Tom Singer has a few contract details and incentives for some of the players in major league camp. The details can be read here. My thoughts on each player below.
**Jeff Karstens has $1 M in potential performance bonuses. He’d get a bonus of $100,000 each for 150 and 160 innings pitched. He’d get $175,000 each for 170 and 180 innings, then $225,000 each for 190 and 200 innings. If Karstens somehow reached 200 innings, he’d be a massive value at $3.5 M total. Even if he only gets to his career high of 162.1 innings, he’d still be a huge value at $2.7 M, assuming he pitches like he has the last two seasons.
**Gaby Sanchez could receive $25,000 each for 425, 475, and 525 plate appearances. I don’t see any of these happening. Sanchez has reached those totals in the past as a full-time starter. He’ll be platooning with Garrett Jones, and taking the smaller part of the platoon. The only way he’d get regular playing time is if Jones went down with an injury. Even then, the Pirates could turn to someone like Clint Robinson. Jones is unlikely to move off first base this year, since the Pirates have several options in the outfield.
**Jonathan Sanchez would make $1.375 M in the majors, along with another $750,000 in performance bonuses based on a points system. Sanchez would receive two points per appearance of 2+ innings, or one point per appearance of fewer than two innings. He’d get $75,000 each for 42, 48, and 54 points; $125,000 each for 60, 66, and 72 points; and $150,000 for 78 points. Sanchez can also opt out of his deal if he’s not on the roster by March 24th. I wrote the other day that it would make sense to send him to Triple-A and see if he’s back on track. If he’s pitching well in Spring Training, he’d probably have to go on the roster and get that opportunity in the majors to show that he’s back to his 2009-2011 self.
**Brad Hawpe can make $800,000 in the majors, along with $600,000 in incentives for plate appearances from 200-500. He can opt out of his deal on March 26th if he’s not added to the major league roster. I don’t see Hawpe making the team.
**Rob Biertempfel reports that Brandon Inge also has an opt out clause in his deal, just like Sanchez and Hawpe.
