Braden Looper Watch (update 1)

by roguejim on Nov 12, 2009 2:51 PM CST Comment 37 comments

According to Adam McCalvey, the Brewers have until Saturday to decide what to do with Braden Looper's $6.5 million option. ~~Interestingly, A McC says that even if the Brewers decline to exercise their half, The Loop could exercise his half anyway. I didn't think it worked that way, but I guess it does.~~

Anyway, stay tuned for updates.

UPDATE 1: There was some confusion about the goofy "mutual option." Adam McC has since clarified:

If the Brewers decline the option, Looper would exercise his half and get a $1 million buyout....Sorry about screwing that up.

So there you go. Adam also said he will come to your house sometime this offseason and make you a fresh stack of banana pancakes, complete with a pat of butter on top in the shape of the mlb.com logo, to atone for his error. Be sure to "tweet" him the dates you are available. (I'm joking, of course. The butter is in the shape of Ned Yost's head.) Anyway, thanks, Adam, for setting the record straight.

0 recs | Comment 37 comments | Add comment | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I thought it was a mutual option

"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC

by BrewHaHeather on Nov 12, 2009 11:09 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

McCalvey's always been good

But this goes against everything that has been reported at the time of the signing and everything report since then. Also, it would be really sad.

Hopefully, he just has it backwards. Looper could decline if the Brewers pick it up, but not the other way around. (According to Cot’s and TH in February)

by The Left Button on Nov 12, 2009 11:17 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hmm...

Either I’m just completely missing it, or he’s taken that bit out.

He calls it a mutual option, but that’s not saying the same thing.

Link?

by The Left Button on Nov 12, 2009 11:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Here it is

From his report on DM’s pursuit of Lackey:

Another $5.5 million could be freed if the team chooses to pay a $1 million buyout over exercising Looper’s option, though Looper, who led the 2009 Brewers with 14 wins but also posted a 5.22 ERA and allowed a Major League-worst 39 home runs, could always exercise his half of the deal.

I had thought that the Loop could accept/decline the option if the Brewers picked it up first. It doesn’t seem very mutual if the Brewers are stuck with him after declining the option.

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Nov 12, 2009 12:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

How did Varitek's work?

After the Sox declined for $5MM, he had a $3MM option to think about. Has anybody emailed Adam to clarify it?

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 12:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

this sounds more like the Varitek thing where both the team and the player have an option, and if the team declines the player can exercise his half.

by morineko on Nov 12, 2009 12:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

shouldn't that be called something like a Dual Option or something

rather than a mutual option. Because those two are actually pretty mutually exclusive.

That being said, I’d imagine Looper wants to pitch somewhere. Knowing that he won’t get that oppurtunity here if we decline the option, he’s gotta be unlikely to pick up his end of the deal. I would think he’d want to test the market.

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 12:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

the question is whether or not he'd get more elsewhere

as I see we were both thinking of Tek and his albatross contract at the same time. In Varitek’s situation, no team would pick him up as a starter with corresponding pay when there are younger, better, and/or more durable starting options available (including Kendall.) So he took the safe bet, picked up his player option, and will be backing up Victor Martinez for $3mil in 2010.

Looper may take the safe option of being the swing man in Milwaukee as opposed to taking less pay to do the same thing for another team.

by morineko on Nov 12, 2009 12:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

From the way I understand it..

The advantage of the Mutual Option is for the player really. See two examples of how a mutual option works.

Loop signs for 4m with a 6.5m mutual option with a 1 million buy out.
Loop pitches awesome! His value on the FA market goes from 6.5 to 20m.
Loop declines the player option (Mutual) he absolves the club of the buy out.
Loop is free to sign anywhere.

Loops signs for 4m with a 6.5m mutual option with a 1 million buyout.
Loop pitches like Looper. His value plummets to league min.
Brewers decline the club option (mutual). Loop wants the pay out. Accepts the mutual option.
Loop is given 1 million dollars to not play.

by SgtClueLs on Nov 12, 2009 12:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

if the brewers decline it, why would he accept it, then?

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 12:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

To get a million dollars

Both sides need to accept. If they Brewers tell him we’ll pass, he’d accept to get the money. Basically it’d transform to a club option and payout would happen.

If we accepted the club portion it becomes a player option. IF Looper declines that (Say he can make more in FA) he’d opt out of the money.

by SgtClueLs on Nov 12, 2009 12:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I meant to say if the Brewers decline, why would he decline it, then?

Sorry for the misspeak(type)

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 1:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He'lkl take the buyout

and be an FA.

Basically it’s mutual till one side accepts.

Player accepts first: Club Option.
Club accepts first: Player Option.

by SgtClueLs on Nov 12, 2009 1:54 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Has to be wrong

And the buy out numbers prove it.

If Looper can decide to pick up the option and the Brewers are powerless to stop him, there is no scenario that I can think of in which a buy out could even occur. So the fact there there were variable and oft-quoted buy out numbers makes me think McCalvy is wrong on this.

And that’s only 60% wishful thinking.

by The Left Button on Nov 12, 2009 12:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Adam is emending his post as we speak

He says: “If the Brewers decline the option, Looper would exercise his half and get a $1 million buyout.”

I’ve updated the FanPost above.

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Nov 12, 2009 2:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Appropriate title

I like that you’ve used the terminology generally used to warn of possible impending natural disasters.

I just hope we don’t get to a Braden Looper Warning.

Ryan Braun: He loves it. *Secretly, I am Carlos Gomez*

by SRB on Nov 12, 2009 12:09 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

While Melvin and Looper actually agree to the 2010 option

I’ll be down hiding in my basement.

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Nov 12, 2009 12:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

There's a "tropical depression" joke in there somewhere.

I’ll let you know when I find it.

by Rubie Q on Nov 12, 2009 2:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Out of Curiosity

Is there anyone here that wants Looper to return?

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 12:21 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'd be OK with it

For, say, $2 million.

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Nov 12, 2009 12:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

wouldn't be the first time....

that the Brewers declined an option as a prelude to renegotiating a lower contract. They did it with Counsell this year (sort of.)

by morineko on Nov 12, 2009 12:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I just threw up in my mouth

I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."

~Jeff Sackmann

by Charlie Marlow on Nov 13, 2009 8:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Count me in...

Finally someone making sense. Looper wasn’t great, yeah, but he was easily the 2nd best SP on our team last year, with 194 IP and 100 K. One year at 6.5 M seems very reasonable for a league-average #3 SP. The gopherballs were his main buggaboo and MIller Park is not best suited for his skills. But I doubt DD or Washburn would come here without multi-year deals and more cash. We’re likely not going to do better than Looper on a 1 yr deal.

by balldeagle on Nov 12, 2009 1:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I can agree with you that we might be better off with Looper than DD or Washburn

But I don’t think we should sign either of those guys.

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

You don’t think Sheets, Bedard, or Harden could be had on one year deals? I read something that said $7mm might be enough to land Harden.

"I've had the time of my afterlife." --Patrick Swayze

by baumann on Nov 12, 2009 1:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe...

Those guys may be gotten by somebody on a 1 YR deal, but not the Mustache. He’s not going to commit 8-10% of his team’s combined salary to a one-man walking injury. In that regard he may actually be smarter than us.

by balldeagle on Nov 12, 2009 2:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Two words:

Eric Gagne.

by Rubie Q on Nov 12, 2009 2:20 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Well, going by WAR/Value, Looper was not only the worst starter on the team last year but was actually the second worst in the major leagues (of pitchers with 100+ IP, Suppan was fourth worst)

That said, his poor second half may have had something to do with his injury and I think he can have a bounceback year and be a decent back of the rotation starter, but I wouldn’t risk $6.5 million on him (he was worth -$4.0 million last year)

Ryan Braun: He loves it. *Secretly, I am Carlos Gomez*

by SRB on Nov 12, 2009 2:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know that you and I can hang out anymore

maybe not even at the same lunch table.

I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."

~Jeff Sackmann

by Charlie Marlow on Nov 13, 2009 8:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Check back often for new additions to the Brewers Underachievers Timepiece Collection!

Sign Corky Miller

by TheJay on Nov 12, 2009 2:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather have a set of 5 souvenier plates

with each of the 2009 Starters.

Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".

by tcyoung on Nov 12, 2009 2:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Narveson, Villanueva, McClung, Burns, and Bush?

"I've had the time of my afterlife." --Patrick Swayze

by baumann on Nov 17, 2009 12:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Sounds like a solid law firm

but it doesn’t compete with Petefish, Immel, Heeb, and Hird.

"I've had the time of my afterlife." --Patrick Swayze

by baumann on Nov 17, 2009 12:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Join the community and dive in!

Search

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

NL Central Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
St. Louis Viva El Birdos	91	71	.561	0	Lost 6
Chicago Bleed Cubbie Blue	83	78	.515	7.5	Lost 1
Milwaukee Brew Crew Ball	80	82	.493	11	Won 3
Cincinnati Red Reporter	78	84	.481	13	Won 2
Houston The Crawfish Boxes	74	88	.456	17	Lost 3
Pittsburgh Bucs Dugout	62	99	.385	28.5	Lost 2