forsberg_us wrote:

APRTW wrote:

What teams would even be in the hunt for Pujols.  I know he is the best player to hit the FA market in decades but a team is going to have to be willing to spend 30 mill and still field a winning team or they wont get Pujols.  The Phillies and Yankees have first baseman.  That really just leaves the Red Soxs.

Not necessarily.  I'd add the Mets, Angels and dare I say the Cubs at a minimum.

I thought the Mets are on a limited budget and were no longer wanting to spend spend spend.  The Angels I could see making a play but I dont see Pujols wanting to go to the Cubs.

forsberg_us wrote:

Max wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Remember, he signed the 5 yr, $125M extension last season that Moz and DeWitt are now complaining about.

Why are they complaining about that?!?  It was a Godsend that he accepted a 5 year deal.  It is these A-Rod type 10 year deals that have the largest risk, IMO.

I'm guessing it had a lot more to do with the average annual value.  If Ryan Howard and his .270 average, 200 Ks per season and abysmal defense are worth $25M per year, it tends to drive up Pujols' value.

.279, but who's counting?  In any case, I don't recall whether he signed that contract one year ago or two, but the guy averaged 49.5 HR per season over the 4 year period before this one, and has a career .944 OPS.  Compared to A-Rod, that was a steal.  Look what the Mets gave Beltran (lifetime .282 BA, .853 OPS)?  DeWitt needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

forsberg_us wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

APRTW wrote:

I would have looked into the cost of keeping Pujols over letting him walk as well but I would hire a Dick Cheney like troll to run the numbers.  If someone found out what we were doing Cheney would make them disappear.

Tigers signed Victor Martinez to a 50 millions dollar deal.  the more teams like that spend the less likely Pujols can get a 30 million deal out of someone else.

Another thing to consider is Howard, Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez could also  be FAs at the end of the 2011 season. Throw in Pujols and you've got arguably the four best first basemen in the NL on the market at the same time.

Fielder and Gonzalez will be FA, but not Howard.  Remember, he signed the 5 yr, $125M extension last season that Moz and DeWitt are now complaining about.

Serves me right for believing an article on the internet.

"I dont see Pujols wanting to go to the Cubs."

If Pujols goes to the Cubs, I'll jump off a tall building.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"I dont see Pujols wanting to go to the Cubs."

If Pujols goes to the Cubs, I'll jump off a tall building.

don't do that, artie.  but maybe arrange to have someone 'jump' off a tall building.

Max wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"I dont see Pujols wanting to go to the Cubs."

If Pujols goes to the Cubs, I'll jump off a tall building.

don't do that, artie.  but maybe arrange to have someone 'jump' off a tall building.

I do have someone in mind.

If the time comes even offering Pujols arbitration wouldnt be stupid.  Yeah you might pay a player a higher contract but if he tanks or gets hurt you are off the hook the following year.

APRTW wrote:

["In addition to Jeter, the Yankees did not offer arbitration to Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, who are Type A free agents, and Type B free agents Kerry Wood and Lance Berkman."]


Why wouldnt you offer them arbitrations.  Maybe not Wood or Berkman if you dont want them on your team next year but the other three for sure.

Jeter in Arbitration probably pulls down 21-23 million. They are offering 15 million, and have no intention of paying that kind of money for a 37 year old Jeter that looks to be on the down-slide of his career.

If they wanted to pay that, they could easily sign him to a contract.

Just reading...

"The reason for declining to offer arbitration to Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Kerry Wood and others is that they fear an arbitrator might award big bucks. In the case of Jeter, that could mean $20 or $25 million, "or 30," according to one Yankees person."


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/11/23/yankees.arbitration/index.html

APRTW wrote:

alz wrote:

APRTW wrote:

["In addition to Jeter, the Yankees did not offer arbitration to Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, who are Type A free agents, and Type B free agents Kerry Wood and Lance Berkman."]


Why wouldnt you offer them arbitrations.  Maybe not Wood or Berkman if you dont want them on your team next year but the other three for sure.

Jeter in Arbitration probably pulls down 21-23 million. They are offering 15 million, and have no intention of paying that kind of money for a 37 year old Jeter that looks to be on the down-slide of his career.

If they wanted to pay that, they could easily sign him to a contract.

How does Jeter get a raise in arbitrations?  If he made 20 million he would be one of the highest paid players in baseball and he isnt one of the most productive players.

Jeter made $21M last season.  He doesn't need a raise to get to the $20M raise, he just has to avoid a massive decrease.

"he most certainly isn't going to go all the way to Free Agencies door and then come back to St. Louis."

I don't agree, Alz. Holliday filed and came back to St. Louis. In fact, you can probably find a player every year - probably a Boras client - who filed and eventually went back to his team, starting with Kirby Puckett. It makes perfect business sense for a superstar player to find out what he's worth on the open market, and then if he really wants to stay he can bring that offer to his previous club as a negotiation point. I think that's even how the term "hometown discount" originated.

forsberg_us wrote:

Max wrote:

APRTW wrote:

If the time comes even offering Pujols arbitration wouldnt be stupid.  Yeah you might pay a player a higher contract but if he tanks or gets hurt you are off the hook the following year.

Unless I misunderstand how arbitration works, Pujols could simply reject arbitration, and go sign for a nine-figure multi-year contract somewhere else.  In fact, he'd probably be a fool to do otherwise.

That's correct.  Arbitration is a 2-way street.  The team doesn't have to offer it, and the player doesn't have to accept it if the team offers it.  Once the team offers arbitration, however, they are assured draft pick compensation if the player qualifies and signs elsewhere.

so if we get so far as to offer him arbitration, we get two draft picks for pujols, unless we can beat out the free market for the remaining baseball life in pujols--and unless he gives us a discount after we played brinkmanship with him, or collusion is a reality to the extent that no one else bids for him, that means we lose pujols.  i think THAT is the reason why the deal needs to get done before the season begins, because he is worth more in a midseason trade than as two draft picks, and we would simply try to trade him in july.  all of this is so horrible to contemplate that it would be better for all if the two sides could agree on a ballpark figure, and then not quibble over a few tens of millions of dollars here or there.

"It looks to me like the Yankees are just trying to stop needlessly over spending."

It looks like Hal may be more interested in running the team as a business entity than his father or his brother.