Well LMJ isn't going to the pen, so Javier is the odd man out in the 5-man rotation? He's earned a starting spot, but he'll get more use out of the pen in the playoffs than he would as a 4th SP.
Yeah, the upcoming OF free agent market, with the exception of Judge, is pretty light. Ideally, Meyers or Leon will step up and be ready. Chas is fine. Tucker is great. Just need one guy to earn everyday starts while the other fills the 4th OF role. If Leon needs more seasoning, Dubon can fill in until he's ready.
Tucker is the next big name up for an extension, and that doesn't become an issue until 2026. We need to address 1B and at least one OF position this offseason. Bregman gets a big pay raise in 2023 as well. Assuming we don't resign Yuli, Abreu, Mancini, or Bell could all be targets to take over at 1B. Benintendi, Kiermaier, or Peralta could be targets for OF. I think we could offer JV up to 3/130-140 without compromising our ability to address our immediate needs and extend Tucker.
No surprise that JV will likely opt out given how he's pitched this season. I'd love to resign him, but, given our depth at SP and Brown waiting in the wings, I am not sure the FO will be willing to engage in a bidding war for him that will likely push his AAV over $40m.
LMJ (if healthy) and Framber are locks for the rotation. Javier has earned a spot. Urquidy has too if he continues to pitch like he has since June. Garcia is the only one who I could see moving on from, but even he is a better than average 5th starter. Add Brown to the mix, and tying up $40m+ in JV may not be something Click/Crane are willing to do.
Trying to extend to dinner hours also seems to be a recipe for decline as well. Brett's in Katy is moving to a new location and plans to serve through dinner. I hope they can pull it off with a noticeable dip in quality, but I am not optimistic.
My guess is we pick up his option. I don't think Lee showed he's ready to be an everyday MLB catcher, and $4.5 is relatively cheap. I'd pick up the option and make a run at Vasquez (although I think we'd likely have to overpay to keep him from Boston).