Brewers extend Ashby

[Playing Catch]

13 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

By the way, I wrote this and would like feedback. I’m not a professional writer, I’m a tech guy. But I dabble. Thoughts and opinions on this? Be honest, I’m a big kid.

 

I think the feedback depends on the assignment. The writing is fine, but there is a lot of editorializing here (e.g. "No-risk"... "... no downside... from the club's perspective."). I do agree with that, though, and believe that saying they "surprised" did not stray too far into that style.

I'm not sure I can really add anything people haven't mentioned. It seems like a great deal. These announcements often come with conversation about how much the player may sacrifice in free agency, but I think most people can see the obvious challenge of turning down $20M guaranteed money. Twenty million dollars reaches the thresholds of "life-changing," "lottery-jackpot," "generational," and "never-work-again," money.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Just now, Playing Catch said:

I think the feedback depends on the assignment. The writing is fine, but there is a lot of editorializing here (e.g. "No-risk"... "... no downside... from the club's perspective."). I do agree with that, though, and believe that saying they "surprised" did not stray too far into that style.

I'm not sure I can really add anything people haven't mentioned. It seems like a great deal. These announcements often come with conversation about how much the player may sacrifice in free agency, but I think most people can see the obvious challenge of turning down $20M guaranteed money. Twenty million dollars reaches the thresholds of "life-changing," "lottery-jackpot," "generational," and "never-work-again," money.

Oh yeah, I don't fault Ashby AT ALL for taking life-changing money. I really wish baseball would address how underpaid young players are and how overpaid older players are. It's one of the biggest issues with the sport that bleeds into every aspect of the game right down to how many athletes choose to play baseball versus another sport.

[monty57]

Brock, I think that's a good write-up, although there is of course some risk to the Brewers. He could get injured tomorrow and they would still have to pay him around $20M. 

I look at these signings like I look at insurance. They transfer risk from one party to another. Players who accept them know that they could get hurt or underperform, so they're willing to "pay a premium" for the insurance. This "premium" is the amount they would have been paid if they performed well minus the amount they are actually paid. 

The closer a player is to free agency, the less risk they have, so the premium gets smaller and smaller. That's why a team like the Brewers has to sign extensions to players when they're still in their pre-arby years. Once they hit arby (A) the ones worth signing are making millions so they aren't as willing to sign, and (B) they have to pay nearly Free Agent market price, which is generally too much for the Brewers to afford.

As I said earlier, if I were a small-market GM, I'd offer extensions like this to every promising rookie that came up. Most will decline them, so you take them year-to-year and trade them some time in their arby years. Of those who accept, some will falter, but the cost is sustainable even for a small market club, but the ones who accept will be nice cornerstones for your "team core" for a long time.