Considering the other 2B options that are out there, picking up Freddy’s option might not be the worst thing the Giants could do. A lot obviously depends on the status of his knee and they’re in a much better position to judge that than we are.

Picking up the option is questionable and maybe not a terrible move, but the author’s argument that Fred will pay back for his defense is off the wall crazy…

I would think the Giants would try to negotiate an extension at a lower annual salary. Freddy seemed prepared to sign with the Pirates for less than the amount of his option, just not for two years or for the money they offered. His problems after the trade should make him a bit more amenable to compromise.

I’m not saying picking up the option would be a good move; without doing much analysis I’d say it probably is not. It depends a lot on how you project Freddy, but any reasonable projection would seem to make that option far from absurd. The average WAR is in the ballpark of 2-2.5, incidentally right around where Freddy was last year. Once players are no longer cost-controlled and hit free agency, teams recently have spent about $4.5 million per WAR. If you project Freddy to be in that same neighborhood next year then his option might be right in line with that. If you apply a heavy regression and age/injury factors than it probably tips the scale away from being worth it, but it’s not absurd to consider. Given age, injury, and regression factors my guess is that he might not live up to that, and there are probably better options out there, but GMs make far worse decisions all the time.