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30 September 2051
GM’s notebook - Roster planning: Jeffrey White
We have no players going to arbitration after the season, so planning for next year can start now. Our current contractual commitments for 2052 (excluding António Fernández and Curt Cox, who will leave as free agents this winter) are $9m over budget at $109m. That means I must cut $9m from the payroll.
The big question this winter is what to do about Jeffrey White. He had another fantastic season batting cleanup (.851 OPS) and is my star hitter, but earns $16m and is entering the final year of his contract. He will be 29 just before the new season begins. Do I trade him for a younger model, or hold on to him for now and reconsider my options at the deadline? I don’t need to trade him before the season: I have already decided to trade Robinson Ortíz (signed to a $9.5m, 1-year extension for 2052) which will bring me back within budget. But straight after free agents have filed in November is when teams have the most budget room, so is likely to give me the most options for prospects to get in return for White in a trade, and give me some budget headroom for the rest of the offseason. The fans will hate losing White, but I’m paid to put a winning and affordable team on the field, not to please all the fans.
I have decided to test the trade market waters to see what sort of return I can get for White. I’ll want an excellent young hitter on minimum salary who can slot into the lineup. The ideal solution would be a LF who means I can shift the defensively limited Rob Crawford to DH, but I will also try out for a direct replacement in White’s place, playing 1B or DH. Ortíz could form part of the trade package. If I don’t find a trade I like, White will stay and I’ll trade Ortíz alone.
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