Scott Rolen- contract review
Let’s review what we owe the big guy. Lots have been made of whether he should be traded or not. Monetarily here is how his contract looks like.
8 years/$90M (2003-10)
- 03:$7M, 04:$8M, 05:$11M, 06:$11M, 07:$12M, 08:$12M, 09:$12M, 10:$12M
- $10M deferred ($2M/year from 2003 to 2007)
- full no-trade clause
- performance bonuses: $50,000 each for Gold Glove & All Star selection
Pretty much a $12 million dollar guy. So how much WOULD YOU pay to rid the team of his contract? Let’s face it, even with a healthy Scott Rolen do you really believe we have enough in the tank to win our division and compete for the whole enchilada? If you say NO, then why not trade him and pay 3-5 mil per year to free up another $7-9 mil for some serious help for the 2009 season.
If we CAN compete to the middle of the pack or even 2nd place does that help us any to have Rolen and his contract for any good reason? Let’s free up some money now and re-invest it in younger upside players. I don’t even care if DeWitt keeps it. I would rather that happen than to sign reclamation projects galore!
Of course, we all want MLB ready players in return. Not likely to happen. My favorite scenario that I keep reading would be Rolen for LaRoche and the Dodgers. Scottie isn’t going to face Larry Bowa everyday in LA, so forget that.
By: motle on Dec 21st, 2007
Tagged as: GM Suggestions
I look at it differently. Why sell when his value is so low? If you don’t think we’ll compete this year (I’m still holding out hope) then what harm would it be to keep Scotty and let him prove he’s a bit more valuable than people think right now? I mean it’s not like there are a lot of good free agent pitchers out there that we need to sign, so why not wait and trade him at the break or maybe next off season and use the money then?