Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Berroa's option declined

The Dodgers have declined to exercise the $5.5 million option for Angel Berroa, choosing instead to buy him out at $500,000. Well, it's the Kansas City Royals who end up paying, his former team. For some reason, the Dodgers have the uncanny ability to trade for players without paying a penny of their contracts. Go figure.

He still belongs to the Dodgers, as he is salary arbitration eligible. Or, he could be non-tendered in December, then re-signed. The minimum he could be signed for is $2.85 million.

When he first came to the Dodgers, I thought he was the worst player on Earth. That's pretty much because he played like the worst player on Earth. But I'll give him plenty of credit - he was a key component of their turnaround in September by taking over full-time duties at shortstop. His hitting improved to be a good threat at the bottom of the order, and his defense was solid.

I think the key for him as far as rejoining the Dodgers is Rafael Furcal. If Raffy is back, he may seek out other teams to see if he can be a starter, and I wouldn't blame him. If there's no interest, I think he should be brought back more as an insurance policy and defensive replacement. There's definitely value to him.

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