|
I'm heartless with my teams. I'd let him walk.
Age: 37
Last two years, 1.28 and 1.22 WHIP, .267 and .260 OAVE. Solid numbers for sure, but not elite. If he holds those numbers, he may be worth it. But unfortunately the trend is likely to accelerate in the wrong direction. You have to ask yourself which is more likely, (1) by the second contract year he'll mysteriously revert back to the 1.1 WHIP at the age of 39? or (2) posting a 1.4 WHIP and losing a starting spot, and having an $18M reliever?
Currently, his WHIP and OAVE are dominating. Wait for that to come back to earth before even thinking about negotiating.
If you're rebuilding, let him walk. You'll need that money for a younger super-star. This is too much of a gamble for a rebuilding, cash poor team.
At $15+ Million, I have never had any success with dumping a player on waivers. I wouldn't bank on that as a possible exit strategy if this goes bad.
Maybe this is the exceptionally rare pitcher who pitches effectively until he's 43 (I had one pitcher in my league do that, but only one). But at $18M per year, let someone else find out.
|