Now entering his 11th season, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Geoff Jenkins has been with the club longer than any other player. He ranks in the top 10 in most offensive categories, plays excellent defense, and is considered to be a fan favorite. After a hot start in 2007, and a $9 million club option in his contract for 2008, it would appear that the Brewers have one of their outfield spots set for the next two years.

Geoff Jenkins reacts after being told that Dontrelle Willis will not start tomorrow

If I were managing a major league club, I would expect above-average offensive production from my corner outfielders. Being low on the defensive spectrum, left and right field are among the few places where you can stash a great hitter without having to worry too much about how fat and slow they are. That said, it's not unreasonable to expect a .750 OPS hitter out there every day. While Jenkins has consistently hit like an All-Star against righties (.297/.366/.511 AVG/OBP/SLG since 2004), he's hit like Craig Counsell against lefties (.211/.307/.368).

If a manager could predict which days a player will be great, which days he will go 0-5 with 3 Ks, and adjust the lineup accordingly, that manager would be on his way to a championship in no time. While it's impossible to predict what each player is going to do, it's very easy to say that Geoff Jenkins will probably struggle if a left-handed pitcher is starting for the opposing team. In a season, an everyday starter should face left-handed pitching somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of the time. That gives us around 40 games a year in which Jenkins will be below average. Given the high availability of right-handed hitters who hit lefties well but struggle against righties, there's little reason to start a below-average hitter in those 40 games.

Out of last season's free agent outfielders, all players who will make over $5 million this year can hit both lefties and righties for over .750 OPS (based on 3-year averages). All players under $5 million are significantly below average against one side, with the exception of Rondell White (who, at $2.750,000, is barely above the .750 level against righties and lefties).

Of these sub-$5 million platoon players, most of the best players come in at around $3-4 million/year, and Jenkins definitely fits in with this bunch. His .877 OPS vs righties is on the high side, and he is a younger than a lot of these guys, so you might be able to bump his value up to around $5 million. I'd be happy to pay Jenkins that much, but last year's free agent market shows that $9 million should get you an everyday player.

If Brewers do decline the option, who replaces him? The answer may already be on the roster. Gabe Gross has shown, in a smaller sample, that he can hit right-handed pitching well. Not as well as Jenkins, but Gross has room to improve. If Gross can hit .850 vs righties, I'd be happy to give him Jenkins' roster spot as lefty platoon corner outfielder. If not, someone like Trot Nixon, Cliff Floyd, Ryan Klesko or even Jose Guillen may be options for under $5 million.

Ideally, Bill Hall and Corey Hart will emerge as everyday players, since both are very capable of hitting above average against lefties and righties. That leaves 1 position, and 3 more outfield roster spots (assuming the team carries 5 outfielders) to fill it. I'll be looking at this situation a bit more closely as the season progresses, as this may be the biggest decision the Brewers face in this coming off-season.