Luke Warm Stove

[fuhrdog]

Why would KC want to put that much out for a 1B when they clearly should be rebuilding?

[Judge Jude]

This is really the thing which bothers me about pro athletes. If, Greg, you are correct in that the offer is hypothetically $18,000,000 per for seven seasons AND hosmer WANTS to play in California AND sd won't increase their offer, why not just take it?

Does hosmer really think a contract for $125,000,000 instead of $140,000,00 combined with what he has already earned in his career means his family is going hungry? That he can't afford the travel (flying his family in on occasional road trips)? Some other mystical reason?

And people, please do not tell me $15,000,000 is a lot to leave on the table. In a vacuum, yes but not when at the end of the contract you'll have accumulated close to $200,000,000 for your career.

Happiness beats all else people...

I can answer this, having dealt with these guys for many years. you don't get to the top of the Darwinian ladder that is professional sports without a hyper-competitive nature that is very difficult for "us" to imagine.

Winning is getting the most lucrative deal, period - particularly with guys just hitting their biggest payday. this hasn't changed much in 50 years. there was a line of thought that made it sense to move and make the extra $20K per year back in the day - but not now. it's just that the competitiveness drives all. this is why you hear the, "Hey, I have to make my family financially secure" so $140M instead of $120M.

and that's even when a guy grew up poor. it doesn't matter. contract negotiations are no different than ballgames for them.

btw, this is also part of the same psyche that leads so many of these guys to go bankrupt within 5-10 years anyway. once they get the money, they just have to spend it (the other part is that most relatives and friends of rich athletes experience an ugly side of them erupting. they all figure, "hey, he owes me and he can afford it" - right until he goes broke.

the "logical" athletes - who would prefer location over the top money once it clears $50M or so - were drowned by the tide long before the majors. only the ruthless survive.

sure, there are exceptions. but how many do you really see?

[Art Vandelay]

I can answer this, having dealt with these guys for many years. you don't get to the top of the Darwinian ladder that is professional sports without a hyper-competitive nature that is very difficult for "us" to imagine.

Winning is getting the most lucrative deal, period - particularly with guys just hitting their biggest payday. this hasn't changed much in 50 years. there was a line of thought that made it sense to move and make the extra $20K per year back in the day - but not now. it's just that the competitiveness drives all. this is why you hear the, "Hey, I have to make my family financially secure" so $140M instead of $120M.

and that's even when a guy grew up poor. it doesn't matter. contract negotiations are no different than ballgames for them.

btw, this is also part of the same psyche that leads so many of these guys to go bankrupt within 5-10 years anyway. once they get the money, they just have to spend it (the other part is that most relatives and friends of rich athletes experience an ugly side of them erupting. they all figure, "hey, he owes me and he can afford it" - right until he goes broke.

the "logical" athletes - who would prefer location over the top money once it clears $50M or so - were drowned by the tide long before the majors. only the ruthless survive.

sure, there are exceptions. but how many do you really see?

Some interesting thoughts JJ. Off the top of my head is gil meche...not much more

[Judge Jude]

yes, Meche is sui generis as they say

[Ken]

yes, Meche is sui generis as they say

I'm not so sure Meche is the genius exception here. He took the biggest contract offered to him and he only retired out of a moral obligation. I don't think that's a sign of intelligence as much as it is simply a different moral compass than most athletes. Not sure that should be equated with intelligence.

[Gregg]

if Hosmer really has two 7 year offers on the table ($140M & $147M), he's gotta be signed this evening, right? I mean, he's a very good 1B, but 7 years good???

No Hosmer signing makes we wonder if the offers are real.

[Judge Jude]

I'm not so sure Meche is the genius exception here. He took the biggest contract offered to him and he only retired out of a moral obligation. I don't think that's a sign of intelligence as much as it is simply a different moral compass than most athletes. Not sure that should be equated with intelligence.

this one probably needed an emoticon

[revo]

In 1978, the late, great Lyman Bostock offered back some of his then large FA contract because he was underperforming.

[Moonlight J]

No Hosmer signing makes we wonder if the offers are real.

The next free agent that signs a long-term deal that earns everything back will be one of the first ones. One of my buddies crunched the numbers as such:

https://twitter.com/SandyKazmir/status/948918712622608384 (click on the images to widen the tables)

[Hornsby]

3 way deal with the Dodger, White Sox, and Royals...all RP's. The only thing of note is that the Sox get Joakim Soria, who's likely to become their closer...sorry all of you cheap Minaya owners.

[Art Vandelay]

3 way deal with the Dodger, White Sox, and Royals...all RP's. The only thing of note is that the Sox get Joakim Soria, who's likely to become their closer...sorry all of you cheap Minaya owners.

I hope you are correct says an owner who picked up Soria in winter waivers

[Moonlight J]

Soria's HR/9 rate has been fascinating to watch yo-yo over the years, with last year being the most extreme. He allowed all of 1 homer in 232 batters faced last year. Crazy

[Art Vandelay]

Soria's HR/9 rate has been fascinating to watch yo-yo over the years, with last year being the most extreme. He allowed all of 1 homer in 232 batters faced last year. Crazy

Is Soria the closer for chicago to begin 2018?

[Art Vandelay]

According to heyman...

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Yankees were in contact with the Orioles regarding Manny Machado again this week.

Heyman believes that the likelihood of Machado being traded anywhere "still seems less than great," as the Orioles haven't come close to jumping on any offer they've received so far. There is also a big hurdle to clear in dealing Machado to the Yankees, as Orioles owner Peter Angelos isn't keen on trading his team's best player to a division rival. However, the Yanks certainly have the prospects to get something done, and they also believe they'd have a good shot to sign Machado long-term. Machado is set to hit free agency after the 2018 season.



For one year of Machado, inter-division trade, what does it take for the Yanks to acquire?

I am not particularly knowledgeable about new york's system but is this enough?

Clint Frazier
Domingo Acevedo or Albert Abreu

[rhd]

According to heyman...

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Yankees were in contact with the Orioles regarding Manny Machado again this week.

Heyman believes that the likelihood of Machado being traded anywhere "still seems less than great," as the Orioles haven't come close to jumping on any offer they've received so far. There is also a big hurdle to clear in dealing Machado to the Yankees, as Orioles owner Peter Angelos isn't keen on trading his team's best player to a division rival. However, the Yanks certainly have the prospects to get something done, and they also believe they'd have a good shot to sign Machado long-term. Machado is set to hit free agency after the 2018 season.



For one year of Machado, inter-division trade, what does it take for the Yanks to acquire?

I am not particularly knowledgeable about new york's system but is this enough?

Clint Frazier
Domingo Acevedo or Albert Abreu

That deal is WAY too short.