Fielder ($15.5MM) and Parra ($1.2MM) avoid arbitration

[Mass Haas]

Jon Heyman tweet

 

In the anticipated range...

 

Manny Parra also avoids arby (McCalvy), salary not announced yet. He made $440,000 last season.

[TooLiveBrew]

Glad to see this done. Not a surprise, but not a backbreaking contract, either.

 

 

EDIT: Heyman actually with two tweets on the Fielder contract.

 

He now has the highest ever single-season salary in Brewers history (passing Greinke's '11 salary). The deal includes several performance bonuses:

 

- $100K for MVP, $75K for 2d place, $50K for 3d

- $50K for ASG selection in fan vote, $25K for being named to team

- $25K for LCS MVP

- $25K for WS MVP

- $50K for Gold Glove

 

So, if I did my math correctly, the maximum possible value for this contract is $15.75M

 

 

EDIT 2: Whoops, that third tweet I'd listed is from TH, not Heyman. Heyman just re-tweeted it. Curse tweeting.

[colbyjack]

I am surprised that Fielder's deal was agreed upon prior to going through the arbitration process. The amount isn't all that surprising, it just seems that Boras clients tend to squeeze out as much as possible through this process (or any process when it comes down to money). Who knows, maybe they did, but still, it is a pleasant surprise.

[TooLiveBrew]

Ryan Howard signed a contract extension with the Philies prior to the '09 season. The first year of that contract covered his final arbitration-eligible season, and his salary was $15M. Of course, that was Howard's age-29 season whereas '11 will be age-27 for Prince.

 

I think if you look at the rest of that 3-yr. deal Howard signed, along with the 5-yr. extension he signed last year, you get a pretty accurate look at what kind of deal Prince will be after in FA. My crude guess at this point is in the 6/$135M -- 7/$160M range. There's no way I want to see the Brewers spend that kind of money on him. Unless there's a massive bidding war, I think the first team to go 7/$150M will land him.

[MadScientist]

I am surprised that Fielder's deal was agreed upon prior to going through the arbitration process. The amount isn't all that surprising, it just seems that Boras clients tend to squeeze out as much as possible through this process (or any process when it comes down to money). Who knows, maybe they did, but still, it is a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps he felt that this situation was one where it was in his best interest to settle quickly for a fair amount to eliminate any distraction, and to have Prince poised for a monster contract year.

[crewcrazy]

I think it's cute they threw in a $50K Gold Glove incentive for Prince.

 

Seriously though, $15.5MM for Prince was probably expected, and it's nice to get it out of the way early. Now Melvin can focus on trying to get Weeks signed to a multiyear deal.

[moofnelson]

Manny gets a 300% raise for sucking. While most of us are getting corporate mandated paycuts, or simply laid off, Parra gets a 3-fold raise and he's not very good. Sometimes I wonder why I care about this nonsense.

 

That being said, Go Brewers!!

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Manny gets a 300% raise for sucking.

I think you mean sucking lefthanded. Lesson we should all learn.

[Invader3K]

I'm speculating, but I wonder if Boras and Prince wanted to get something done relatively quickly with the Brewers, to show that they aren't going to be impossible to deal with in free agency negotiations next winter.

[GAME05]

in my next job interview i'm going to point out that i write left-handed.

"Well, he clearly doesn't have the skills to do this job, but we don't have many lefties in the workplace."

being left-handed is the baseball equivalent of nepotism.

[crewcrazy]

We go through this every offseason with arbitration. Nobody gets a paycut in arbitration, so there's really no use in complaining about someone getting a raise. Arbitration isn't there to reward performance from the previous year, it's there make up for the club paying the player the league minimum for the first three years of the player's career.

 

$1.2 million will be well worth it if Parra continues to be as good as he was out of the bullpen, too. The contract isn't even fully guaranteed, so if he can't perform well enough in spring training to warrant a roster spot, he can be cut loose for a fraction of that price.

[logan82]

$1.2m is still a big underpay if he pitches out of the bullpen like he did last year.

[Funketown]

Manny gets a 300% raise for sucking. While most of us are getting corporate mandated paycuts, or simply laid off, Parra gets a 3-fold raise and he's not very good. Sometimes I wonder why I care about this nonsense.

The reason Parra is getting a 300% raise is that he was subjected to a reserve clause for the past three years. Many of those receiving corporate mandated paycuts are still receiving a higher percentage of their market value than arbitration eligible players.

[Invader3K]

$1.2m is still a big underpay if he pitches out of the bullpen like he did last year.

That's a really good point, especially since every indication says he'll be in the bullpen in 2011.

[hawing]

Manny gets a 300% raise for sucking.

I think you mean sucking lefthanded. Lesson we should all learn.

Thanks for the reminder to keep reminding my left-handed nephew of this.

Here's hoping that Prince feels settled enough for 2011 to have a ginormous monster year. Heck, Manny too.

[pretendastronaut]

I am surprised that Fielder's deal was agreed upon prior to going through the arbitration process. The amount isn't all that surprising, it just seems that Boras clients tend to squeeze out as much as possible through this process (or any process when it comes down to money). Who knows, maybe they did, but still, it is a pleasant surprise.

 

 

I wouldn't look past the value Boras is likely finding with all the media promoting the Teixeira comparison, as Boras' has already compared his expectations for Fielder's next contract against what Teixeira received.

[monty57]

Remember that it takes two to tango. Melvin knows that Prince isn't going to extend with the Brewers, so he probably wanted to get Fielder's (and Parra's) contract out of the way so that he can focus on trying to extend other players. Rather than nickel & diming Fielder/Boras, he probably just came out really trying to get a deal done.

 

Plus, a happy Fielder may make extending his good buddy Weeks a little easier.

[COBrewerfan]

I am guessing Prince is going to have a monster season this year which will cause us to really make an effort to keep him. But all it will really do will make someone pay an insane amount of money, for more years than you should give him, and someone will enjoy him for a couple years before the contract looks awful. Pretty much like every other 7 year deal that is handed out these days. But I am really going to enjoy what he gives this year and hope for the best for this team. Then figure out who the new 1B will be.

[ecjimg]

I dont like the Prince signing. I say the team could have won an arbitration case for less than any amount Boras would agree to. (In this case, less than 15.5mm of course)

Boras and Prince are obviously looking for highest bidder after the season. Why pay up "good faith" money now, when extension talks have gone nowhere.

[pingman]

couldn't let Prince go to arbitration........because no matter if he won or lost his arby case, he's so damn sensitive that he'd pout all year about every minor point made by the Brewer's legal team

 

remember arbitration cases are designed to be confrontational: Boras says Prince is the greatest invention since canned beer.....Brewers say Prince is a fat slob who can't catch a cold at 1B

[Invader3K]

I dont like the Prince signing. I say the team could have won an arbitration case for less than any amount Boras would agree to. (In this case, less than 15.5mm of course)

Boras and Prince are obviously looking for highest bidder after the season. Why pay up "good faith" money now, when extension talks have gone nowhere.

He was going to get around $15 million, based on reasonable projections, and that's what he got. Going to arbitration just to prove some sort of point would have been silly.

[danzig6767]

couldn't let Prince go to arbitration........because no matter if he won or lost his arby case, he's so damn sensitive that he'd pout all year about every minor point made by the Brewer's legal team

 

remember arbitration cases are designed to be confrontational: Boras says Prince is the greatest invention since canned beer.....Brewers say Prince is a fat slob who can't catch a cold at 1B

Prince very well could have told Boras to get this settled at a fair amount so there were no hard feelings and he could just focus on having a big season.

[kramnoj]

because no matter if he won or lost his arby case, he's so damn sensitive that he'd pout all year about every minor point made by the Brewer's legal team

 

Is there an example of Prince pouting all year? There was one example of Prince expressing his displeasure with being renewed, but he certainly didn't talk about it all year.

 

 

Pretty much any report talked about Prince getting $15-$16M in arbitration. It didn't take Solomon to figure out a happy compromise.

[pretendastronaut]

I dont like the Prince signing. I say the team could have won an arbitration case for less than any amount Boras would agree to. (In this case, less than 15.5mm of course)

Boras and Prince are obviously looking for highest bidder after the season. Why pay up "good faith" money now, when extension talks have gone nowhere.

 

 

I'm not sure how much money would have been saved. Prince made 11mm last season, and even in an off year, he'd still get a raise in arbitration. I don't see this as a move to try to appease Prince for resigning in the least really.

[Schlitz001]

$1.2m is still a big underpay if he pitches out of the bullpen like he did last year.

Yeah, except he's getting paid for what he's done and what he's done is pitch another 5+ ERA season. I hope those bullpen numbers aren't an aberration and he does put up big numbers. Lord knows I love Manny Parra.