Brewers exercise $8 million option on Lind
First baseman tallied team-high 87 RBIs in 2015
MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers on Tuesday exercised Adam Lind's $8 million club option, opting to return the first baseman for 2016 following a healthy and productive first season with the club.
Acquired from the Blue Jays in a November 2014 trade for pitcher Marco Estrada, Lind batted .277/.360/.460 in his first season with the Brewers, leading the club with 87 RBIs and ranking third with 20 home runs. Just as notably, he played in 149 games and started 134 times at first base, a career high for Lind, who has a history of back issues, and the most starts for a Brewers first baseman since Prince Fielder departed via free agency following the 2011 season.
Had the Brewers declined Lind's option, they would have owed him a $500,000 buyout. By retaining him, he can either fill first base in 2016, or become a trade chip for a franchise undergoing a rebuild.
The decision came a day after the team's only free agent, pitcher Kyle Lohse, formally elected free agency. The Brewers also cleared 40-man roster space by outrighting five other players to Triple-A Colorado Springs: pitchers Johnny Hellweg and Cesar Jimenez, catcher Juan Centeno, first baseman Matt Clark and outfielder Logan Schafer.