Hardball newbie here (.4 season completed). I have a couple guys with mutual options next season, of which I want to keep none of them. Assuming they won’t get claimed on waivers (or traded for), is there a trick to increase the odds that these guys to decline their side of the option? I’d like to not pay them to f*ck off. Lol

Not that I'm aware. Maybe sticking them in the minors at the end of the season?

If you figure it out, let me know. I love mutual options but have never figured out how to make them turn them down. And unfortunately 90% of the time I'd say they take them.

That being said, 25% of their total salary isn't terrible. But also you won't get a compensation pick if someone else signs them.

You are better off trying to trade them for a bag of balls or let them get claimed off waivers. If they go unclaimed and you cut them, you are still on the hook for their entire salary -- as opposed to declining your half of the option and only being on the hook for 25%.

I use mutual options most of the time and think I have had only one player decline his half, so there is that.

Players often decline their half of the option if it is less than what they think they can make on the open market. I have about a 50% decline rate for players I sign at low rates during Spring Training.

And about a 0% decline rate for expensive contract players.

Here's what I do:
- Put them on waivers after transaction deadline
- If someone claims them, great (no one ever claims them)
- If no one claims them, when the playoffs are over I send them to Rookie Ball and remove them from 40 man (if they accept it)

I'd say they decline over 50% of the time when I do this. If they're older, they sometimes retire.

Awesome. Thanks for all the input folks. Might try the keithjs approach, but mostly I’ll plan to pay these guys off. Lol

Posted by keithjs on 10/17/2023 8:28:00 PM (view original):
Here's what I do:
- Put them on waivers after transaction deadline
- If someone claims them, great (no one ever claims them)
- If no one claims them, when the playoffs are over I send them to Rookie Ball and remove them from 40 man (if they accept it)

I'd say they decline over 50% of the time when I do this. If they're older, they sometimes retire.

This is a good point: off the 40 and demoted, for any player, often triggers retirement. Unless the contract is big money.

Posted by keithjs on 10/17/2023 8:28:00 PM (view original):
Here's what I do:
- Put them on waivers after transaction deadline
- If someone claims them, great (no one ever claims them)
- If no one claims them, when the playoffs are over I send them to Rookie Ball and remove them from 40 man (if they accept it)

I'd say they decline over 50% of the time when I do this. If they're older, they sometimes retire.

Guess what? It worked. Just rolled over, I had a 40 yo RP with a 4 mil contract, declined his option and retired. Saved $1M.
Thanks keithjs.

Woah! Ok this is really good to know. (You learn something new every day)

Its terrible to say but I might due this to my HOF bound pitcher in Riley. I really hate it when a guy has outlived his usefulness so I let him go, then some other team picks him up and it trashes his numbers.

I wouldn't say it's guaranteed to work. I was actually kinda surprised the player accepted the demotion; I half expected him to choose immediate free agency.