Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRedChief
I said we should offer $50 million more total than anyone else for Harper. Up to $40 million a year. Waino’s $20 million off the books this year. Molina’s $20 million in 2 years. We can afford it. We are desperate. 3 years without playoffs. Lagging farther and farther behind the Bucs and Cubs. But, the Cardinals are making buckets of money. Rolling in cash.
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I think the last conversation I had with someone was "well would you do $42 million?" and my answer was "If I'll do $35, I'll do $42. An extra $7 million gets you Luke !@#$ing Gregerson these days..."
The high cost of mediocrity has made it smarter than it has ever been to overspend on superstars, especially when the modern baseball growth curve says that many players will be at/near their prime productivity earlier and earlier. When you can go to the farm and pull up some 23 yr old kid that can give you 2-3 wins over a commensurate number of ABs, why the hell pay $15 million for the privilege of a 30 yr old guy that does the same thing?
Save that money and go with a combination of stars and cost-controlled young talent. There's just no upshot to paying retail on mid-tier FAs. That's how Mike Leake's happen.