Oakland Athletics: Which Arbitration-Eligible Players Are Worth Keeping?
Jul 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (22) hits a RBI double against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
Outfielders
Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry
2015 Salaries: $1.75 million and $1.6 million
Projected 2016 Salaries: $2.0 million and $1.6 million
It is safe to group these two outfielders into a category of people who just couldn’t contribute to the team offensively. The model expects the A’s to pay Fuld $2 million (a $250k increase) and Gentry $1.6 million (unchanged from 2015) in 2016.
Defensively, both of these outfielders are classic cases of owning fielding percentages that suffer because they are capable of fly balls that the average outfielder can’t. In many cases, they have range factors that are above league average despite having fielding percentages that are below league average, so their defense gets a pass.
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However, Fuld’s .197 average and Gentry’s .120 average are just too low to overlook. The A’s could do themselves a favor by trading or releasing these two and redirect that $3.6 million towards a more well-rounded outfielder.
Josh Reddick
2015 Salary: $4.1 million
Projected 2016 Salary: $7.0 million
Reddick is coming off of what is likely his best season as a Major Leaguer. He batted .272 with a .781 OPS in 2015, and he also hit 20 home runs for the first time since his 32 home run season in 2012. He is a fan favorite, and is one of the few remaining pieces from the recent post-season clubs.
But the question is not whether or not he is a good player; Reddick is clearly coming into his own and deserves respect as a Major Leaguer. The question is whether or not he is worth $7 million in arbitration, and the answer is no.
Consider the players that made $7 million or less in 2015. The list includes Russell Martin, Justin Morneau, Chris Sale, and Mike Trout. These are all top-tier players at their position that, either through arbitration or through contract, earned a maximum of $7 million in 2015. It is entirely possible to say $7 million can acquire an upgrade over Reddick without meaning any disrespect to him in any way.
And the best news for the A’s is that Reddick just had his best big league season; there will be teams that want to pay that price for Reddick. If the A’s are certain that a rebuilding period has begun, they can charge a hefty premium to any team that needs a powerful outfielder with a decent glove.
Conclusion: A very good player who just isn’t worth $7 million … but then again, they’re giving Billy Butler $11 million, so why not?