Colorado Rockies decline Justin Morneau’s option for 2016

The free agent market got a new first baseman on Thursday, as the Colorado Rockies announced that they’ve declined their half of a 2016 option for Justin Morneau. Morneau will instead be payed a $750k buyout and be on the hunt for a new club for next season.

With a market that holds little outside of Chris Davis at first base this winter, Morneau should receive plenty of attention. While he’s battled injuries for much of his career, he is just a season removed from winning the National League Batting Title and posted a .310 clip in 49 games in 2015. He’s struggled against lefties in his career, though he could make a solid platoon option for a team like the Orioles that like to play match-ups when creating their nightly lineup. Others that miss out on Davis, Byung-ho Kim and trade market options could turn to Morneau in a more significant role out of need.

As he enters his age-35 season, Morneau will likely be looking at either a one- or two-year deal with an option of some sort. A reunion with the Twins is not out of the question, as they could be in the market for a veteran bat to replace the leadership and production of recently-retired Torii Hunter. National League clubs could also consider Morneau, though he’ll hold that much more appeal to American League clubs that at least have the option to get his bat in the lineup at designated hitter.

Projecting Morneau’s 2016 salary is a tricky task, as it’s unclear how clubs will value his 2015 production across a small 49-game sample size. The numbers have been there when Morneau has played over the last two seasons, though he’s played in just 184 games. He’ll also be 35, so one would have to think a deal for Morneau would be built around a fairly low base salary combined with incentives for production and games played.