David Schoenfield comes very close to a rant about the amount of money going to free agents this winter:
Five years and $75 million for a player coming off a .298 on-base percentage (B.J. Upton), and everyone is already referring to the deal as a bargain.
Four years and $40 million for a 31-year-old center fielder (Angel Pagan), and nobody blinks an eye.
Three years and $39 million for a catcher who hit .227 and likely will spend most of his time at first base (Mike Napoli), and the signing sort of makes sense.
Three years and $20 million for a 37-year-old second baseman who posted a .684 OPS in 95 games with the Rockies in 2012 (Marco Scutaro), and the contract isn’t roundly criticized.
Now … Shane Victorino. That signing finally seemed to stir up the masses.
I think most of us realize that broadcasters like David’s boss, ESPN, are flooding baseball with money. Believe it or not, more money in the game means more money going to the players. For the first time in a while, I keep seeing lines like “six teams interested in X.” We’re been waiting for salary inflation every since Joey Votto signed his contract. I’m actually a bit surprised that these players aren’t signing for more given the competition for their services.
It also helps to get the next generation of ball players. Young athletes will see even mediocre players getting paid a lot and may sway their decision towards a pro baseball career, rather than, say football — which has a much worse concussion problem.