Confirming something GM Jed Hoyer admitted was coming a month ago, the Padres on Wednesday declined Chris Young’s $8.5 million option for 2011.
After missing five months with a shoulder injury, Young returned in September to post a 1.49 ERA in three starts, and he surely would have been a part of San Diego’s postseason rotation had the team not faltered down the stretch. Still, it was an easy call not to commit $8.5 million to someone who had thrown a total of 198 1/3 innings over the last three seasons.
Young’s extreme flyball tendencies make him the perfect Petco Park pitcher, so it could be in his best interests to stay with the Padres on a cheap one-year deal, even if he could earn an extra couple of million dollars elsewhere. It’d likely pay off next winter if he were able to stay healthy and make 30 starts for the first time since 2007.