Long-term contracts for our young guys: Who should we try to lock up? Latest: Prince declines 60 million offer (reply #23)

[fondybrewfan]

What if the senario was thus:

 

DM offers Boras $60M over 5 years. Boras is looking for $50/4 or $75/6. Either way Prince is looking at 6 digits this year. DM decides he can't come close to Baras and submits a $400K contract that Prince has to accept. I think it's perfectly understandable that he would be upset and feel underpaid in that situation.

In that scenario it certainly isn't DM's problem though. Doug's offer was a whopping $500,000 less per year. Boras would have been an idiot if he asked for $50/4 and rejected a $60/5 deal. More money, more years, and only $500,000 less per year.

[jeffy]

When it comes to athletes and money, some make smart decisions, some make stupid decisions. I'm pleased that the Brewers made an offer to him and to Braun, and Braun took it. Prince didn't...

 

Yes, it is entirely Prince'c choice to take the risk of passing on a guarantee of $60 million. Like most athletes, IMO, he is foolish about money and risk. Most athletes believe nothing bad can ever happen to end their career. Injuries and even death can happen, but perhaps there is some sort of insurance that Prince has to protect against these risks??? (obviously he could have life insurance to protect his family, but what about injury...for example, what if he has a Koskiesque experience?)

 

Many athletes, when they do get money throw a lot of it away on bad investments, high living, gambling, etc...ala Cecil Fielder, who apparently has very little despite having made $50 million in his career.

 

Another risk for Prince is...what if last season turns out to be his best ever and his performance is never again good enough to get any more than $60 million over the time period for which the Brewers offered it (sort of like Bill Hall's career might turn out, but with bigger numbers).

[DatHoser]

Well put NDOG44 (see reply #64)!

 

We have a player who has a national name and following who is cheap at the moment. There are teams out there who probably would overpay to get him (good starting pitching, anyone?). I would wait until his recent tax issues blow over before dealing him, at least, if not until after the season. We have talent in the minors to replace him, although maybe not immediately. We could even move 3TO to 1st short-term if need be. If he's moved after the season, LaPorta could easily be moved in to place.

 

No brainer, indeed.

[eanelson4]

We could even move 3TO to 1st short-term if need be.

 

Let's not get carried away here. I love him as much as the next person, but logic states that he is due to cool down sometime. I don't see 3TO being in Milwaukee next season.

 

it's OBVIOUS that Prince doesn't want to stay one more day in Milwaukee than he has to

 

I couldn't agree more. I can't think of a realistic situation that allows Prince to make more money over the next 5 years than what he could have taken from the Brewers. If the contract were set up like this:

2008-2012 : 8,10,12,14,16M respectively = 60M/5 years

 

and I would assume he goes through his arby. years like this (I'll give him one monster season for the benefit of the doubt, but just good seasons otherwise):

 

2008: 500K 2009: 6M 2010: 14M 2011: 10M 2012: 12M in free agency (first year of contract will be less than normal) = 42.5M / 5 years

 

That is a big difference. Obviously, these numbers might be off some as they are just estimates, but I still don't think he could have made as much money. This leaves 3 conclusions:

1) His contract offer was for longer than 5 years

2) He wants to get the heck out of Milwaukee

3) A combination of 1 and 2

[DatHoser]

Understood, that's why I said short-term. LaPorta would be the long-term solution, hopefully starting next year, or even sooner if he could handle. Yes it's a short term risk, but hanging on to Prince too long makes that risk seem like nothing in the grand scheme of things.

[Tbadder]

Corey Hart turned down a contract offer too. Does he want out of Milwaukee?

I'd assume so, why not? Playing the free agent market is just anoither way of saying "you're no different than anyone else." Given that the Brewers are Corey's professional baseball roots I'd say that it's a subtle way of saying that "I want out unless..." A subtle difference but there.

[MickeyDavis]

I know that Hart's agent is still trying to work out a long term deal. Corey would love to stay here. The closer guys get to arby and free agency the trickier these kind of deals become.

[lcbj68c]

Prince didn't, that's his choice, and it tells us a lot about Prince and what he's thinking in regard to money and Milwaukee.

It doesn't tell us squat about he "feels about Milwaukee". It only tells us how he feels about his value. I wish people would stop assuming that because a guy doesnt want to play for peanuts and wants to negotiate his contract and doesnt sign the first thing thrown in front of his face that he wants out of a certain organization.

[endaround]

Why might he not wanted to sign a five year deal? Assuming it was actually 5 and not 3 or 4 with options tacked on, at the end of 5 he'll be 30 and unlikely to get a long term (8 year) deal. Now at 28 he can get an 8 to 10 year deal much easier.

[MickeyDavis]

There is way too much assuming going on here. No one knows the details of the Brewers offer to Prince. No one knows if Boras made a counter offer or not. And absolutely no one knows how Prince feels about staying here long term.

[Bucky Rules]

No one knows if Boras made a counter offer or not.

That's true, but I tend to doubt that he did.

[crewcrazy]

I'm mildly surprised that word of an offer actually reached Prince. Boras is usually the type to "neglect" telling his players about offers a team made (one of the reasons why Kenny Rogers fired him). I'd say it's a moral victory that Boras is actually telling Prince these things, even though he apparently turned the offer down. At least they're talking...who knows, maybe sometime in the future they'll figure something out and the Brewers will be able to keep him one year past arby.

[ILuvDaBush]

I can't blame Prince for not accepting the deal at all. I've said this countless times but the beauty of the arbitration system is that you get paid to play. And while I would be ecstatic for a $60mil contract in the economy, I could also see it as "low-balling" the young slugger. Ryan Howard just got $10mil in his first year of arbitration and Miguel Cabrera got $7.7mil last year in his first year, and then a 7 year/100+ million dollar deal in year two. I don't even want to imagine what Ryan Howard would argue he is worth for a 4-5 year contract after this season. Honestly, given Prince's girth, Hart's inevitable move to center, and Yo's injury, I don't know of any young player who should be concretely locked up in a long term deal. Weeks....would probably be #1, but that's just because I still hold out hope that last year's numbers after his ascension back to the majors is the norm. Beyond him....Charlie Newhouse could probably be "Hancocked" on the cheap. :-)