Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez’s contract is up at the end of this season with a $13M dollar option or $3M buyout. The folks at MLB Trade Rumors looked at a number of players who are coming up on club options and came to this conclusion on Pudge:
Ivan Rodriguez - $13MM with $3MM buyout. Pudge will be 36 in 2008, but his defensive value and continued pop seem to justify the $10MM difference. Exercised.
I’d agree the Tigers will exercise this option but also because they don’t have any other current option at catcher. Vance won’t be an everyday guy and Rabelo doesn’t appear to be of major league caliber. Pudge will next year be better than both at the position and most that they could pick up on free agency.
At the same time the Tigers need to be looking to put some depth further into the organization at this position because they are not sitting pretty here right now.
D-Town Baseball
One Comment
It’s kind of the Guillen situation. You MUST extend Pudge. There’s no way around it. There’s no catcher who can make up for the loss of Pudge on a team that should be contending next year as well.
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