Cavaliers Look To Escape Slow Starts of Past Seasons
November 1, 2013Game 2: Cavaliers vs Bobcats Behind The Box Score
November 1, 2013According to the Cleveland Indians, the team exercised their $8 million 2014 club option on starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. Having the right to void, Jimenez did such and is now a free agent.
Jimenez’s contract, acquired from the Colorado Rockies in a July 2011 trade, initially outlined the 2014 year as a club option, meaning the Indians could choose to exercise it or not. But upon completion of the deal, the 2014 option became mutual, allowing either side to opt out. The Indians exercised their portion, but Jimenez and his agent evidently recognized that free agency will likely result in a multi-year contract with far more guaranteed money.
The Indians still have the opportunity to extend a qualifying offer to Jimenez—a one year deal worth roughly $14 million. Were Jimenez to reject such a deal and leave via free agency (a highly likely scenario), the Indians would receive draft pick compensation in the 2014 Rule 4 draft next summer.
Jimenez’s tenure in Cleveland was largely disappointing, despite excellent 2013 numbers down the stretch in the playoff push. In parts of three seasons, he went 26-30 with a 4.45 ERA.
[Related: Brian Sabean messed it up for the rest of us]
5 Comments
While his second-half surge alone makes us the winners in this trade (for now — looking at Alex White and Drew Pomeranz have done so far), man, it would have been nice if he delivered a little sooner before leaving. I know it’s counterproductive to have such thoughts, but imagine if we were a bigger market that could afford it, what a rotation of Jimenez, Masterson, Salazar, Kluber, and Kazmir would look like…with all those other guys (McCallister, Carrasco, Bauer, etc.) to potentially call up if need be. CRAZY good. Ugh.
Back to reality…what are the current odds we even manage to retain just one of those guys, meaning Jimenez or Kazmir? Might we actually lose both?
not only is it likely we lose both, but it’s what should happen. Ubaldo will strike a deal way too rich for our payroll (and too risky in length), while we need to find the next Kazmir (cheap pitcher to rehabilitate) instead of paying top dollar on him (someone will likely do it on a shorter deal).
Come on down, Edinson Volquez. (I would advocate someone like Ryan Vogelsong, but Sabean will probably give him $16M/year.)
Presumably the Indians will make the offer, knowing it will a) play well with fans b) is unlikely to be accepted and c) they get a pick out of it, even if they can’t actually afford it.
Is it at all possible that the Dolans every reach a “win at all costs” point? The Tigers are owned by the owner of Little Caesar’s who, at like 85(?), is all in. At some point, I just feel like someone in the Dolan pool should say, “eff, it. Lets try to win NOW”. In the end, what will you be remembered for?…passing on a few more million (already upon millions) to your grandchildren, or being the first owner in Cleveland since 1964 to win the whole goddamn thing??? Its easy to say from the bleacher seats, but I say go for it. You can always have financial security plus 100000% with Dolan money. A fair amount of people do, but what the Dolans have a chance at is Cleveland history. When does that become more valuable than the cost of a $20-30M boost to the roster???