I am so glad to see that Bor-ass' latest over-the-top move is blowing up in his face. First, to tell the Yankees that unless they were willing to start discussions at $350 M, don't even talk to A-rod, is outrageous. Which teams exactly does Boras thinks have the money and the interest in signing one particular player up for >$35 M/yr for 10 years? That's insane, practically no teams have a payroll that could afford that, let alone want to do that. Boras is an idiot and he's getting what he deserved - no interest. He thought he could strong-arm the Yankees into some ridiculously inflated deal and it isn't going to happen. I hope A-rod has to sign for less than he was already making.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, A-rod's regular season #s really are not that much greater than several other players, all of whom are paid less than half of what a-rod is asking for. I'm sorry, but A-rod is not worth 2x Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Vlad Guerrero, etc. Especially when you consider that he stinks in the playoffs. His post-season performance is simply unacceptable at the salary he's asking for.
2 comments:
It is delicious, isn't it? Boras is normally cash in the bank, so I can't say I saw it coming. I figured between the Angels, Dodgers, Mets, BlowSox, and Giants, there would be enough big market franchises seeking his services that he'd get his bidding war.
I hate to say it, but one has to wonder if there isn't something to the collusion charge.
I mean, I completely agree with your post: the demands were outrageous, and not supported by anyone. Maybe Ruth in the dead ball era, but probably not even then.
But still, you can usually count on baseball owners to play a great game of "race to the bottom", and rescue the agent. There's got to be a game theory analysis of why owners consistently end up overpaying for FA talent.
I think he ran into the following issues:
1. Teams hate Boras, and the fact that he was showing over-the-top arrogance even for himself really pissed off a lot of GMs.
2. The Red Sox fans hate A-rod, and I don't think ownership would upset the balance of what they have now. They might not get Lowell back, but they can still go for Cabrera. So I don't think Sox were a real contender, especially considering it would take their payroll to $170+ M which I don't think they can afford.
3. For the Mets to pull, it would mean moving A-rod, wright, or reyes off position. The most logical move would be to stick wright or a-rod at 1st and dump delgado. This is a possibility, especially since you dump a huge salary, but I'm just not sure they ever really liked this idea. Alternatively you could put A-rod at short and trade Reyes + prospects for Johan, but I'm not sure how fans would react to losing Reyes. Plus, I think Mets really are committed to building team around Wright, Reyes, and Beltran.
4. I think Dodgers were most likely scenario, especially with Torre there. But again, I just don't think any team wants to be that team that shatters the ceiling with a $350+ M contract.
5. A-rod's playoff performance just can't be ignored. I think if A-rod were even half as good in postseason as he is in regular season, you'd see your bidding war. But something has to linger in the back of people's minds about paying someone $350 M who (a) doesn't show up in playoffs, and (b) has never won a ring. Not that (b) is necessarily his fault, but there's an intangible associated with winners that people like to have on their teams.
In any case, regardless of the reason(s), it sure is great to sit back and watch!
I think your point about game theory analysis is spot on, it probably comes down to supply and demand. Same thing is true for tech stocks or tech IPOs: all VCs and investors want in on the "next big thing" in tech. The problem is, there are so few tech companies that even dogs get overvalued, just so money doesn't sit on the sidelines. In baseball, in any given year there seem to be fewer and fewer good FAs available. With less than 5 or so this year, the value gets ridiculously inflated. Which is why I was glad to see Omar pass on Zito last year. I think a lot of the GMs at big-market teams are taking a more disciplined approach and realizing too many players are overpaid these days.
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