The Red Sox and Alfredo Aceves have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2MM deal with $100K in bonus incentives, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. In addition to the $1.2MM base, Aceves will receive $25K for 5, 10, 15 and 25 starts or 55, 60, 65 and 70 appearances, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
The two sides settled right around the midpoint as the Red Sox offered $950K and the right-hander was seeking $1.6MM, according to MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker. The O'Connell Sports Management client has just over three years of service time to his credit and isn't set to hit the open market until after the 2014 season.
With Aceves signed, Boston has just one arbitration case left to tackle in David Ortiz.
What’s with the Red Sox building lots of incentives into their contracts this year? Do they somehow help avoid the luxury tax or something?
No. When you factor in even if the Red Sox beat Ortiz via arbitration and you include benefits, 40 man roster etc… and the fact MLB for luxury tax purposes uses a players AAV the Red Sox are over the luxury tax threshold for 2012.
The only way the Red Sox avoid the Luxury Tax for this upcoming season is if they unload about $4 to $5MM in salary and don’t sign anyone else, no one.
That seems fair for Aceves. Real close to the midway point between their 2 numbers.
Then there was 1. One player on the Red Sox roster yet to settle their arbitration case. David Ortiz asked $16.5MM, offered $12.65MM. Will he or won’t he, settle for something around the midpoint $14.575MM or maybe he’ll get a 2 year deal from the Red Sox for say about $28MM total?
if they offer a 2 yr deal it wont be at the midpoint. it would be for no more than 24MM… probably closer to 20MM. the man doesnt deserve a raise at this point. lavarnway is waiting to take over… maybe youkilis depending on middlebrooks advancement. theres no real incentive to lock him up long term if he wont take a cut.
Well my friend if you’re right the case is going to the arbitrator. BTW, you do realize the Red Sox have a team option on Youkilis for the 2013 season at $13MM. I doesn’t seem to me to make much sense for the Red Sox to make Youkilis their DH in 2013 at a cost of $13MM and pass on Ortiz a proven commodity. But that’s just my opinion.
i do believe it will go the arbitrator. the avoiding arbitration issue was an epstein thing if im not mistaken?
anyhow say they do meet in the middle for one year.. he’ll want a raise again in 2013.
when 2013 comes if ortiz really is looking for 16MMish why not go with a 3MM cheaper option in youkilis? (provided once again middlebrooks advances impressively)
having a DH that can also play 2 defensive positions well (rather than none) AND gets on base at a higher clip would be advantageous anyhow. youkilis is the superior player overall at this time.
oh yeah, and they are trying to get under that luxury threshold… 16>13 bonus there too.
im guessing they are both gone in 2013 in all honesty… free up that declining ~25MM with the dice-k $… and they have room to operate and extend ellsbury under the cap.
I happen to agree with you. If Ortiz doesn’t sign a 2 year deal I absolutely believe he will be gone. I also agree with you about Youkilis being let go after this season. That is unless he proves he can stay healthy all year and be very, very productive.
As for extending Ellsbury, Don’t be to sure about that. With Boras as his agent the chances that he tests FA are pretty darn good. Add on top of that when he looks to his right when they are playing the field and sees what the Sox are paying Crawford 7years/$142MM he and Boras are going to be looking for something darn close to that money. Especially if he has a good 2012.
I still think Youkilis makes too much sense to be let go next year. He is still one of the better hitters in the game, could normally be the DH but could also split time at 1B and 3B, and would only be owed a team friendly $13M. I think it would take Youkilis proving that he can’t be healthy and productive rather than having to prove that he can.
The only possible exception I can see to that would be if both Middlebrooks and Lavarnway play well enough to force their way onto the team for 2013 and they are serious about signing Grienke/Hamels/Cain. Even then though, I think they could still afford to keep Youkilis and sign one of those pitchers, and could still find at bats for everyone.
Somehow you seem to come around and put thoughts into better words sometimes…
Good point on possibly grabbing one of the premium pitchers next season, but here is how I see it and possibility of **if** all the projected FA SP Cain/Hamels/Grienke/Sanchez hit the market..
I don’t see Boston targeting Cain/Hamels as the price tag will get too high and Boston has a solid 1-3 as it is, but going after (more than likely) Sanchez, or Grienke and Grienke only if he does not have a serious rebound this season.
As a Marlins fan also.. Wouldn’t mind seeing Boston get Sanchez back 1st of all anyway as IMO he is as good as Grienke and has stuff as good as Bucholz.. But more wishful thinking on my part of more Fish favorites to end up on the Sox…
Ortiz ($12.75-16.5M) Dice-K ($8.67M AAV) Jenks ($6M AAV) Ross ($3M) and Shoppach ($1.35M) are all coming off the books after next year ($31.77-35.52M) and all of them can be replaced internally. That means they can have over $10M in arbitration raises and still have close to $20M to sign a pitcher, so I would fully expect them to target the absolute best pitcher available next offseason (you’re right that they already have a good 1-3, but adding another top of the rotation pitcher is always a good idea).
Of course Lackey will be back in 2013, and if Bard works out as a starter they wont have the room in their rotation to add any pitcher without trading someone or moving someone to the bullpen. Ideally Bard works out well as a starter and they are able to trade Lackey and add one of those pitchers next year, but they’d likely have to send at least half of Lackey’s salary with him at this point to get someone to take him (but if they can move half his salary it would give them extra room to add another guy, so they would have more than $20M available).
Then after 2013 they’d have Ellsbury and Youkilis (assuming the option is picked up) both being free agents; with the luxury tax threshold going up by $11M and Youkilis’ $10.8M AAV coming off the books they could easily extend Ellsbury and pay any arbitration raises while staying under the limit.
That makes sense on the rotation, pretty much all of it even though not sure they could slide by with just 50% of Lackey’s with him missing all of next season and approx. 50m left on his deal. ideally they would like for him to get a full season of pitching at full steam and then dealing him am sure, then the SP market like next off season does not come around often.
Here is something to ponder.. Say the team splurges at 20m annually for a Cain/Hamels.. how does that effect a possible Ells contract after 2013, as opposed to possible 13-15m for a Sanchez grienke? interesting huh?
I think you probably were typing this while I was editing my post, so apologies because I actually edited it to talk about the effect on extending Ellsbury.
You’re right about Lackey though, Ideally they could let him pitch for a year before moving him (so they could possibly get more for him/not have to send money with him), but with the pitchers who are going to be available next offseason they wont have that luxury. But after 2012 they will only owe him $31M for three years (because of the weird option year thing) so I don’t think a team would have a problem paying Lackey an average of about $5M per year.
That would make sense after the 2013 when Youk’s contract comes off the books, then they are going to hopefully have a power RH bat somewhere to replace him.. Lavarnway maybe, or maybe even Youk back at a lesser rate?
The key is Lackey getting one decent season under his belt IMO.. If he can show up for 2013, throw 180IP and be a decent #4, they should be able to move him like you said, as there are going to be missed starts and injuries, or maybe Bard back to the BP, etc…
Getting some value back for him they will try, can’t see them doing another Renteria type salary dump here. Lackey does have some pride and at least puts an attempt on performance when he goes out and takes the ball.
It actually wouldn’t surprise me if he was fairly solid for them, then i am probably in the minority there.
Edit:
yeah.. The Ells/contract was added. LOL Figures e were thinking the same there.. The amount to be spent will be tied to that somehow.
The only problem with hanging on to Lackey for 2013 is that they wouldn’t have many options of pitchers to add to the rotation; definitely not like in 2013 free agency.
That would make sense after the 2013 when Youk’s contract comes off the books, then they are going to hopefully have a power RH bat somewhere to replace him.. Lavarnway maybe, or maybe even Youk back at a lesser rate?
The key is Lackey getting one decent season under his belt IMO.. If he can show up for 2013, throw 180IP and be a decent #4, they should be able to move him like you said, as there are going to be missed starts and injuries, or maybe Bard back to the BP, etc…
Getting some value back for him they will try, can’t see them doing another Renteria type salary dump here. Lackey does have some pride and at least puts an attempt on performance when he goes out and takes the ball.
It actually wouldn’t surprise me if he was fairly solid for them, then i am probably in the minority there.
Edit:
yeah.. The Ells/contract was added. LOL Figures e were thinking the same there.. The amount to be spent will be tied to that somehow.
I happen to agree with you. If Ortiz doesn’t sign a 2 year deal I absolutely believe he will be gone. I also agree with you about Youkilis being let go after this season. That is unless he proves he can stay healthy all year and be very, very productive.
As for extending Ellsbury, Don’t be to sure about that. With Boras as his agent the chances that he tests FA are pretty darn good. Add on top of that when he looks to his right when they are playing the field and sees what the Sox are paying Crawford 7years/$142MM he and Boras are going to be looking for something darn close to that money. Especially if he has a good 2012.
It makes all the sense to make Youk the DH in 2013 and not ortiz, even if ortiz can miraculously repeat his 2011 numbers for several reasons:
A) Youk can play 2 defensive positions if need be and GG caliber at one of them.
B) He is a RH hitter w/power in a lineup that needs RH power inwhich already has plenty of LH options.
Well my friend if you’re right the case is going to the arbitrator. BTW, you do realize the Red Sox have a team option on Youkilis for the 2013 season at $13MM. I doesn’t seem to me to make much sense for the Red Sox to make Youkilis their DH in 2013 at a cost of $13MM and pass on Ortiz a proven commodity. But that’s just my opinion.
Even as a Yankee fan I think Ortiz is worth the 2yr/28mm. With Wakefield and Varitek gone, they need his gravitas in the clubhouse.
And are the Red Sox and Yankees only ones paying luxury tax these days?
Yes, but the chances are very good that the Phillies will owe the piper in 2012.
Yes, but the chances are very, very good that the Phillies will also pay the piper for the 2012 season.
and EASILY in the 2013 season.
Yes, but the chances are very, very good that the Phillies will also pay the piper for the 2012 season.
I don’t Care about this as a Yankee fan
Then there is the door. Feel free to not comment on articles you don’t care about. I don’t care about much with regards to the Yankees, but I will say this, when Posada retired I put aside my disdain for the Yankees and commented positivelty. just saying, it’s something to consider.
Then there is the door. Feel free to not comment on articles you don’t care about. I don’t care about much with regards to the Yankees, but I will say this, when Posada retired I put aside my disdain for the Yankees and commented positivelty. just saying, it’s something to consider.
How do these bonuses work? If he makes 5 starts and has 60 appearances, does he get $75K?
That’s what it looks like from the article.
That’s what it looks like from the article.
How do these bonuses work? If he makes 5 starts and has 60 appearances, does he get $75K?
If Ortiz should win his arbitration hearing at $16 mil, can the Sox decline the arbitration figure and make Ortiz a free agent?
No. Ortiz is essentially a signed player. If the Sox release him then they’d still be on the hook for his entire salary.
Actually arbitration is non-guaranteed:
“A Player whose Contract is terminated by a Club under paragraph 7(b)(2) of the Uniform Player’s Contract for failure to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability shall be entitled to receive termination pay from the Club in an amount equal to thirty (30) days’ payment at the rate stipulated in paragraph 2 of his Contract, if the termination occurs during spring training but on or before the 16th day prior to the start of the championship season. If the termination occurs during spring training, but subsequent to the 16th day prior to the start of the championship season, the Player’s termination pay shall be in an amount equal to forty-five (45) days’ payment at the rate stipulated in paragraph 2 of his Contract.”
So all it would take is a slow start to spring training and they could cut him and only be on the hook for 30 days worth of his salary. It wont happen (Ortiz means too much to the team and the city for them to risk the fallout from doing that to actually attempt it), but it technically could.
However, you can’t just release him without good cause and be off the hook for his salary. If they release him with no good cause (a slow start in Spring Training in no way equals good cause), it would be the easiest court case ever to force the Sox to pay Ortiz his full salary for the year. Plus, then Ortiz could easily sign with the Yankees and the Sox would continue their downward spiral of being the laughingstock of all baseball.
So, no, it can’t even technically happen. Unless Ortiz suffers a career-ending injury. But since he’s a DH, not really a great chance of that happening.
Yes it can, it’s happened more than once before. They have to show that he wasn’t showing sufficient skill to be worth the contract, but if he isn’t they can simply pay him a months salary and walk away. The Padres successfully did it with Walker (who had played well enough to be a type A free agent) before the ’07 season, and their reasoning was his .225 average over the first 40 ABs of spring training.
So again, all it would take is a slow start to spring training.
Nice try, but naw. First of all, Walker never even filed a grievance. Second of all, there could be made a solid case that Walker was less valuable than the 25th-most valuable member of the team (since he was at best a bench player for the Pads at the time).
No chance Ortiz doesn’t file a grievance, and absolutely 100% no chance that he could possibly be evaluated as less valuable than the 25th-most valuable member of the team (he’s clearly one of the starting 9).
It’s not about being ‘worth’ your contract, it’s about whether or not you belong on the team. Good luck ever making that case with Ortiz, even if he has poor ST performance. Everyone knows ST performance means absolutely nothing.
Nice try, but Walker filed a grievance and lost. He was also a type A free agent after the ’06 season so there were things he could point to to say that he had a record of being a valuable player, and his ’06 was right at his career norms, so it’s not like they could point to that and say he was worse than usual. The only thing the Padres had to go on was his 14 spring training games, and they won.