2016 MLB Regular-Season Thread

There's this thing called a buyout.

 

Yeah people blow hot air about that all the time. Usually it's the Yankees threatening a free-agent bust, who then proceeds to receive 100 percent of his salary over the remaining number of years.

Has there ever been a buyout of a player with more than one year left? Has a player ever taken less than 80 percent of his contract to go away?

I don't see the Mets forking over $55-60M as a parting gift and I don't see Wright walking away from four years of that kind of money. Maybe if he's hurt bad enough, insurance kicks in though.

 

I'm sure there's a fraction that would do it ... Just like I'm sure that that fraction generally is close to 1/1 ...

 

Too tired to look it up after the Ali breaking news, but if I recall correctly, if Wright is out 60 days in a season, as he will be in this case, the contract is insured 75 percent. So, Mets pay only $5M of $20M this season.

Not sure if the contract is insured 75 percent if he retires due to injuries. But if so, Mets would pay about $20M of the remaining $67M.

 

I have read two references to a buyout in baseball. What is one example of it happening? The player has no reason to agree to one and the union wouldn't support it.

 

There is?

 

Michael Cuddyer wanted to retire a year early, and he took $3M instead of sticking around for $12.5M. So it isn't totally unheard of. But it is highly unusual. I've never heard of it with multiple years left.

 

Sale's ERA is almost back to his FIP. Fangraphs vindicated forever, no takebacks.

 

James Shields to the White Sox:

Padres trade Shields, cash to White Sox for Johnson, Tatis

 

All-time whats?

 

Shields certainly looked good in his last start, getting shelled at Safeco and giving up 10 runs to the M's.

Maybe he got all the bad pitches out of his system for a while ...

 

Dodgers cut ties with underachieving outfielder Carl Crawford

Eating $35M.