Everett’s 2007 option
DMZ · July 19, 2006 at 9:38 am · Filed Under Mariners
Since this comes up in nearly every thread, I thought I’d attempt to answer it clearly, on the front page.
We believe that Carl Everett’s option for next year vests at about 450 plate appearances. That’s been where the M’s have set the playing-time bar for other contracts, and from what we know about the contract, it fits. He has ~320 right now, and if he continues to DH even against righties only, he’ll vest.
The option year, if triggered, is another year for the same amount of money, or about $3.4m. The club has to buy it out if he doesn’t reach the playing time quota, or they could decide to pick the option up for next year anyway.
There you go.
The M’s biggest problem is neither Everett nor Hargrove, it’s Bavasi. If they release Everett, the guy who signed him will bring in a new DH. If they fire Hargrove, the guy who hired him will hire the new manager. First fire Bavasi, then bring in a competent GM to hire a new manager and find a new DH!
yes, given his views on homosexuality…
solid – I was so wrapped up in avoiding dinosaur references that I let that one slip.
Dateline Seattle: Speculation loomed about whether Carl Everett would file a MLPAA grievance if he was released before reaching 450 plate appearances. We asked some fans what they thought.
Fan1: It wouldn’t be a problem if they would bring up Doyle.
Fan2: I don’t care if he files a grievance, so long as he’s not in the lineup. Bring up Doyle.
Fan3: Hargrove doesn’t want to release Everett and he’d probably just let Doyle rot on the bench.
Fan4: DOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE! When, Oh When are they going to bring up Doyle????
#53
I’m guessing you would also get a lot of ‘who the hell is Doyle?’ responses.
I’m wouldn’t argue with those who say there’s clearly something wrong in the M’s offices, but I’d caution us against saying, for instance, that firing Bavasi would solve the team’s problems. Because no one with access in the local press has bothered to do any kind of writing on this (and I don’t expect them to), we really have no idea where ownership is forcing Bavasi’s hand (okay, the draft thing was clear), where Hargrove is winning and losing arguments with Bavasi and with ownership, and where the ownership group stands on some of these issues.
All of which is why I’m hesitant, in cases like this, to blast Bavasi over the lack of Everett-related moves. I’m entirely comfortable saying the team’s fucking up, but for all we know, he’s calling Armstrong after every game and saying “I know it annoys you when I call every day, but you saw this game — can I please get rid of that guy now?”
Yeah, or “let’s trade Doyle, Jones, and Clement for Soirano and have him play center!”
Based on a quick review of the CBA and uniform player’s contract (see handy sidebar at left), my best understanding is that the vesting option is only an issue if another team trades for Everett or claims him on waivers, thereby acquiring Everett’s current contract. Under the uniform contract, the new team becomes responsible for all payments accruing after the acquisition, and the vesting option would not accrue until after he joined the new team. In other words, the M’s are not responsible for it.
If Everett is released, it appears that the CBA treats this as a termination of his contract, which necessarily would include the termination of the vesting option. M’s obligation to continue to pay Everett apparently comes not from the contract, but from the CBA’s termination pay provisions. They require the M’s to pay Everett the remainder of his salary, minus his salary from the contract he signs with his new team. Because his contract with the option would have been terminated before it vested, neither the M’s nor the new team should have to pay it.
Hopefully somebody who actually deals with MLB contracts can correct or confirm this.
Because his contract with the option would have been terminated before it vested, neither the M’s nor the new team should have to pay it.
Except that every contract is deemed to include an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. If a player were performing satisfactorily but were released solely in order to avoid vesting of a performance-based option, that might be considered a breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. I assume that would be the basis for a player’s grievance if he were released shortly before an option vested.
Yes, I am a lawyer. Carl’s problem in a grievance would be on the question of whether he were performing satisfactorily. As the worst DH in the league, I think he’d be hard pressed to convince anyone that he was released for financial and not performance reasons.
Well, that would apply in a normal world but sports are odd. If the same arbitrators who do salary arbitrations do this or are a guide, then I am not so sure Everett would have a problem convincing them that he is anything but a team mvp.
I don’t think C-Rex could convince arbitrators of much, whether looking at useful or traditional stats. He is .322 behind the next lowest full-time DH (using ESPN’s stats for determining what constitutes a full-time DH) in OPS. By more traditional measures, it’s just as bad, though. Showing the worst (Everett) and the next worst (varies) for several categories:
Runs: Everett 34, Ortiz 68
Hits: Everett 67, Thome 92
HR: Everett 11, Hafner 28
RBI: Everett 32, Hafner 77
BB: Everett 28, Thome 58
BA: Everett .228, Ortiz .278
OBP: Everett .299, Ortiz .388
SLG: Everett .367, Ortiz .601
Granted, these are very good hitters that he’s being compared to. But if a player has zero value in the field (i.e., is a full-time DH), he’d damned well better be special with the bat.
And by traditional measures, he’s bad even for a fielder. In BA, for example, his .228 ranks dead last among qualifying AL players. I’m not saying that BA is the best measure of a player, but it is a measure that traditionalists (and likely arbitrators) put some stock in. There is no conceivable way to look at Everett’s numbers and see anything other than a very, very bad hitter playing a position that has as its lone requirement hitting the f’ing ball.
Strike one tiny bit of that. ESPN refreshed oddly, so it missed one player below him in BA: Richie Sexson at .226.
But with 19 HR’s and 65 RBI…
Hey, look at Rondell White lately, maybe C-rex can turn it around still…
I mean 8 other teams have had him so he must have value, and the CHI sox even wanted him 3 separate times. That kind of knowledge and experience cannot be taught.
Its not we win when he doesn’t start or something like that, then I could see getting rid of him…
“Its not ‘like’ we win…”
While most of us agree that designated hitter Carl Everett should be released, relief pitcher Julio Mateo should be designated for assignment, and manager Mike Hargrove should be fired, I’m sure that most of y’all will disagree with me about how I think that the Seattle Mariners should attempt to get out from under the enormous contracts of first baseman Richie Sexson (2006: $13,000,000; 2007: $14,000,000; 2008: $14,000,000) and third baseman Adrian Beltre (2006: $12,900,000; 2007: $N/A; 2008: $N/A; 2009: $N/A).
Yeah, that’s right folks, the M’s should be sellers rather than buyers at this point in the season.
Anyway, the San Diego Padres recently released third baseman Vinny Castilla; thus, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Padres were willing to acquire Beltre (2006: .256/.321/.403), with the intent to pay the remainder of his salary, for starting pitcher Chan Ho Park (2006: 4.49 ERA; 1.39 WHIP; 81/36 K/BB ratio), who has an expiring contract (2006: $15,333,679).
Regardless of the New York Yankees reported interest in starting pitcher Joel Piñeiro, they are in desperate need of some potent sock in their lineup. As it is, first baseman Andy Phillips (2006: .258/.285/.447) hasn’t been doing a great job; therefore, the Yankees ought to be interested in obtaining the services of the underperforming, albeit vastly talented Sexson (2006: .226/.296/.438; Career: .266/.347/.522), with the intent to pay the remainder of his salary. Obviously, Sexson has a very low value at this moment in time due to his poor production and high salary; however, he should be able to net the M’s an upper-tier prospect, such as third baseman Eric Duncan (Trenton Thunder {AA}: .269/.364/.500), from the financially resourceful Yankees.
In the end, ultimately, my viewpoint concerning the M’s will be thought of as extremely unpopular by numerous people; yet, I’ll stand by it nonetheless.
So if you’re right, and numerous people will think of your viewpoint as extremely unpopular… so what? That doesn’t make it unpopular or… I’m not sure what your point is.
Also, I’m not sure you can say that someone’s underperforming even though they’re vastly talented. Saying they’re underperforming establishes that you think that their results aren’t indicitive of their true talent level.
Or, in short, “albeit” is not the word you want there.
I’m legitimately surprised at the traction the Soriano-Mariners rumors have gotten here in Washington over the past couple of days, especially considering it’s a deal that doesn’t make much sense as currently theorized. The Post reported that Bob Boone was at the Mariners-Yankees games this week doing some scouting, and one of our local radio guests (Phil Wood, who tends to be at least a little more informed than most among the locals) speculated that Jones and Rafael Soriano would be targets for the Nats.
I don’t think that will happen, but it would certainly fit the Nats’ strategy (shown in the deal with Cincinnati) to acquire young, Major League-ready talent for their vets with value. And the Nats are desperate enough for CFs that they just plucked ex-Oriole Luis Matos off the waiver wire.
But if there actually is more than tepid interest in Soriano from Seattle management, that has to be a sign that they’re just about out of patience with Everett. Doesn’t it? They’re not bringing him in to play second base or center field, which means that either he or Ibanez would be the full-time DH (unless Ichiro moves to center, of course). And they already acquired Perez to take some of C-Rex’s at-bats.
Which is a long way of saying that I voted against him getting his option vested.
I’ll take Hillenbrand as DH… both bullpen cancers but is a 300 hitter.
68- First comment posting. Love the site. anyways
I think it’d be much better to snag Hillenbrand while he’s worth so little. consistant hitter, line-drive guy, kinda always reminded me of Jeff Cirillo (when he was good.). And when Cirillo came over, everyone said his plate approach was perfect for Safeco. Hillenbrand has a good BA but doesn’t walk much. makes about the same as Everett so it makes sense to use him over Everett and not have to worry about that option.
I would like to see Hillenbrand at DH, Hell, I would like to see ANYONE at DH other than Everett.. but seriously doubt that would happen. Mariners front office has been known to stay away from attitudes like that, although it is possible that they will stray in order to bring in a bat. However, another RH bat in a lineup like this one is not too likely.
Yeah, but they didn’t seem to scared with Everett’s temper. Does Hillenbrand have a history of this? I mean, he did just go to a foreign country to adopt an orphan with his wife…
Plus, if they picked him up, not only would he be better than everett now, but he’s a FA after the year, so they would be investing a little over 2 mill on a few months of Hillenbrand and a whole year of everett
oops i mean a year w/o everett. so they’d save themselves a little over a million bucks. and get better production in the meantime. Just my opinion
I don’t see any reason to bring in Hillenbrand as DH (although he’d be cheap, we already have a RH DH -ya,that Perez guy who is growing a permanent attachment to the bench). I know this idea has been beaten to death but why bring him in when we have Doyle to plug into the DH role if/when C-Rex is, mercifully, DFA’ed.
Anyway, the San Diego Padres recently released third baseman Vinny Castilla; thus, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Padres were willing to acquire Beltre (2006: .256/.321/.403), with the intent to pay the remainder of his salary, for starting pitcher Chan Ho Park (2006: 4.49 ERA; 1.39 WHIP; 81/36 K/BB ratio), who has an expiring contract (2006: $15,333,679).
It would sure surprise me. Why wouldn’t the Padres rather spend that money in 2007, 2008, and 2009 on other players when CHP’s contract ends?
Or, to put it another way- would you think the Padres be acting particularly rationally if they signed Adrian Beltre to a FA deal to the exact same money as he’ll make from 2007-2009 if HIS contract was expiring? If not- why does that deal make sense?
As it is, first baseman Andy Phillips (2006: .258/.285/.447) hasn’t been doing a great job; therefore, the Yankees ought to be interested in obtaining the services of the underperforming, albeit vastly talented Sexson (2006: .226/.296/.438)
Um, you might notice that the underperforming but vastly talented Sexson is actually underperforming the untalented but vastly cheaper Phillips right now.
Again… would Sexson represent your ideal FA signing at 1B in 2007 if you were Brian Cashman? If not… then why give up Eric Duncan for him?
I think there is a lot of worth in bringing in Hillenbrand to play DH. Yes, he is a right handed bat like Perez, but unlike Perez, he actually hits righties just as well as he does southpaws.
Career vs. Left: .296/.338/.466
Career vs. Right: .287/.325/.446
On this team with so little depth, we need as many solid hitters as we can get. Doyle, as we all know, is anything but a sure thing to stay healthy. Hillenbrand gives us a piece that we could run out there as an every-day DH, while spelling both Beltre and Big Sexy.
Shea Hillenbrand for Mariner DH!
link
I just mentioned this to my coworkers here at ESPN and they all thought I was insane. They assume any decent player will be picked up by the Sox or Yankees.
C-Rex only barely trails Jamie Moyer in OPS.
Re. #66:
According to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/albeit, the term albeit is defined as “even though; although; notwithstanding.”
As it is, though, the semantics regarding my claim, wherein I wrote that “the Yankees ought to be interested in obtaining the services of the underperforming, albeit vastly talented [Richie] Sexson […],” are as follows:
1. Sexson, according to his career statistics, is a vastly talented baseball player at the major league level.
2. Statistically, Sexson is underperforming this season in correlation to his carrer numbers.
3. Although Sexson is hitting .226/.296/.438 in 2006, his career average is .266/.347/.522; ergo, even though he has underperformed this season, he is still a vastly talented player.
Re. #74:
Admittedly, I’d be surprised if another team absorbed the remainder of Richie Sexson’s contract and/or Adrian Beltre’s contract; unfortunately, though, it’s nothing more than a pipe dream of mine.
That’s a lot of words to escape a bit of bad usage. Come on, you started a paragraph with “In the end, ultimately, my viewpoint …” It wasn’t your finest comment. That’s fine.
But let’s just argue this out, then, if you want, and take each of those alternate meanings.
“the Yankees ought to be interested in obtaining the services of the underperforming, [even though] vastly talented Sexson”
Nope. Same problem I pointed out before: underperforming includes an assertion of what normal performance would be.
“the Yankees ought to be interested in obtaining the services of the underperforming, although vastly talented Sexson”
Better, but still the same problem: underperforming includes an assertion of what normal performance would be. This at least sets up the expectation that the underperformance is large.
“the Yankees ought to be interested in obtaining the services of the underperforming, notwithstanding vastly talented Sexson”
Makes no sense.
At best, albeit is a confusing and inappropriate word choice, and a simpler word would have been clearer.
Shea’s got his own post. Thanks.
DMZ (or anyone really), I have a question that you may or may not feel like tackling. Sexson seems to be putting up pretty good power numbers relative to his average this year. I’m not sure how to phrase this, but who in baseball history has the biggest gap between his power and average production? In other words, I’m looking for guys with the worst batting averages for their power numbers, or the best power numbers for their batting average. Guys like Sexson but even more extreme. I wonder if there’s been anyone to bat, say, .210 while hitting 40 HR in a season. Sexson is pretty much the only guy like this who immediately comes to mind, and the .220/35 HR guy seems like a pretty rare type of hitter. Bo Jackson and Ken Griffey were somewhat similar but I wonder if there are players from history who are examples of that kind of hitter.
Lowest batting averages, 40 or more HR
—
Jose Canseco, 1998, .237, 46
Harmon Killebrew, 1959, .241, 42
JAY BUHNER, 1997, .243, 40
Harmon Killebrew, 1962, .243, 48
Gorman Thomas, 1979, 45, .244
Greg Vaughn, 1999, 45, .245
…
#83
See: Adam Dunn
Lowest batting averages, 30 or more HR
Dave Kingman 1982 37 0.204
Dave Kingman 1986 35 0.210
Ron Kittle 1984 32 0.215
Gorman Thomas 1985 32 0.215
Jose Valentin 2004 30 0.216
…
Mike Cameron’s 2004 is #9, just below another Dave Kingman year.
Dunn is #7 on the lowest-with-40
There’s not much interesting at 50+
Re. #80:
It wasn’t just my use of the conjunction albeit that made it difficult to understand the meaning of the sentence, as I should have used the conjuction yet rather than albeit, but also my use of the intransitive verb underperforming. Instead of using the intransitive verb underperforming, I should have used another adjective to go along with talented, such as unproductive, as that would have improved the sentence structure.
unproductive, yet vastly talented Sexson
According to some Red Sox fans who paid attention to Hillenbrand’s departure from that club a couple of years ago, there’s 2 wildly different versions of that event, too, Hillenbrand’s and RS GM Theo Epstein’s. Interesting discussion here about the vastly differing stories.
Heck, C-Rex has already raised the same kind of ruckus with HIS manager, and absolutely nothing has happened to him. Hargrove must have the skin of an elephant to not react to that. So, even if Shea Hillenbrand has anger management issues with authority like Everett seemingly has, he should do OK in an M’s uniform.
And his OPS is higher than any Mariner players except Ibanez and Ichiro! Go for it, BB! He’d be only the 6th-highest-paid guy (now that Eddie G. is gone) on the 25 man roster…
So if Carl’s option doesn’t vest, the team has to buy out that 2nd year anyway? Could the team, knowing they’re spending the money anyway, have already decided to give him his PAs to vest the option, and keep him happy?
Ugh.
The buyout is only $600,000. Basically, they gave him a guaranteed 1 year, $4 million that could turn into a 2 year, $6.8 million deal if he played well. He hasn’t, so it will be 1/4 instead.