FanPost

Options: Benoit picked up, Barmes declined.

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

According to this U-T article, the Padres have picked up Joaquin Benoit's $8M option, and declined Clint Barmes' $2M option. Both are shrewd moves, and are well justified.

Joaquin Benoit was an interesting case last year. While his K% was down and he was prone to the homer (like so many Pads staffers), he somehow lead the league in batting average against and was among the leaders in opponent slugging percentage. A year ago, he was a candidate for the closer job. Now he represents some depth in the back of the bullpen should Kimbrel be traded. His option of $8M had a $1.5M buyout, so it really was a $6.5M decision. That's not cheap for an aging reliever, but he showed his value last year.

Clint Barmes' contributions off the field in 2015 may have been more valuable than his performance on the field. He worked with middle infielders Jedd Gyorko, Cory Spangenberg, and Yangervis Solarte on mechanics and positioning. The Barmes/Amarista ("Barmerista") platoon ran out of steam early in the season, as neither bat showed much potency and the defense was average at best. While Clint can play solid defense around the infield, there simply isn't room for another utility infielder on the 2016 roster. Amarista is already signed to a $1.5M salary to back up Gyorko, Spangenberg, and Solarte. While I'd love to see Barmes stick around as an infield coach, he has a desire to play. He garnered interest at the trade deadline from Pittsburgh, and I'm certain a team would love to have him aboard for defensive depth to compliment the veteran presence.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Gaslamp Ball community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gaslamp Ball staff or SB Nation.