St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong has been job sharing with Jedd Gyorko, the offseason trade acquisition, who offers right-handed power but little else.
The Cardinals traded spare-part outfielder Jon Jay to the San Diego Padres for Gyorko on Dec. 8, 2015. Gyorko has a six-year, $35.5 million contract that expires in 2019. There’s a $1 million buyout for his club option $13 million in 2020.
St. Louis somehow got San Diego to throw in $7.5 million cash as part of the deal, according to baseballprospectus.com. That’s shrewd business by the Cardinals, who also made a calculated financial move in spring training in March.
That’s when Wong signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract, plus a 2021 option for $12.5 million with a $1 million buyout.
The deal buys out Wong’s two seasons of free agency when he’s 29 and 30 years old, a time when he’s most likely at the peak of his career and able to command his best market value.
Even if the 2008 Kamehameha graduate levels out and maintains a .683 OPS (on-base plus slugging) and a 2.2 WAR (wins above replacement), a $5 million salary is the going rate for those kind of numbers.
For those who don’t understand WAR, FanGraphs offered a grading chart:
• Scrub: 0-1 WAR
• Role player: 1-2 WAR
• Solid player: 2-3 WAR
• Good player: 3-4 WAR
• All-star: 4-5 WAR
• Superstar: 5-6 WAR
• MVP: 6+ WAR
The Cardinals are one of the best organizations in the business at paying for potential production instead of rewarding past performance.
Exhibit A is former St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols, who in December 2011 signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Pujols was one of the all-time best bargains in MLB when he signed a seven-year, $100 million extension as a 24-year-old.
He put up the type of monster stats — 1.114 OPS high and 9.7 WAR high — only matched by Hall of Fame immortals such as Willie Mays, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams.
What does Big Al’s salary history have to do with Wong?
When it comes to MLB payrolls for any team, everyone on the roster is related to each other, particularly when two players play the same position.
In 2018, Gyorko will make $9 million, Wong $4 million; in 2019, it’s $13M and $6.5M, respectively; and in 2020, it’s $13M and $10.25M.
St. Louis has that $1 million buyout for Gyorko’s contract in 2020. That $12 million saved, if Gyorko is cut loose, will be handy in four years.
That’s when the team’s young core — pitchers Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha, outfielders Randal Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, and Tommy Pham — will be salary arbitration eligible.
It’s a safe bet that most of them will command much more than a $5 million annual salary. (Players are eligible for salary arbitration after three years of MLB service and for free agency after six years.)
Nice safety net
The most pressing offseason issue is whether the Cards pick up aging outfielder Matt Holiday’s $17 million club option or buy him out for $1 million.
It’s more probable than not that St. Louis tells him goodbye but thanks for the production in the early part of a seven-year, $120 million deal signed in 2010.
Rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz and third baseman Jhonny Peralta are free agents after the 2017 season, so Wong is a nice safety net if the two ask for the moon and all the cheese on it.
The Cardinals could stick Wong at second base, Matt Carpenter (signed through 2019) back to third, Gyorko at shortstop for seven innings, and Matt Adams at first.
Should Diaz continue to show MLB organizations smooth glove work and post a .908 OPS and 3.5 WAR or somewhere in that ballpark, he’ll be a rare gold coin when he hits the free agent market.
Diaz signed a four-year, $8 million deal as an amateur free agent from Cuba via Mexico. That’s the type of bargain that allows a club to whiff on someone like right-hander Mike Leake (0.4 WAR at age 28), who signed a five-year, $80 million contract last offseason.
Most general managers view players as stock chips in assessing value to payroll structure. Although MLB has no salary cap, all clubs have a payroll limit set by ownership.
Blue chip promise
As the stat geeks in St. Louis’ front office know, Wong is only 25 years old, has blue chip promise, and the swing mechanics of a slugger, not a singles hitter.
During his brief demotion to Triple-A Memphis, the left-handed hitting Wong batted .429 with four homers and 11 RBIs in seven games and 28 at-bats.
After Double-A ball in 2012, Wong was sent to the Arizona Fall League, considered the top offseason circuit, and batted .324 with a homer and 12 RBIs in 74 at-bats and 17 games.
He’s hit on every single level, even in the postseason. In 2014, he had two homers, four RBIs, and a 1.149 OPS against the San Francisco Giants in the NL championship series in five games.
The Cardinals are betting that Wong hits in that type of neighborhood, again, a reason they rewarded him with a five-year deal and job security.