Posnanski: Beltran got his money

tk13 · 01-11-2005, 02:31 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10613478.htm

Nice guy, but money drove him

JOE POSNANSKI

Well, Carlos Beltran got his money. I always knew he would. A couple of years ago, I had a big e-mail argument with a Royals fan who felt absolutely sure that Beltran would never get the big money he and his agent were demanding.

“The days of those big contracts are over,” the fan wrote.

Yeah. Beltran will sign a seven-year deal today with the New York Mets for $119 million. That's $17 million per year until 2011. See, there's a classic line in “Citizen Kane” that goes, “Well, it's no trick making a lot of money, if all you want is to make a lot of money.”

Carlos Beltran was always going to get his cash.

For some reason, people did not want to believe that about Beltran. People wanted to believe he was about something more than money. I don't know why. Maybe it's because he's a nice, quiet guy. Maybe it's because he's fun to watch. Maybe it's because he's got a good smile. For weeks, you kept hearing reports that he really wanted to go back to Houston because he really liked it there, liked the fans, liked the town, liked his teammates, whatever.

He may have liked the fans, town, teammates and all that. In fact, I'm sure he did.

But there was no way Carlos Beltran was not going to get his money.

All of it.

That's not a knock on the guy. Not at all. Hey, this is America. You can take the highest-paying job. You can sell to the highest bidder. Go ahead. I'm just not sure why people expected anything else from Beltran. He never hid his priorities. He did not, as so many ballplayers do at contract time, tell tales about how he would play the game for free and how he would love to play with one team his whole life and all that stuff. No, Beltran was pretty up front about his goals in life. When asked whether he would consider taking less money to stay in Kansas City, Beltran scoffed.

“Would you?” he asked.

When asked whether he would be willing to play in New York, he praised George Steinbrenner. For you kids at home, here's a tip: When a ballplayer willingly praises George Steinbrenner, that's a pretty good clue that he would like to get paid.

More than anything, Beltran had Scott Boras as his agent. You don't hire Scott Boras to find you a nice town with nice people. For that, you call a travel agent. No, you hire Scott Boras to get you moolah, cashola, greenbacks. That's the only reason.

You don't hire a shark unless you want blood.

Beltran wanted blood. He wanted the very top dollar he could get. People who know Beltran best understand this about him. You heard people around town saying the Royals should sign him. Please. The Royals never had a chance. Beltran was always going to become a free agent. He was always going to see what he could get on the open market.

See, in baseball, money means more than money. It means respect. It means esteem. Money is a way to keep score. Everybody's making huge dollars — shoot, Derek Lowe will be getting $9 million per year — but only a chosen few make $16 million, $17 million, $18 million. Those are numbers for the superstars.

Those salaries are only for the best of the best.

Beltran has always wanted to be thought of in that class. I think he resented playing in Kansas City, away from the spotlight, away from the praise. He scored runs, drove in runs, hit home runs, he was almost impossible to throw out stealing, he chased down fly balls all over the park. Nobody seemed to notice.

So when he was traded to Houston and made his first playoffs, he made sure everyone noticed. He was as locked in as any player in playoff history. In 12 games, he hit .435, smashed eight home runs, stole six bases and scored 21 runs. Nobody had ever seen anything quite like it. Nobody had ever seen a player quite like him.

And he was going to cash in. For a while, nobody seemed willing to pay his price. The Yankees dropped out of the bidding. Anaheim, the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles — none of those teams wanted to play at this poker table.

Astros management wanted Beltran badly and probably overextended. You kept hearing the rumors than Beltran really wanted to stay in Houston, but I never bought it. He wanted the BIG money, not Houston's best offer. He wanted the splash. And this is where Boras comes in. Lots of agents know the market. But what Boras does better than anyone is create the market. Like him or not, Boras is a talented man. He pressures. He coaxes. He manipulates. He plays teams against each other. He convinces everyone that they cannot possibly live without his player.

The Mets came through. Seven years. One-hundred nineteen million. True, Carlos Beltran will now play for the other New York team. He will play in a lousy stadium by an airport. He will play for fans who will boo him the first time he takes a called strike. He will play for a team that has been an absolute mess.

But he got his money.

And that's what this was about all along.

Demonpenz · 01-11-2005, 02:35 AM

shea stadium is a beautiful place to play

Miles · 01-11-2005, 02:37 AM

Its not like he compelty went for the money. The Mets are making a play to contend in the NL right? They did a great job at addressing their inept IF...

Demonpenz · 01-11-2005, 02:38 AM

is mo vaughn back next year?

Demonpenz · 01-11-2005, 02:38 AM

gobble and grienke are the next glavine and maddox

tk13 · 01-11-2005, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miles Teg

Its not like he compelty went for the money. The Mets are making a play to contend in the NL right? They did a great job at addressing their inept IF...

Don't forget shelling out a huge contract for the remaining miles on Pedro Martinez's arm... but I guess they're interested in going after Carlos Delgado now to play 1B... we'll see, I think this has "train wreck" written all over it but maybe they'll prove me wrong. All these all-star hitters aren't going to mean squat when Smoltz, Hudson and the gang from Atlanta shut them down.... you think they'd be able to learn that from the team across the way over in Yankee Stadium.

Demonpenz · 01-11-2005, 02:42 AM

what is atlanta going for 12ve in a row?

teedubya · 01-11-2005, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

gobble and grienke are the next glavine and maddox

so when are they going to Atlanta?

Demonpenz · 01-11-2005, 02:43 AM

Miles · 01-11-2005, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

is mo vaughn back next year?

I dont think so. He was almost as good as an acquisition as Albert Bell was.

Miles · 01-11-2005, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

Don't forget shelling out a huge contract for the remaining miles on Pedro Martinez's arm... but I guess they're interested in going after Carlos Delgado now to play 1B... we'll see, I think this has "train wreck" written all over it but maybe they'll prove me wrong. All these all-star hitters aren't going to mean squat when Smoltz, Hudson and the gang from Atlanta shut them down.... you think they'd be able to learn that from the team across the way over in Yankee Stadium.

Yep the Pedro signing is going to be either great or idiotic. Hard to believe that he has 4 seasons left on that arm. He definitly fits their profile of acquiting damaged goods but he looked pretty good last year in the playoffs.

Delgado is another potentially risky move for them. Yet another older former MVP that is likely declining in skill. Though at 32 who knows.

Like you said this has all the makings of a train wreck.

Dr. Johnny Fever · 01-11-2005, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

shea stadium is a beautiful place to play

Especially if you're a cockroach.

beavis · 01-11-2005, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

Don't forget shelling out a huge contract for the remaining miles on Pedro Martinez's arm... but I guess they're interested in going after Carlos Delgado now to play 1B... we'll see, I think this has "train wreck" written all over it but maybe they'll prove me wrong. All these all-star hitters aren't going to mean squat when Smoltz, Hudson and the gang from Atlanta shut them down.... you think they'd be able to learn that from the team across the way over in Yankee Stadium.

I couldn't agree more. The Mets are the best team in baseball at spending $100 million on a steaming pile of crap.

I bet Beltran is playing somewhere else within 3 years.

KevB · 01-11-2005, 09:33 AM

If Carlos thought it was no fun playing in KC, just wait. He'll again be playing on a poor team, but this time the team will have expectations...and the media will be 10X worse than in KC. I'll be rooting for him, but I won't feel sorry for him when it all goes to hell. He went for the money, but he was up front about it and I respect him for that. It insults fans' intelligence when some of these guys say otherwise.

KevB · 01-11-2005, 09:34 AM

BTW, this is still the team that traded perhaps the best LH prospect in the game (Kazmir) for Victor freakin' Zambrano.

01-11-2005, 02:31 AM
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $1992500	Posnanski: Beltran got his money http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10613478.htm Nice guy, but money drove him JOE POSNANSKI Well, Carlos Beltran got his money. I always knew he would. A couple of years ago, I had a big e-mail argument with a Royals fan who felt absolutely sure that Beltran would never get the big money he and his agent were demanding. “The days of those big contracts are over,” the fan wrote. Yeah. Beltran will sign a seven-year deal today with the New York Mets for $119 million. That's $17 million per year until 2011. See, there's a classic line in “Citizen Kane” that goes, “Well, it's no trick making a lot of money, if all you want is to make a lot of money.” Carlos Beltran was always going to get his cash. For some reason, people did not want to believe that about Beltran. People wanted to believe he was about something more than money. I don't know why. Maybe it's because he's a nice, quiet guy. Maybe it's because he's fun to watch. Maybe it's because he's got a good smile. For weeks, you kept hearing reports that he really wanted to go back to Houston because he really liked it there, liked the fans, liked the town, liked his teammates, whatever. He may have liked the fans, town, teammates and all that. In fact, I'm sure he did. But there was no way Carlos Beltran was not going to get his money. All of it. That's not a knock on the guy. Not at all. Hey, this is America. You can take the highest-paying job. You can sell to the highest bidder. Go ahead. I'm just not sure why people expected anything else from Beltran. He never hid his priorities. He did not, as so many ballplayers do at contract time, tell tales about how he would play the game for free and how he would love to play with one team his whole life and all that stuff. No, Beltran was pretty up front about his goals in life. When asked whether he would consider taking less money to stay in Kansas City, Beltran scoffed. “Would you?” he asked. When asked whether he would be willing to play in New York, he praised George Steinbrenner. For you kids at home, here's a tip: When a ballplayer willingly praises George Steinbrenner, that's a pretty good clue that he would like to get paid. More than anything, Beltran had Scott Boras as his agent. You don't hire Scott Boras to find you a nice town with nice people. For that, you call a travel agent. No, you hire Scott Boras to get you moolah, cashola, greenbacks. That's the only reason. You don't hire a shark unless you want blood. Beltran wanted blood. He wanted the very top dollar he could get. People who know Beltran best understand this about him. You heard people around town saying the Royals should sign him. Please. The Royals never had a chance. Beltran was always going to become a free agent. He was always going to see what he could get on the open market. See, in baseball, money means more than money. It means respect. It means esteem. Money is a way to keep score. Everybody's making huge dollars — shoot, Derek Lowe will be getting $9 million per year — but only a chosen few make $16 million, $17 million, $18 million. Those are numbers for the superstars. Those salaries are only for the best of the best. Beltran has always wanted to be thought of in that class. I think he resented playing in Kansas City, away from the spotlight, away from the praise. He scored runs, drove in runs, hit home runs, he was almost impossible to throw out stealing, he chased down fly balls all over the park. Nobody seemed to notice. So when he was traded to Houston and made his first playoffs, he made sure everyone noticed. He was as locked in as any player in playoff history. In 12 games, he hit .435, smashed eight home runs, stole six bases and scored 21 runs. Nobody had ever seen anything quite like it. Nobody had ever seen a player quite like him. And he was going to cash in. For a while, nobody seemed willing to pay his price. The Yankees dropped out of the bidding. Anaheim, the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles — none of those teams wanted to play at this poker table. Astros management wanted Beltran badly and probably overextended. You kept hearing the rumors than Beltran really wanted to stay in Houston, but I never bought it. He wanted the BIG money, not Houston's best offer. He wanted the splash. And this is where Boras comes in. Lots of agents know the market. But what Boras does better than anyone is create the market. Like him or not, Boras is a talented man. He pressures. He coaxes. He manipulates. He plays teams against each other. He convinces everyone that they cannot possibly live without his player. The Mets came through. Seven years. One-hundred nineteen million. True, Carlos Beltran will now play for the other New York team. He will play in a lousy stadium by an airport. He will play for fans who will boo him the first time he takes a called strike. He will play for a team that has been an absolute mess. But he got his money. And that's what this was about all along.
Posts: 54,944

01-11-2005, 02:35 AM	#2
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3132136	shea stadium is a beautiful place to play __________________
Posts: 54,271

01-11-2005, 02:37 AM	#3
Miles MVP Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dallas, TX Casino cash: $1672400	Its not like he compelty went for the money. The Mets are making a play to contend in the NL right? They did a great job at addressing their inept IF...
Posts: 14,521

01-11-2005, 02:38 AM	#4
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3132136	is mo vaughn back next year? __________________
Posts: 54,271

01-11-2005, 02:38 AM	#5
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3132136	gobble and grienke are the next glavine and maddox __________________
Posts: 54,271

01-11-2005, 02:42 AM	#7
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3132136	what is atlanta going for 12ve in a row? __________________
Posts: 54,271

01-11-2005, 02:43 AM	#9
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3132136	5000 __________________
Posts: 54,271

01-11-2005, 09:33 AM	#14
KevB Agree to Disagree Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: The State of Euphoria Casino cash: $10026612	If Carlos thought it was no fun playing in KC, just wait. He'll again be playing on a poor team, but this time the team will have expectations...and the media will be 10X worse than in KC. I'll be rooting for him, but I won't feel sorry for him when it all goes to hell. He went for the money, but he was up front about it and I respect him for that. It insults fans' intelligence when some of these guys say otherwise.
Posts: 14,446

01-11-2005, 09:34 AM	#15
KevB Agree to Disagree Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: The State of Euphoria Casino cash: $10026612	BTW, this is still the team that traded perhaps the best LH prospect in the game (Kazmir) for Victor freakin' Zambrano.
Posts: 14,446