Sticking Points 2059.1: Decisions, Decisions

[JimSlade]

"I'm going to miss The Philosopher," said Rockville Pikemen GM Jim Slade after news broke that shortstop Socrates Kazantziakis opted out of his contract, "but I won't miss trying to remember how to spell his last name."

Kazantziakis was an imaginative signing when the Pikemen first lured him from the GBC in 2053, on a 4-year, $49 million deal with an opt-out after Year 2. He opted out, then received a 6-year, $144 million deal to stay in Rockville that was characterized as insane more often than imaginative. "Hey," said Slade philosophically, "we swung and missed. Socrates gave our fans his all, and we gave him an escape hatch this offseason."

In his 6 seasons in Rockville, Kazantziakis batted .282 with a .357 OBP, a .342 BABIP, and 107 stolen bases versus only 18 times caught stealing. His WAR was a respectable 13.44. It will be interesting to see what kind of contract he lands on the open market, as he approaches his 33rd birthday a week into the new season and as his range has tailed off the point where the Pikemen were already beginning to toy with moving him to 2B or 3B, had he stayed.

Do the Pikemen have interest in trying to sign The Philospher to yet another deal? That's for us to ponder, as Slade told the collected media he's barely thought about available free agents. "We've got enough in-house talent decisions to make."

Rightfielder Eric Wagner was the other high-priced veteran who chose to opt-out of his contract. Wagner was a model of consistency and production in his 4 years with the team, batting for average, getting on base, and showing some gap power and speed. "Had we been able to build a contender during Eric's time with the team," noted Slade, "he would have been a perfect glue guy. But we couldn't get the pieces to fall together."

The departures of Kazantziakis and Wagner will save the team $39 million in salary for 2059, but veteran lefthanded pitcher Nathaniel Davis, who missed most of the season with a torn UCL, is still on the books for $12 million and change. There was no way he'd opt-out at this stage in his career.

The Pikemen's path toward a rebuild still has more twists and turns than fans would like, but the 2058 squad showed a 14-game gain from 2057, with 73 wins and increasingly competitive series. Third-year second baseman Richard Vernon emerged as one of the game's young stars, batting .332 with a .375 OBP and 25 stolen bases. Centerfielder Kyle Ray, who joined the team almost out of the gates as part of a deal with Twin Cities River Monsters for pitcher Luis Gonzalez, looks like a keeper. The rookie kept his head above water the first half of the season, then was right in the middle of a number of exciting wins in August and September.

Franchise legend Danny Leach was shipped to Boise near the trade deadline for dynamic but inconsistent young starter Logan Hill and a couple of prospects. Hill went 7-2 in his 9 starts, including a dominant complete game in his first start with the franchise. His half season earned him a 2-year, $10.7 million extension.

With the trio of veterans making their decisions to opt-out or -in, the next set of decisions will revolve around arbitration-eligible players, like pitcher Jon Keys, corner infielder Cesar Rodriguez, and underachieving second baseman and former top pick Ruben Alvarado. Slade has been stubborn about giving up on talent, including not-so-talented players, like long reliever Yoshimatsu Miyauchi, another arbitration-eligible player who is as popular with his GM as he is with Rockville fans. It's hard to figure, but when a team has been down as long as the Pikemen have, perhaps a reliable, rubber-armed mop-up man has added value. It doesn't hurt that he gets by with a delightful knuckleball.

[Trebro]

Having the cash is useful but not sure how the FA market is looking. these guys aren't getting any younger.

[JimSlade]

Yeah, I'm not usually a big player in free agency even when I have money. I'm afraid I'll do something stupid, like re-sign Kazantziakis.

[JRamirez]

Greek names can be a pain in the ass.