Written by Jeff Shand-Lubbers at Sporting Charts
While the eye-popping numbers in the reported David Price contract with the Red Sox will garner most of the attention, Price’s apparent ability to opt out of the contract following the 2018 season continues a rise in “opt outs” being added to free agent contracts.
While it’s true that these clauses only go to superstars of the game who are able to negotiate them into their contracts, they give those players the potential to earn even more in the future than their existing contracts allow by having the leverage to negotiate a new contract. Additionally, they put teams in a situation in which they need to fork over even more guaranteed money than already promised.
Of course, while there isn’t an example in recent memory of a team being “saved” by a player opt out clause, it’s certainly possible that the Red Sox could find themselves in a situation in which they are glad to see David Price walk away. It would take a number of circumstances all taking place at the same time, but it’s not completely far-fetched. It would take David Price putting together three solid seasons (especially a quality season in 2018) that would lead him to believe he could get more guaranteed money than the $127 million he would still reportedly be owed over the next 4 years. Additionally, it would take the Red Sox feeling comfortable with letting Price go at that point and not wanting to guarantee Price more money over more years.
This could happen for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the Red Sox would avoid paying a luxury tax penalty by letting Price walk away. It’s also possible that the Red Sox would have cheaper and younger major league-ready talent waiting in the wings to replace Price. Furthermore, even if Price posts three above average seasons, they could feel Price would not be able to replicate those seasons over the next 5-6 seasons.
Even so, the list of players who have opted out of their contracts in recent memory is short but has always benefitted the player. Two examples come to mind:
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