From LoHud:
Kerry Wood was terrific during his two and a half months in New York, and the Yankees have the option of bringing him back before he hits the free agent market, but that seems unlikely.
The Yankees have contract options on three players:
• Wood has an $11-million club option.
• Lance Berkman has a $15-million club option.
• Nick Johnson has a $5.75-million mutual option.It’s unlikely any of the options will be picked up.
“They’re all pretty obvious,” Brian Cashman said. “I have to sit in the office and look at the numbers and stuff like that, but I think, probably, they’re all such large numbers that we wouldn’t be picking up options for anybody off the top of my head. But I have to sit down and go through it and talk to ownership. But my initial thought is they’re all pretty obvious.”
Berkman wants to play everyday. It is not happening here with Teixeira at 1B, and the Yanks need DH to be rotated among Posada, Jeter and Alex (with Jeter and Alex, that may mean more playing time for Nunez?) Berkman probably wouldn’t want to DH all the time anyway, and he wasn’t worth $15M/yr with the season he just had.
As for Wood, it would be nice to have him back as the 8th inning set-up guy, but those kinds of guys aren’t worth $11M.
As for Nick Johnson and his medical problems? Forget it. You wonder who would take a chance on him. As I’ve stated before, it seems like Johnson was the model for the Operation board game.
Update, 10/27: The Yanks have indeed declined all three options.
It is worth noting that Wood’s option is a vesting option, which does not automatically kick in since he did not meet the particular vesting clause of his contract, which was to have finished 55 games in either 2009 or 2010. What I do not know is whether or not this option of $11 million holds without that; that is, even if it would not automatically kick in without Wood’s finishing 55 games in either season (no small part in the Yankees’ acquiring him, I imagine), that is his option salary should the Yanks want him. I imagine it is, and the vesting was for guaranteed money or not.
What I think the Yanks ought to consider is the type of option negotiation they did with Mussina, when he had a big option ($16-19 million, I believe) but, after 2006, negotiated a two-year extension that built his expensive option into a salary for the two years that was still well remunerated, but lower overall on average than he was paid from 2001-2006 (for Moose, just over $22.1 million for 2007-08). Key was that the Yankees signaled ahead of time to Mussina that they wanted him back, but sought salary flexibility, which he granted. If Wood could be re-signed for well under that $11 million for 2011, but would be willing to work it into, say, 2 years, $14.5 million to set up, I say do it in a heartbeat. It’s a lot for a set-up guy but, given the health issues of Aceves and Marte, and Joba’s (and in the ALCS Robertson’s) uncertainties, AHEM, keeping Wood in house would be a huge move and, potentially, wouldn’t break the bank.
[Wondering if my desires to re-sign Wood came through too strongly in this comment...]
Of course, given their likely desire to sign Lee, who may want C.C. money, and a likely interest in Crawford, who would probably come at a $15 million per price tag (for the Angels, Yankees, or another interested party), Wood’s salary might actually matter considerably.
Then again, so does shutting down teams between the starter and Mariano.
Good points. I’d like Wood back, but at at a reasonable price for a set-up guy.