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The Chicago Cubs announced that they have declined their team option on righthanded pitcher Jason Hammel. Hammel signed a 2 year deal with the Cubs at $9 million per year after the 2014 season, with a $12 million team option for 2017 that featured a $2 million buyout.
The decision is somewhat surprising, as the free agent pitching market is pretty poor, and at $12 million, you would think that Hammel — who had a 3.83 ERA and a 4.48 FIP -- would generate some trade interest.
Instead, the 34 year old Hammel will hit the market, where he will likely be viewed as a fallback option for many of the teams currently scouring the trade and free agent markets for starting pitching options.