Daily Dose: Exercising Options
A number of players will be staying right where they are in 2015, including a few teams' closers.
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The Red Sox looked past a shaky end to the 2014 season for Koji Uehara, re-signing him to a two-year, $18 million deal to keep him in Boston. The right-hander was an All-Star again this past season but faltered down the stretch, finishing with a 2.52 ERA that was his highest since his 2010 season with the Orioles.
Still, the Red Sox wanted to keep Uehara around, and general manager Ben Cherington said there's no question where he'll be pitching in 2015.
"There may be other things we look to do in the bullpen,” Cherington said Thursday. “But this is certainly an important first step, not just for the bullpen but really for our offseason in general. I feel very good about the ninth inning when he’s pitching out there with a lead. As you guys know, it was a priority for us to retain him.”
There is also no question where Huston Street will be saving games, as the Angels exercised his $7 million option for next year. Street had a phenomenal 2014 season, saving 41 games and registering a 1.37 ERA, and closing games for a powerful Angels club he'll be one of the top fantasy closers heading into next season.
One of the easiest decisions of the day was made by Reds general manager Walt Jocketty, who exercised the $10 million option on Johnny Cueto. The ace and Cy Young candidate -- if anybody other that Clayton Kershaw can be considered a candidate -- is a huge bargain at that price. A few other players not going anywhere include Denard Span, whose $9 million option was picked up by the Nationals; Hisashi Iwakuma, whose $7 million option was a no-brainer for the Mariners; and Dan Haren, who exercised his $10 million player option on Thursday.
Parting Ways
With the good also comes the bad, and that was the nature of the news for some players Thursday.
The Orioles managed to work out a contract extension with J.J. Hardy during the playoffs, but they couldn't get a similar deal done with Nick Markakis. The club declined Markakis' $17.5 million option for next year Thursday, but the belief is that they will still work to get a long-term deal done with the soon-to-be 31-year-old. Whether that deal gets done before Markakis hits the open market is very much in question.
The Nationals also turned down two of their options, electing to let Rafael Soriano and Adam LaRoche become free agents. Soriano was a relatively easy decision, as he was set to make $14 million and lost his closing job down the stretch due to ineffectiveness, but declining LaRoche's $15 million option will likely set off a chain reaction in the nation's capital. With LaRoche gone, the Nats will likely move Ryan Zimmerman from third to first base, sliding Anthony Rendon from second base to his original third base position. That opens the team up to keep Asdrubal Cabrera around as a second baseman, something the 28-year-old has expressed a willingness to do, or to promote Danny Espinosa to being a full-time player once again. They could also look outside the organization for a replacement.
The Padres also declined Josh Johnson's $4 million option for next season. The Tommy John patient will likely miss the beginning of the 2015 season, and the two sides may still be able to work out an incentive-laden deal to keep him in San Diego.
Cubs Mad For Maddon
The first big splash of the baseball offseason is about to be made by a manager.
With free agency still a few days away and the lights still warm at Kaufmann Stadium from Wednesday's thrilling Game 7, the Cubs are expected to name Joe Maddon as their new manager in the coming days. A formal press conference to introduce Maddon could happen as early as Friday.
Though neither side has said anything publicly, multiple reports Wednesday suggested the two sides were close. The deal would actually likely have been announced by now if not for that Game 7, and for the fact that it's been less than a week since Maddon opted out of his deal with the Rays. To have a new landing spot so quickly -- especially after his agent, Alan Nero, said he was going to play the field -- would look bad on both Maddon and the Cubs.
The real loser in all this is Rick Renteria. Brought on board less than a year ago for his ability to connect with the Cubs' young Latin players like Javier Baez and Jorge Soler, Renteria is now out of a job after nearly all the managerial positions have been filled. Renteria will obviously be comforted by the money he'll be paid by the Cubs to not manage for the next two seasons, but the 52-year-old will likely have to settle for a bench job this season until he can interview for another manager gig next offseason.
Maddon, 60, is revered as a great motivator and came from an organization that had tremendous success relying primarily on drafting and developing young talent. With the pipeline of Cubs prospects that includes Baez, Soler, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and many more, Maddon will be asked to replicate that success while leaning on his young core of players.
Of course, in Tampa, Maddon had a stable of good young arms while finding that success, so Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein will be tasked with finding some complements for Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks. But with Maddon in place, playing competitive baseball may come sooner than expected at Wrigley Field.
Quick Hits: The Brewers had previously intimated that they would pick up Yovani Gallardo's $13 million option, and they did just that Thursday. The right-hander hasn't been his former self since 2012, but a new approach resulted in a 3.51 ERA in 32 starts this past year ... the Orioles will keep Wei-Yin Chen around for $4.75 million next year. The southpaw won 16 games for the O's in 2014 ... with the season officially over, the Yankees reinstated Alex Rodriguez from his suspension Thursday. What role A-Rod will play for the Yanks next season is still undecided, but at the least he could be a designated hitter option for the club ... as if there was any question, the Cardinals exercised John Lackey's $500,000 option for next year ... Kevin Youkilis has decided to retire from baseball, citing family and health as factoring in the decision. The 35-year-old spent last season in Japan ... the Blue Jays acquired Liam Hendriks from the World Series runner-up Royals in exchange for minor league catcher Santiago Nessy. It will be Hendriks' second go-round with the organization ... CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports the Royals are expected to decline Billy Butler's $12 million option. A bad-bodied designated hitter who struggled to hit in 2014, Butler will be an interesting free agent to monitor this winter.
