2:18 pm: Sogard’s option will also be declined, relays Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link).
12:42 pm: The Brewers are declining Gyorko’s $4.5MM option in lieu of a $1MM buyout, reports Robert Murray (Twitter link). The 32-year-old will return to free agency on the heels of a strong .248/.333/.504 line over 135 plate appearances.
11:33 am: The Brewers are declining their $2.55MM club option on outfielder Ben Gamel, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The 28-year-old remains eligible for arbitration, however, having accrued just three-plus years of MLB service. Arbitration figures are harder than ever to pin down this offseason thanks to the shortened season, but MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Gamel to earn between $1.7MM and $2.1MM if tendered a contract.
It’s possible the Brewers’ internal metrics also pegged Gamel for a likely lower arbitration salary than the value of the option. In that case, there’d be little reason for the team not to decline the option, even if they plan on keeping him in the fold.
Gamel hit a serviceable but hardly spectacular .237/.315/.404 with three home runs over 127 plate appearances in 2020. That’s in line with his production over the course of his career. The left-handed hitter is probably best suited in a corner, but he’s capable of playing center field if need be.
Milwaukee already declined their half of Ryan Braun’s $15MM mutual option yesterday, making him a free agent. They’ll also have to decide on options for Jedd Gyorko and Eric Sogard, each of whom would hit the open market if their option were declined.
See, these are the kind of players I expect options to be denied of. Not the Morton or Hand types.
to be fair, TB and CLE are fairly cheap. I wouldn’t be surprised by those moves even in league boom times.
Keep the Gyork but ditch Sogard and sign a corner IF. Preferably someone who knows how to hit? Infield is basically set then.
I agree, Jerk store was solid for us. They are really cutting costs after a huge revenue hit in small market.
is non-tendering Gyorko a given? His numbers this year weren’t bad and he may rebound from 2019 even further.
Some team will take a gamble on Gamel. (Sorry….I had to)
reply to this comment:where will jedd gyrko go? my guess is cubs
Rockies
Pirates maybe. He is from Morgantown, WV which is less than 90 minutes away.
This is getting weird now, Gyorko was one of their best players this season and his option was so cheap. Basically a $3.5 million decision.
His was the 1 I thought they’d pick up. Not great overall but 1 of the better performers for MKE.
Gamel I figured could go either way, and Sogard just isn’t very good..again.
.248 is not a strong season
Yes if this was 1960 that would be a good argument
.837 ops is pretty good, and 4.5M for that type of production is a good deal.