It has been an interesting offseason for many of Major League Baseball’s marquee free agents. And when I say interesting I mean, things aren’t going so well…
Some lofty expectations, sometimes brought on by agents and sometimes by the players themselves, seem to be leaving some people with some bruised egos.
Andy receiving word that he just lost $4.5 mil.
Andy Pettitte
The 36-year-old hurler was perturbed when the Yankees wanted to cut his salary from $16 million to $10 million.
Pettitte and the Yankees agreed yesterday to a $5.5 million, one-year contract.
The guaranteed money is less than half New York’s original $10 million offer. However he can make an additional $6.5 million in bonuses. This includes $4.5 million based on innings and $2 million based on days on the active roster. While he would earn the entire amount if he pitches 210 innings and doesn’t go on the disabled list. So for Andy that’s four and a half million dollars down the drain.
'Tek with accused mistress Heidi Watney
Jason Varitek
The curious case of Jason Varitek. ‘Tek now has until Saturday to sign the offer placed on the table by the Sox.
The offer is a one-year offer for a guaranteed $5 million with a dual option for 2010. This means that the Sox have a $5 million option on the Jason for that season; should the team decline to exercise the option, Varitek subsequently can return to the team at a salary of $3 million.
That $5 million gauranteed seems to pale in comparison to the offer he declined on Dec. 7 when Boston offered salary arbitration. Had Varitek accepted it, in 2009 he would have made $10-12 million.
Another five or so million that went byebye. Hey his ex-wife prbably would have received half of it anyway, right?
Manny used to be so happy...
Manny Ramirez
Man-Ram could have made $20 million in both 2009 and 2010 if he had stayed put with the Red Sox. Instead, he listened to new agent Scott Boras who told him that those figure were ridiculous and that he could get more on the free agent market.
Now, I’m not saying that Manny can’t get close to $20 mil a year still. The thing is, was it all really worth it? Looking like an idiot taking those 3 straight strikes against the Yankees, pushing road managers and getting into it with players in the club house… where did it get Manny or Boras for that matter?
Now, not a single team is truly interested in Manny’s antics services.
It’s going to take the selling of a lot of grills to make up $40 million in guaranteed money.
But seriously, imagine that; a sure thing first ballot hall of famer, coming off an MVP caliber second half of last season and he can’t find a job. Man, the economy must really be in the dumps.
