Lackey contract

[Andyk_94]

OK so I'll jump right in with my first thread:

 

There's a decent amount of talk that if Lackey keeps pitching well then there's no way he'll be prepared to pitch for the league minimum next season and will be looking to replace that contract year with the first year of an extension.

 

Should he get it? Does he have the right to demand it? Does it make sense for the sox?

[mvp 78]

If they want to keep him happy, they'll offer a 3 year deal. 3/39ish?

 

Seeing that Buch and Doubs are still suspect, they'll do anything to keep Lester and Lackey around.

[Palodios]

If he doesn't want to play for the league minimum, a 2/20 deal seems like in everyone's best interest.

[mvp 78]

If he doesn't want to play for the league minimum, a 2/20 deal seems like in everyone's best interest.

Is that a lowball offer though?

[Palodios]

Is that a lowball offer though?

 

There has been word of Lackey retiring instead of taking the league minimum. If he is using that as leverage, the Red Sox use that as leverage and say he can't possibly want more than a one year extension. Lackey gets 20 million for 2016, but it is spread out so he can "support his family in 2015" or whatever ********.

 

If he is looking for a 4-5 year extension, they can just use the option, he'll "retire" and they screw his baseball future. There is a lot of leverage to be used here because at the end of the day, Lackey should honor the contract he signed.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Palodios

[mvp 78]

"Should" honor the contract. Unfortunately, that's not how MLB works. Considering his divorce, I bet he wants one more payday. Unless Barnes/Owens/et al move up quickly, Lackey still has more leverage, especially if the Sox underperform this year.

[Palodios]

What is he going to do, take a year off ? How many 37 year olds come back from a year off and make 20 million ?

 

Also, he did have a prenup FYI.

[mvp 78]

Well, it is a unique situation. I think the Sox need him more than he needs the Sox.

[BSN07]

Pick up the option and then trade him. If he pitches well all season he's gonna have good value. Let some other team sort out an extension for him.

[Bellhorn04]

Pick up the option and then trade him. If he pitches well all season he's gonna have good value. Let some other team sort out an extension for him.

 

Now picture this year's staff without him.

[rjortiz]

Red Sox paid him $30.50 million when his elbow was causing him problems in 2011 and 2012. Pitching for the minimum in 2015 would still be a good deal for Lackey.

[Station 13]

I'm thinking they should offer him 2/25M extension. He's been reliable, usually a 200 inning arm.

[Palodios]

Pick up the option and then trade him. If he pitches well all season he's gonna have good value. Let some other team sort out an extension for him.

 

Losing Lester, Lackey and Peavy would be disastrous.

[rjortiz]

Lackey could retire, but the Red Sox would still have his rights. He has no leverage.

[Andyk_94]

I think you follow the line of looking at what he'd get on the open market; something around 1/17, 2/30, maybe taking a little home town discount; 1/15, 2/28 perhaps, absorbing the extra year and adding a few million to next season as a good will gesture, maybe something around Sizemore's 6mil and if he's so inclined, spreading the money over the length of the contract coming out at 2/21 or 3/34 including 2015.

 

And if that doesn't do it, the trade option should yield a decent return considering his salary. That said I think he qualifies as a 10-5 guy this season, unless the DL season doesn't count against that.

[Dojji]

OK so I'll jump right in with my first thread:

 

There's a decent amount of talk that if Lackey keeps pitching well then there's no way he'll be prepared to pitch for the league minimum next season and will be looking to replace that contract year with the first year of an extension.

 

Should he get it? Does he have the right to demand it? Does it make sense for the sox?

 

If this is the real Jon Lackey, I'm game for a short extension, no more than 3 years. He's been back to his career levels since he came back from TJ, if this is the real deal, and his track record makes that quite possible, then extending him makes sense.

 

The big drawback is his age. If we extend him 3 years starting next year he's pitching for the Red Sox until the end of his age 39 season, and he's had some health issues already, making that no foregone conclusion.

[seabeachfred]

If this is the real Jon Lackey, I'm game for a short extension, no more than 3 years. He's been back to his career levels since he came back from TJ, if this is the real deal, and his track record makes that quite possible, then extending him makes sense.

 

The big drawback is his age. If we extend him 3 years starting next year he's pitching for the Red Sox until the end of his age 39 season, and he's had some health issues already, making that no foregone conclusion.

 

I don't understand why the front office is playing Russian roulette with our two best pitchers. Both Lester and Lackey need to be resigned but the longer this drags out and the longer these two keep pitching well the price will keep going up. I wonder if Cherington fully understands this. This needs to be adjudicated within the next two months or we going to reap some bitter fruit.

[User Name]

Lackey is under contract for 2015. They are negotiating with Lester. You come up here typing all of your rage-induced posts while either a) ignoring plain-to-see information, or b ) making terrible assumptions about a process you have no information or inside knowledge about.

 

The implication that Cherington doesn't understand what he's dealing with but you do is laughable. Get over yourself Fred.

[rjortiz]

Lackey and his agent should understand it too. They took a risk when they put that clause in the contract. It didn't work out. You still have to honor that contract. Felix Hernandez has it in his contract if he gets hurt, but there are already thousands of cases of MLB players playing on one year options at the minimum. How about Mike Trout? Mike Trout posted two consecutive 10 WAR seasons for $1 million. The Angels decided to be nice to him and gave a full $1 million for his likely 10 WAR 2014. Should he have "retired" and not have played for the $2 million he got for three years of Hall of Fame level production? He would have had a better case than Lackey. Koji Uehera would have had a case by this logic as well. The amount of the contract doesn't mean it stops being a binding document.

 

Why didn't he, and why won't John Lackey retire? Their teams still own the rights to that contract. Lackey could retire until 2020 if he wanted to. He still will have to pitch for the Red Sox for $500,000. He couldn't even pitch for the Yomiuri Giants.

Edited May 15, 2014 by rjortiz

[Palodios]

The implication that Cherington doesn't understand what he's dealing with but you do is laughable. Get over yourself Fred.

 

I understand Cherringon's decisions. They're mostly prudent, risk-free, and calculated. What worries me is that he sees Owens throwing weekly no-no's, he sees 5 AAA starters with legitimate major league potential. He sees a farm system, but all I see are bridge years.

 

He ran with the prospects this year, but it looks like the team ended up one bat short in a season where the Red Sox could potentially make another deep playoff push.

[User Name]

I understand Cherringon's decisions. They're mostly prudent, risk-free, and calculated. What worries me is that he sees Owens throwing weekly no-no's, he sees 5 AAA starters with legitimate major league potential. He sees a farm system, but all I see are bridge years.

 

He ran with the prospects this year, but it looks like the team ended up one bat short in a season where the Red Sox could potentially make another deep playoff push.

 

I don't understand what you're implying here, i understand the post, but i don't understand how it relates to what i was saying.

[seabeachfred]

Lackey is under contract for 2015. They are negotiating with Lester. You come up here typing all of your rage-induced posts while either a) ignoring plain-to-see information, or b ) making terrible assumptions about a process you have no information or inside knowledge about.

 

The implication that Cherington doesn't understand what he's dealing with but you do is laughable. Get over yourself Fred.

 

Screw you bub!!!!! They were negotiating with Lester last fall, in ST and they didn't sign him and now Jon says he's going to wait until after the season to figure things out. So they are NOT negotiating unless you want to call Lester a liar. As for Lackey he is under contract for 2015 for the minimum salary and has said he would consider retiring rather than pitch for that. I don't call that progress while you apparently do being the house man that you are. The only thing I see that's plain to see is that you don't know what hell you're talking about. I'm going to make two predictions.....One, if Lester signs this year I will give my mea culpa and say I was glad I was wrong. If he signs elsewhere you will disappear for a month as is your habit and then come slinking back on when the heats off and try to tell everyone it was all for the best. You may think you're on to me but I've been on to you for a long time. You're a big fat mouthed phony who tries to tell everyone they don't now what's going on while you pretend to know what's up. I'd suggest you get over yourself but you're too far gone for that. Get lost.

[rjortiz]

If he signs elsewhere you will disappear for a month as is your habit and then come slinking back on when the heats off and try to tell everyone it was all for the best. You may think you're on to me but I've been on to you for a long time.

 

Didn't you just do that?

[seabeachfred]

I understand Cherringon's decisions. They're mostly prudent, risk-free, and calculated. What worries me is that he sees Owens throwing weekly no-no's, he sees 5 AAA starters with legitimate major league potential. He sees a farm system, but all I see are bridge years.

 

He ran with the prospects this year, but it looks like the team ended up one bat short in a season where the Red Sox could potentially make another deep playoff push.

 

Pal---Fans, the press and RSN is not going to stand for three or four bridge years, especially when with the AL East so wide open this season that we should be taking advantage of the mediocrity in the division. Instead we are shuffling around and not even being mentioned is any of the talk that is circulating about which team is going to make a move for some of the pitchers and position players that might be up for grabs near the trading deadline. Giving WMB, Bogaerts and Bradley a solid shot at their positions was fine and still might work out but there comes a time when some alternate plans should be put on the drawing board, but the Red Sox are never mentioned while the Yankees, Orioles and Rays are.

 

If our key players like Papi, Pedroia, Napoli, Victorino and now Sizemore would all go on a tear together we might still be able to make a run for the division title so long as our starting pitching held up their end, but here too, the front office apparently sees no reason to inquire about the availability of people like Samardija and Masterson while Doubrant and Buchholz continue to flounder. Now it is possible that Cherington is making plans to make a move, but I would like to see something before one of our rivals gets hot and makes off with the division lead while we still can't put more than two wins in a row together. By June first in my opinion he has to decide whether he's going to sink or swim with what he has and take his chances that no other team in the division is going to move ahead of the pack, or decide that if he wants to try and win this year make the move (s) that will help us g et there.

[seabeachfred]

Didn't you just do that?

 

I did RJ but not for that reason. I was getting good and steamed and decided to give myself and you guys a welcome time out to save you from some of my rants. A month later and we are still looking as flummoxed as we did when I took my sabbatical. I also never shrink from admitting when I'm wrong and you should know that by now.

[Palodios]

I don't understand what you're implying here, i understand the post, but i don't understand how it relates to what i was saying.

 

My mind wanders sometimes. Cherrington knows better than us, but letting Lester and Lackey go because unproven prospects are cheaper seems silly.

[User Name]

My mind wanders sometimes. Cherrington knows better than us, but letting Lester and Lackey go because unproven prospects are cheaper seems silly.

 

They have an option on Lackey, why would they let him go? When and where has it been indicated that he'll be allowed to leave/traded? You;'re mired in a case of Fred-induced paranoia. Unless the team absolutely tanks, Lackey is going nowhere.

 

As for Lester, we have no idea what will end up happening with him, but if someone ends up paying stupid money, good riddance.

 

My gripe with Fred is that he keeps pretending that he both knows better than Cherington and that he knows how negotiations are being conducted. He knows neither, just like the rest of us. Stop the conspiracy theories.

[Palodios]

They have an option on Lackey, why would they let him go? When and where has it been indicated that he'll be allowed to leave/traded? You;'re mired in a case of Fred-induced paranoia. Unless the team absolutely tanks, Lackey is going nowhere.

 

There have been multiple reports that Lackey may retire instead of pitching for the league minimum.

It is not paranoia to be concerned about losing the team's three best pitchers -- four if Koji retires-- because the team is to cheap to pay market value.

[Andyk_94]

The talk of retiring is just a ploy to re-negotiate and a pretty transparent one at that. There's. I reason for him to retire when he has probably at least two years left after the $500k season. As with and pitcher in his late 30s, especially one with an injury history, I'd expect them to put a decent chunk of the money in health based incentives/vesting clauses.

[User Name]

There have been multiple reports that Lackey may retire instead of pitching for the league minimum.

It is not paranoia to be concerned about losing the team's three best pitchers -- four if Koji retires-- because the team is to cheap to pay market value.

 

You really think he's going to retire and miss out on the chance for another payday? And since when doesn't the team pay market value? You're being ridiculous.