Opt-outs are just a fancy name for player options, a contract feature that's been around for years. So team opt-outs do exist...they're called team options.
Yes, but generally team options are tacked on at the end of a contract, not in the middle. That's a huge difference!
They’re getting more complicated both ways now, Britton had one where NY had to opt into two more years or he could opt out.
We may be down to semantics, then, but opting out of a 6-year deal at the end of year 3 is the "middle" of the contract.
That was a tongue-in-cheek comment by me---there has been a lot of digital ink on this board arguing that opt-outs can be beneficial for the team (the situation cites is a productive player in the midst of a significant contract opting out and then getting a new contract with a different team during which they decline---which is certainly possible but that particular sequence of events does not occur frequently enough to be an effective argument in favor of opt-outs).
Any time you can acquire all the downside risk & none of the upside risk you kind of have to do it.
His deal was a bit different than you describe, but yes---it was an interesting risk-balance. At end of 2020 season he had one year remaining for 2021. If the team exercised his 2022 option he was committed for two years; if they did not, he then had the option of opting out of the 2021 season. So effectively he had one year left, a team option on a second iwth a very early exercise date, and then a player option if the team opted out of that second year.
I'm not denying that there is a possible scenario where it works out very well---team signs young player to big contract, player performs well pre-opt out, opts out, and then signs with another team who then pays the player handosmely for his decline years. But its a strategy that assumes a. Some other team is stupider than you (and you don't wind up succumbing to the pressure to "keep" your player and become the stupid team yourself and b. that you...are able to replace the player's production/position realtively easily and without overpaying yourself. Our current situation is a good encapsulation of all of the potential pitfalls; let's say another team offers a stupidly high contract that the majority of the board is happy not to be exceeding. We still have a Xander-sized hole in our lineup and infield. Can Story occupy that role? Maybe? Maybe his arm holds up? Now all we have to do is find a new second baseman as well as a new middle of the order bat. It's not an ideal situation.
Not sure if you thought I was disagreeing, but I don't.
Well, Dombrowski would sign Bogaerts and send Cleveland Mayer and a pair of decent prospects to get it done.
I think the best, most realistic pitching trade target is Pablo Lopez. Bieber’s so good the cost would be tough to swallow. Same goes for Woodruff and Burnes (unless you take on Yelich) but they’re reportedly off the table anyways. Zac Gallen is another pipe dream— but unlike the others Gallen is under contract for three seasons so that won’t happen.
I think I've heard it reported that the Marlins are prioritizing position players. So maybe you can start with Ceddane Rafaela and Houck + lower minors bats like Matt Lugo or Blaze Jordan. I don't think Hosmer has much value, but I could definitely see them being interested in Verdugo. I could also see them valuing Enmanuel Valdez highly if they're looking for closer to MLB guys.
Hosmer's from Miami so I'd have to think there's a decent chance he'd approve a trade there. They want to give Bryan de la Cruz 550 PAs, which means they're gonna have to play him in a corner. Sending them Verdugo and Hosmer for Avisaíl Garcia and one of their non-Alcantara starters make sense to me. (I'd prefer Rogers, because López has some concerning shoulder issues and only two years remaining.) Maybe they also want to move on from Stallings after his disastrous year, and maybe Bloom is still into him.
I was semi-joking about this several days ago...buuuuuut am I dumb for thinking there might be something there?
Also George Springer, also Gerrit Cole, the key is player development behind your stars so guys are ready to fill in when injuries or departures happen.
This. If Mayer were ready to step in now, fewer people would be upset about losing Xander. As well loved as he is, having a replacement ready makes his loss that much easier. We're now in the position of needing (at least) a stopgap.
A few folks have complained about how unlikely it was we did anything in 2018 with legacy contracts, such as Pedroia's, around. Pedroia's was about as team-friendly a star contract has ever been. Remaining relatively free of legacy contracts and by having cost-controlled stars is the new market efficiency. It's more easily done in markets where a splace is required to bring the team to relevance -- the downside risk of places such as San Diego is that you return to your rather insignificant selves in 5 years. In those 5 years, though (as @Traut mentioned elsewhere) is that you get five years to grease the engine.
They did exactly that with Xander. He just got an opt-out so he was a free agent when he was 30 rather than 32.
Yes, but X was extended basically right before he went to FA. In order to get X to sign and not go directly to FA with Boras, they needed to include the opt out. I would argue that the contract worked out as intended, for both sides: The team got an additional 3 years of his prime. X got earnings certainty and another bite at the apple when he would still have value.
Nope. That was just me looking for a SS who might be available on a team that isn't likely to compete next year and offering them a number of young, cost controlled guys to add to their system.
If you're willing to part with Devers, maybe. Otherwise, I don't expect Pablo to be heading this way, and I'm not sold they'd do it for one year of Devers.
(it's Mayer, so they probably ask for him instead
)
Miami wouldn't be interested in Devers but I also don't think Lopez's cost would be prohibitive. Maybe I'm misjudging the market for SP, but he's a young #2/#3 pitcher with just two years of control. It's not like he's Woodruff/Barnes. Miami reportedly wants position players. Behind Alcantara and Lopez, they have a stable of pre-arb and arb-1 guys who are cheaper and further away from FA like Luzardo, Cabrera, Garrett, and Rogers. They also have top prospects Eury Perez, Max Meyer, and Sixto Sanchez not far behind.
I mean... Hassell would fit pretty nicely. We don't have a ton of great OF prospects. Wood would also be a target. Just depends on how badly the Nationals want to move Strasburg.
I really like this idea of using our financial power to take on a bad contract in order to get a really good player. However, I can't seem to see anything reasonable. Taking on Yelich to get Burnes or Woodruff seems like the most obvious, but Milwaukee claims they aren't trading either. Rendon? I don't see any reasonable targets on the Angels that make it worth taking on Rendon (Ohtani isn't happening). Strasburg? Washington is mostly a young team, and not many good players that would help. Bumgarner? Ketel Marte had a disappointing 2022, so I wouldn't want to take on Bumgarner with the hope that Marte bounces back. Pittsburgh doesn't have any horrible contracts to take on to make the cost of Reynolds go down. I like this theory, but can't seem to find one that makes sense.
Just did a quick search of worst current contracts. Nationals also have Patrick Corbin on the hook for another $59m. Would the Angels have anything to attach to Rendon and his $152m? Besides Trout of course.
Here are some earlier suggestions. I left the Yoshida comment for posterity's sake. Speaking of the Phillies, I'm guessing that Castellanos could be made available, maybe at a subsidized price?
I think Strasburg is impossible to move at this point. He's owed $140M over the next 4 seasons and has thrown ~30 innings since the end of 2019. There's just no way the Nats could construct a deal, they'd have to add so much money/prospects to get off him it just wouldn't make sense for either party.
I'm betting the Nationals aren't really in any hurry to move Strasburg or Corbin. Those are their only two significant salary obligations (a shade under half of their current projected payroll) and they're going nowhere in that division for a few years. They'd probably do just as well to ride the contracts out and hang on to any/all their prospects for better uses.
