Price to Red Sox 7 years $219 Million

[markedman5]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/12/01/red-sox-agree-deal-with-pitcher-david-price/Tsv1SM9yjAU1TncmXJpFUN/story.html

[And That]

Big price tag. I'm here all night.

 

He definitely has been worth $31 mil a year over the past six seasons, but will he be worth it when he's 36 or 37? Who knows.

[patrickgpe]

atleast he isn't a cub

[3and2Fastball]

at least he isn't a cub

 

Hear hear on that!

 

Price plus Kimbrel is a big upgrade to the Red Sox pitching staff

[MrTPlush]

Big price tag. I'm here all night.

 

He definitely has been worth $31 mil a year over the past six seasons, but will he be worth it when he's 36 or 37? Who knows.

 

No of course he won't. That isn't why teams sign players to massive deals. It is for now and the near future. Those 36/37 year old season are part of the down side to the contract.

[Invader3K]

I'm glad he's out of the NL Central. I'm more glad that we can stop pretending the Brewers will ever sign a free agent pitcher to a big contract. I think most of us already knew that, though.

[And That]

No of course he won't.

Incorrect. There is a plausible chance that he will be, especially considering what $31 mil will buy you in seven years. I wouldn't say likely, but saying "of course he won't" is easy when you don't have to back it up for seven years.

 

Looks like he has an opt-out after three years, so it might be another team's worry anyway.

[MrTPlush]

No of course he won't.

Incorrect. There is a plausible chance that he will be, especially considering what $31 mil will buy you in seven years. I wouldn't say likely, but saying "of course he won't" is easy when you don't have to back it up for seven years.

 

Looks like he has an opt-out after three years, so it might be another team's worry anyway.

 

I'd say the chances are so low n one should be expecting him to do it. Pretty sure teams are aware the last few years of these mega contracts won't look good. That is just a part of how it works. Who was the last pitcher to put up such a stellar stats? Even with some inflation to earn $31million is going to take one heck of a season. Outside of the steroid era starters usually don't fare well once they hit 33-35.

 

I realize he could be good...but realistically no one is going to bet a dollar on him being worth $31mil at 36 years old.

[Warning Track Power]

Typical...

 

As I get older, the less interested I become in a sport that doesn't allow for an even financial playing field for every team in the sport. Not saying that I wanted a rebuilding Brewer team to sign Price, but I have become very disenchanted with the economics of baseball with elite talents constantly going from small to large markets.

[pacopete4]

Typical...

 

As I get older, the less interested I become in a sport that doesn't allow for an even financial playing field for every team in the sport. Not saying that I wanted a rebuilding Brewer team to sign Price, but I have become very disenchanted with the economics of baseball with elite talents constantly going from small to large markets.

 

 

I'm right there with you.

[sveumrules]

The small markets get that elite talent for 6-7 years at cut rate prices, oftentimes more if they get them to sign an extension before hitting free agency. Then the elite talents sign what most consider to be financially imprudent contracts with high revenue teams.

 

If a team drafts & develops well enough being in a small/mid sized market can actually be advantageous. I know I for one am happy we don't have CC or Prince on the books at their current compensation levels. The Cardinals "couldn't afford" to sign Pujols and they have done alright since he left.

[MrTPlush]

The small markets get that elite talent for 6-7 years at cut rate prices, oftentimes more if they get them to sign an extension before hitting free agency. Then the elite talents sign what most consider to be financially imprudent contracts with high revenue teams.

 

The big markets have a nice advantage, but most don't ever utilize it like they should. Such a big payroll makes it too tempting to trade prospects and pay big bucks for big names. What they should be doing is build like a small market and sign a big time free agent here and there when you are ready. They also refuse to trade away good players and instead choose to extend them to bad contracts so their teams talent doesn't go down hill.

 

However most don't do that because that means risking a slight rebuild and too many very bad years. They do what the Red Sox are doing and buying their way out of a rebuild.

 

What big markets should do is what the Cubs have done and just swallow the fact they have to rebuild, but only sign a big free agent or two when the time comes. Now the Cubs have a seriously young team and a pretty modest payroll despite a a near 100 win team. They are primed to win for a long long time. The Red Sox on the other hand have really set themselves up for a nightmare if their team doesn't gel and win games. In three years Price, Ramirez, Sandoval, and their large payroll could turn into a sub par team real quick.

[Thurston Fluff]

Typical...

 

As I get older, the less interested I become in a sport that doesn't allow for an even financial playing field for every team in the sport. Not saying that I wanted a rebuilding Brewer team to sign Price, but I have become very disenchanted with the economics of baseball with elite talents constantly going from small to large markets.

 

I think you have to keep in mind money on only one way to build a championship caliber team. I am not so sure it is the best way. The Royals go back to back World Series and the Cardinals don't go the Boston, LA, NYY route. It seems to me teams who can spend take bigger risks as opposed to finding the best values. Price fits that pretty well to me. The thing about these contracts is the opt out clause shifts a major portion of the risk on the team. Basically he gets the benefit of a short and long term contract with that type of deal. All that risk for the hope, if everything goes right, he earns what he's paid over the next three years. These big contracts with opt out clauses seem like a bad deal for the team to me.

[homer]

Apparently the Cardinals were the runners up.

[Baldkin]

$/WAR for free agents has gone up 50% in the last 10 years alone -- from just under 5, to nearly 7.5M per WAR this season.

 

He could very well be worth his contract in 7 years.

[craigharmann]

Bad news.....can't ship Garza to the Sox. Good news......there's an increased market for Garza. 2/$30 million is a steal.

[SRB]

Red Sox are going to be pretty atrocious if David Price isn't the best pitcher in baseball the next few seasons.

 

The next couple seasons, they are spending $100,000,000 just on Price, Rick Porcello (4.92 ERA last year), Hanley Ramirez (-1.8 fWAR last year), Pablo Sandoval (-2.0 fWAR last year), and Allen Craig (-0.9 fWAR last year, recently outrighted off the 40-man). Simply incredible.

[AKCheesehead]

We'll see how this contract plays out. I have to admit, I halfway hoped the cubs would be the ones to sign Price.

[MadScientist]

Bad news.....can't ship Garza to the Sox. Good news......there's an increased market for Garza. 2/$30 million is a steal.

If only another GM is smoking whatever you are. Right now the only stealing is Garza from the Brewers. I hope he turns it around and becomes a decent pitcher next season, but right now I think the market hasn't risen from 0 for Garza.

[gregmag]

Typical...

 

As I get older, the less interested I become in a sport that doesn't allow for an even financial playing field for every team in the sport. Not saying that I wanted a rebuilding Brewer team to sign Price, but I have become very disenchanted with the economics of baseball with elite talents constantly going from small to large markets.

 

I think you have to keep in mind money on only one way to build a championship caliber team. I am not so sure it is the best way. The Royals go back to back World Series and the Cardinals don't go the Boston, LA, NYY route. It seems to me teams who can spend take bigger risks as opposed to finding the best values. Price fits that pretty well to me. The thing about these contracts is the opt out clause shifts a major portion of the risk on the team. Basically he gets the benefit of a short and long term contract with that type of deal. All that risk for the hope, if everything goes right, he earns what he's paid over the next three years. These big contracts with opt out clauses seem like a bad deal for the team to me.

This is a sensible response, but I think there's a very simple reality here: Having lots of money is way, way better than not having lots of money. Of course you can screw up wealth, but you can screw up poverty too, and poverty gives you a hell of a lot lower margin for error. To put the point another way, wealthy teams can play the build from within game as well as poor teams can -- and then the wealthy teams can separate themselves by spending money the poor teams don't have.

 

I'm with the disillusioned crowd. At this point, I'm really a Brewers fan, not a fan of major league baseball. Before anyone makes the obvious joke about that statement, what I mean is that I have fun watching and following my hometown team, but I don't really bother with the sport as a whole. I haven't watched a World Series game in years. Part of that is time and priorities, but part of it is disillusionment. Baseball is supposed to be fun, and fun means (among other things) better than the real world. In the real world, the rich and powerful beat the poor and powerless. Major league baseball has become just another outpost of the real world.

[sveumrules]

In the real world, the rich and powerful beat the poor and powerless. Major league baseball has become just another outpost of the real world.

 

World Series teams with opening day payroll rank

 

2015 KCR (16) NYM (21)

2014 SFG (07) KCR (19)

2013 BOS (04) STL (10)

2012 SFG (08) DET (05)

2011 STL (11) TEX (13)

2010 SFG (10) TEX (27)

2009 NYY (01) PHI (07)

2008 PHI (12) TBR (29)

2007 BOS (02) COL (25)

2006 STL (11) DET (14)

2005 CWS (13) HOU (12)

2004 BOS (02) STL (11)

2003 FLA (25) NYY (01)

2002 ANA (14) SFG (10)

2001 ARI (08) NYY (01)

2000 NYY (01) NYM (06)

 

Looks like a pretty even mix of teams. Zero of the last twelve WS teams have had a top 3 opening day payroll. Only two of the last twelve had a top 5 opening day payroll. If anything it appears that the trend is moving more towards the middle than earlier in the millenium when there were a lot more Yankees & Boston teams dominating the mix. Sure, the margin for error is much greater with a higher payroll, but the opportunity for error is that much greater as well.

[craigharmann]

Bad news.....can't ship Garza to the Sox. Good news......there's an increased market for Garza. 2/$30 million is a steal.

If only another GM is smoking whatever you are. Right now the only stealing is Garza from the Brewers. I hope he turns it around and becomes a decent pitcher next season, but right now I think the market hasn't risen from 0 for Garza.

 

It's a better gamble for GMs to take the risk on 2 years than 7, no matter who the pitcher is. I want Garza gone yesterday. But then again, I never really wanted him in the first place.

[pacopete4]

This is a sensible response, but I think there's a very simple reality here: Having lots of money is way, way better than not having lots of money. Of course you can screw up wealth, but you can screw up poverty too, and poverty gives you a hell of a lot lower margin for error. To put the point another way, wealthy teams can play the build from within game as well as poor teams can -- and then the wealthy teams can separate themselves by spending money the poor teams don't have.

 

I'm with the disillusioned crowd. At this point, I'm really a Brewers fan, not a fan of major league baseball. Before anyone makes the obvious joke about that statement, what I mean is that I have fun watching and following my hometown team, but I don't really bother with the sport as a whole. I haven't watched a World Series game in years. Part of that is time and priorities, but part of it is disillusionment. Baseball is supposed to be fun, and fun means (among other things) better than the real world. In the real world, the rich and powerful beat the poor and powerless. Major league baseball has become just another outpost of the real world.

 

 

This is exactly it. If Price doesn't work out for the Red Sox, oh well, they can move on and still compete. But it could provide them with one of the best pitchers in baseball for the next 4-5 years as well. That is a HUGE advantage to have over a team like the Brewers. While yes, the Brewers don't get caught up in over spending, they also never get a chance to land a player that can transform a franchise. Huge disadvantage. Huge.

[reillymcshane]

Apparently the Cardinals were the runners up.

I read that Price was 'enamored' with the idea of playing in St. Louis - but in the end, money talked.

[JohnBriggs12]

Sort of makes eating $25 million to get rid of Garza not seem like such a bad idea. Apparently baseball money and the real world are two different things.

 

Sooner or later the gravy train has to stop doesn't it? ESPN just laid off a bunch of staff in part because they overpaid for MLB rights. Will the networks finally learn?