By early next week, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman will face his first major player personnel decision. He and the rest of the team’s brass will have to decide whether to extend a qualifying offer to Hanley Ramirez. Such an offer must be made within five days of the conclusion of the World Series and the player has exactly one week to decide whether to take it or leave it.
This season, the qualifying offer will be $15.3 million, which is lower than Ramirez’s 2014 salary of $16 million and would be his lowest salary since 2012. If the Dodgers extend the offer and Ramirez rejects it, he becomes a free agent and they would receive a compensatory draft pick if a team signs him.
Of the 22 players who have been extended qualifying offers over the previous two seasons, none has accepted it -- though a handful of players later wished they had.
It’s a surprisingly tough call in Ramirez’s case, but it’s worth making an offer. If Ramirez rejects it, the Dodgers would have another early pick to help rebuild their farm system, a major thrust in what they’re calling Phase 2 of their rebuilding process and part of the reason Friedman is here. If he accepts it, they’re only on the hook for one season at a reasonable cost if they get his average production. They can live with his poor defense and moodiness for one more season provided he stays healthier than he did in 2013 (playing just 86 games) and hits as well or better than he did last year (.283/.369/.448). Ramirez’s .810 OPS was the best in the majors among shortstops.
It’s most likely that a team -- likely from the American League – would be enticed enough by Ramirez’s bat to extend him a multiyear deal. The New York Yankees dispatched a small army of scouts to watch the Dodgers’ final few regular season games and they were writing reports on Ramirez. They could use him at designated hitter, shortstop and maybe some first base. The Oakland A’s could use a middle of the order bat to replace Yoenis Cespedes. Given his injury history, Ramirez, 30, would be best-served playing in the AL, where he could be at designated hitter for one-third or so of his games played.
If Ramirez leaves, the Dodgers are going to be stuck living with some growing pains. The free agent options are borderline nonexistent after Ramirez. They likely would give Erisbel Arruebarrena, who turns 25 next March, first crack at the everyday job and then cross their fingers that either Arruebarrena hits (he did bat .333 in 84 at-bats at Triple-A Albuquerque) or that Corey Seager develops quickly.
They’ll keep Miguel Rojas as a hedge in case Arruebarrena doesn’t perform and as a slick-fielding utility infielder, but he hasn’t hit enough to justify an everyday job. The Dodgers will be paying Arruebarrena, a Cuban defector, $4.5 million next season whether he’s playing for them or Triple-A Oklahoma City, so why not give him a chance where his production actually matters?
Seager won’t turn 21 until next April, but he has been coming on strong and could be an option by mid-season 2015. He had a 1.044 OPS at Class A Rancho Cucamonga last year, then got promoted to Double-A Chattanooga and kept hitting (.915 OPS). He played in the Futures Game and he just got picked for the the Arizona Fall League All-Star game, though he is hitting just .222.
Because Seager is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, people have speculated for years he would end up at third base, but if it hasn’t happened yet, who says it will?
Likely starter on Opening Day: Arruebarrena.