dellin Betances, though it’s tougher to say in his case. The former Yankee barely pitched at all season on account of injuries, and if there isn’t a season in 2020, would he turn down a guaranteed $6MM in 2021? And would the Mets buy him out for $3MM? That’s one of the many interesting questions we could face next offseason.
The only thing I want for Xmas is Jon Lester back in Boston!
You cubs fans are all alike!
About 6 years too late with that wish….
But what about the Brock Star?
Him too
This article was about Lester, but yeah of course Brockstar!
Your world seems to revolve around Brock Holt.
The Cubs sign Lester to win a World Series you can check that box. Very good signing at the time and he still gets value
Meh value
Arguably, the most important player in the franchise’s history. Not only was his contract well worth the value—he was the player that Jed and Theo convinced on the plan and opened the door for others to follow. They won 73 games the year before he came.
And yes, arguably—more important than Ernie Banks, Phil Cavaretta, Tinker, Evers or Chance. Jon Lester changed the trajectory of the rebuild.
More important than Ernie Banks? Good luck making that argument.
Without Lester signing the Cubs never would have been able to pickup other free agents. Such as Heyward, Marrow, DeScalso, Chatwood and Kimbrel.
What? Those guys stink!
Stanton wouldn’t opt out of the Yankees. If he did noone else would take him for how much time he’s on the DL. Yankees would move on in 10 seconds with their depth.
Great timing as Stanton came off the juice just in time to turn brittle on the big stage. Fraud.
He wasn’t exactly an iron man in Miami, either.
Xactly
If Stanton opts out he should be committed.
A-rod opted out and still Yankees too dumb and resigned him
Re-signed*
The Crew should re-sign Braun on a one-year deal for a few million. With the buyout, they give him like $7-8M. I think that’s fair; he’s still an above-average hitter, and it would just be strange to see him in another uniform.
A great idea on one condition; Milwaukee moves back to the AL so Braun can DH and add two expansion teams to the National League to facilitate the move. Then it would make perfect sense.
Why would they add 2 more teams to the NL and only 1 too AL? That makes it 17 teams for the NL and 15 for AL. I think MLB wants even amount of teams per league. You can count on additions to the AL upon the expansions. 16 teams in both leagues. Only way the NL gets an expansion is if a team wants to join the AL.
In this case, I hope my team Pirates make the case to play in the AL Central. I feel the Pirates don’t have the “rivalry” in the NL Central Division to make fans and myself go to specific games. At least with the AL Central, Cleveland would be a rivalry and a good one too. If the Pirates don’t move to the AL, I like to have them move back to NL East by creating 4 leagues with 4 teams. East, South, Central, and West. Knock out the a single Wild Card game. Expand the playoffs a week and add best of 3 series for 2 wild card games per league. Giving 4 wild cards and 4 division champs. 8 out of 16 teams have a chance to make the play offs each year.
Anyways divisions would look like this with 4 divisions:
NL
East
Mets
Phillies
Nationals
Pirates
South
Marlins
Braves
Astros (moves back to the NL)
New Orleans (expansion team)
Central
Cubs
Reds
Brewers
Cardinals
West
Dodgers
Giants
D-Backs
Rockies
AL
East
Yankees
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles
South
Rays
Rangers
Royals
Carolina team (expansion)
Central
Indians
Tigers
Twins
White Sox
West
A’s
Mariners
Angels
Padres (moves to the AL)
The leagues are currently 15 teams apiece if you moved Milwaukee back to the American league that gives them 16 and the national league is now at 14 add two more teams in the national league to become 16 just like the American league
There’s zero reason for Houston and San Diego to switch leagues. Also, switching to the NL was one of the conditions of current ownership buying the Astros.
New Orleans is losing their AAA team because nobody there cares about baseball. No way it’s a MLB expansion.
In the event that the Brewers can’t possibly find another OF either from the weiak upper levels of their farm system on in FA, this is a good idea. The Brewers history of sentimentality for players (Jim Gantner, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart ) because it would be weird to see a player in a different uni has damaged this club before. Seriously check out Gantner’s last few years with the club, that couldn’t possibly be hard to replace, and yet they never did.
Didn’t Braun state this offseason that he planned to retire after this season?
I’d laugh if Stanton opted out
There’s zero chance he does
As for Martinez, if one’s offensive output “falls” to a.940 OPS, it’s probably not worth mentioning. Guy can rake.
Disagree a little. His OPS each of the two years before that was over 1.030. He fell off 90 points in one year and he’s on the wrong side of 30, so people question whether his best days are behind him. .940 is still excellent, but it’s not among the league leaders like he was the past two seasons. It becomes especially important when literally all of his value is from his bat.
I agree with you there. And when you look at what other purely DH players are making (guys like Encarnacion and Cruz) it’s far less per year than even the “reduced” $19+M per year Martinez has left on his deal. I would seriously doubt he’s going to see more than that offered by any other team.
Yeah, he fell off 90 points to .940. That was 6th in the American League so it actually is among the league leaders.
Context matters.
JD still will not get more than 2 years $38 million. He is a DH and that limits him to the AL where half the teams are rebuilding and do not look to spend that money on a 33 year old. Minnesota has Cruz, Yankees have Stanton (if not hurt), …. JD’s market is four or five teams that probably won’t spend $38 million on a DH. It is the same reason he didn’t opt out the last off season. He will resign like last off season and finish the five year contract with Boston. (For reference look at David Ortiz series of one and two year contracts that were well underneath comparable outfielders). DHs get less than players that play defense with comparable offense.
Just an observation here, don’t kill me, but the Rockies may benefit the most from a canceled/severally shortened season. The best case scenario, which could entirely be possible: lopping off 43 M in contracts that range from terribly bad to underperforming. I hate to be that guy, but there was no mention of the Rockies different contract options.
Seems hard to imagine Shaw’s options not becoming guaranteed without an injury. And the most interesting is Davis. His option become a guaranteed player option if he finishes 30 games, and is healthy. Follow that up with receiving a NTC if traded. Puts them in sort of pickle if they are contending, and if they aren’t or fall out hard to see a team willing to trade for him if he’s anywhere close to it becoming a 15M guaranteed player op & obtaining NTC rights. McGee won’t have enough. They can decline Murphy with ease. They can mess with Davis to ensure he dips under that number, but it shows how badly JB has bumbled this thing. Mix that with the Dunn & Desmond fiascos, and Nolan relationship, how does he still have a job?
Sf giants also gain a lot with the missed year-
Yup, a lotta bad money gets washed outta that Col pen though, I think they got caught up in the Royals path too much w these guys
No one gains from a missed year, just some teams don’t lose as much.
True independently, but relatively SF gains, and pretty significantly in the financials –
I also think Sf will be big players 2021-23 in free agency, the economic downturn I think will favor them to secure said free agency players at a better rate and more easily obtainable-
Its not fair and nobody planned for it, just the way it falls- My team LAD no doubt takes the biggest hit if there is no season/ so be it on with 2021 if so !
I was hoping JDM would opt out this past (current?) offseason and the White Sox signed him instead of EE. With the way his contract is structured, his pay goes down significantly next year, so if there is a season and he proves he is still an elite hitter, I’m guessing he opts out this coming offseason. Still a chance the White Sox sign him if that happens as their deal on EE is one year with a team option for a second.
Since it is still unclear, if the NL adopts the DH soon, I do not see Martinez opting out. With this said, I much rather expect Boston to be willing to add if some team (i.e. CWS) were willing to take on his contract.
Gruß,
BSHH
There was talk about moving Abrue to DH, so I do not think there is a need for JD in Chicago. I do not see the White Sox spending $40 million on JD over the next two years as the RS contract is for $38.7 million for two years.
Braun wasn’t much before roids then was awesome. He got busted and is now league avg. He’s a joke. Brewers are a wise team and will let him go to independent baseball. Lol Braun has been done.
Don’t let the hate blind you cubs fan. He was great before and great after (when he was constantly being tested) You might be thinking of Sammy Sosa
People also forget, the stuff he took was to heal more quickly not get jacked like Sosa. Yeah he cheated but his swing was his swing.
Sox dont need J.D. they will be awesome 2 to 3 years from now. J.D. wont be worth a crap by then
Lol
Boston will still have use for Martinez. But they will likely prefer to spend “his” almost $ 20m/year on other players.
Gruß,
BSHH
imagine thinking Boston was ever good.
It’s all about the money……always.
How are vesting options going to work?
I’d be surprised if any pro athlete with an opt-out clause would go that route. If we’re on the cusp of a minor depression, revenues will reset. Tv deals may have to be honored, but clubs will have to slash ticket and concession price to get fans in stadiums.
The gravy train for pro sports owners may just dry up. For several years. The players will get hit, too. But maybe not right away.
Yep, Jeter really “gifted” Stanton to the Yankees. Wouldn’t every single person that said that agree?
#gotheeeeeeem
Don’t Davis and Bryan Shaw have clauses in their contract that, based on games finished and/or appearances, make it quite easy for them to turn those mutual options to player options?
indeed only problem is they have that pesky org in the way from doing that
Col would straight cut them before letting them trigger anything
Connor, is there an article on MLBTR that explains the reasoning for mutual options? They are pretty much never exercised by both sides, so I gather they are there because of how the Competitive Balance Tax payroll is calculated. I look at the headlines on almost everything here, but I’d be lying if I said I read every word, so I might have missed it in some article over the years. In the same vein, how do player and team options and performance bonuses affect the CBT payroll, which is supposed to be calculated by averaging the contract value over the life of the contract?
Usually to defer some of the money. Like say you want to sign a guy for $9m but you want to pay him $6m this season and $3m next season, you make it a 1/$6m deal with a mutual option with a $3m buyout.
I believe the last mutual option that was picked up by both sides was Jason Giambi with the Rockies 8 years ago.
The future of baseball is in trouble. The owners are filthy with money. The lawyers(known as Agents) get to make their clients(the players) filthy rich off the owners. We all know that players are not worthy of the stupid contracts they get. And all this is bad for fans and to attract the young generations to MLB. The lifelong fans like myself and my friends never attend games anymore. What for, to see players that are paid 20 to 35 million a year and have a .265 BA for the year or win 14 games as a starter. No thank you baseball you’re done.
Annysway-totally agree. I Have watch the highlights of every Red Sox game and have for 51 years, but I refuse to pay the over priced tickets! I have been to about 30 games (not living in an MLB city), but none in the last 20 years. As baby boomers die off (I am one) the MLB will drop considerable in popularity!!! There are too many other interests competing for the discretionary dollars of the average American (along with retirement, health care, kids college).