Mark Sheldon is reporting that the Reds have signed 35-year-old shortstop Orlando to a $3M contract for 2010, that includes a $3M option for 2011 and a $1M buyout. It is not yet known if the 2011 player option is a club or a player option. This move will also require that somebody be removed from the 40 man roster. No word on this yet.
There is your opening day SS and two-hole hitter. Let’s hope that Cabrera’s -13.7 UZR/150 last season is not the first sign that he has lost a step at SS and that he can return to the league average OBP he put up in 2007-2008 rather that the poor .316 OBP he put up last season. This kind of feels like Alex Gonzalez part two, doesn’t it? Hopefully it is a club option and we will have less chance of getting stuck with him for a second year.
Does anyone think this may be the Reds opportunity to make a statement and dump Willy Taveras? I don’t think they will dump him at all, but if they do, I think it will be just before they break camp in Arizona.
Will Paul Janish make the opening day roster now? I think it will be awfully hard to keep the light hitting SS as one of the backup infielders and I expect that he will not make the opening day team. He will have a tough time beating out Rosales, Sutton, Frazier, Burke, and Cairo for one of the two backup IF spots.
UPDATE: (By Bill Lack) From today’s Enquirer by John Erardi:
On his contract:
-
Cabrera will officially make $2.02 million this season — $770,000 in base salary and $1.25 million in bonus – but will make another $1 million as a buyout for 2011 if he wants to stay and the Reds don’t want him. This is what’s known as a “$4 million mutual option†for 2011. If he declines the option to stay here in 2011, his buyout is $550,000.
So, maximum it’s a $3.02M deal, minimum it’s a $2.57M deal.
- Much as the Reds love Janish’s glove – and intend to get him as much playing time as they possibly can – they believe Cabrera’s offense will offset the defensive dropoff with Janish not being at shortstop full time. But the statistical analysts say that if Cabrera’s defense wnds up dropping from last year, his addition to the Reds is at at best a wash.
“The description applied to Cabrera, ’can hit a little,’ is the key,” said Greg Gajus, a statistical analyst. “Cabrera isn’t really a league average hitter; never has been. He has a low walk rate, and not much power. He’s the type of hitter than has to hit .300 to help much. If he hits .260, it’s a disaster.
“There aren’t many good-fielding 35-year-old shortstops,” he added. “That projected (dropoff) in defense wipes out most of the substantial difference in offense. I’d call him a small upgrade at best.”
So, a small upgrade for $2.5M – $3M…therein lies my problem with this signing.
From the MercuryNews.com site:
- If they can’t work a trade for Taveras and he goes unclaimed on waivers, the A’s likely will release him and eat the majority of his $4 million salary for 2010. They saved $1.7 million by trading Miles.
I thought Miles was making less than Taveras? How do they save $1.7M?