The Milwaukee Brewers officially exercised outfielder Norichika Aoki's $1.5 million club option for the 2014 season on Tuesday, reports Mike Axisa of CBS Sports.
Brewers exercise 2014 contract option for Norichika Aoki
The Japanese outfielder will make $1.5 million next season.
David Banks-US PRESSWIRE
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It's been reported for at least a month that the Brewers planned on picking up Aoki's very team-friendly contract, so the news should come as no surprise to those following the club. Every team has until five days after the World Series ends to make final decisions on pending contract options, but Milwaukee evidently saw no reason to wait until then with Aoki.
The 2014 season will be the final year of his standing contract with the Brewers.
Aoki put up solid numbers at the plate and in the field in his second year with the Brew Crew. Though his power numbers were down significantly from his rookie campaign, the 31-year-old outfielder still hit for average and got on base at an excellent clip. His .286/.356/.370 batting line doesn’t look great on its own, but his stellar defense more than makes up for his slugging deficiencies.
There's been some talk that Milwaukee could try to move Aoki this winter, but nothing recently. The Texas Rangers reportedly had interest in Aoki over the summer when they were shopping for Nelson Cruz replacements, per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, but it's unclear where they stand now that Alex Rios is aboard.
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