On this bitterly cold day here in the Northeast, here's a couple of pieces of news that will keep you warm though a bit of sad news crossed the wire as Jose Uribe, a former shortstop for the Giants, was killed in a car crash.
The SF Giants signed Barry Bonds to a one-year deal. $16 million. $16 million! Bonds was trying to get other teams to bid on him at the Winter Meetings and didn't get a single bite. Yet, the Giants ended up bidding against themselves and gave him $16 million. I'm not paying that salary, so what do I care.
At least Bonds has proven that he's worth that kind of money given his prodigious production when healthy. That's unlike J.D. Drew whose agent Scott Boras managed to get Drew a 5-year deal worth $70 million with the Red Sox. An average of $14 million per year? Are you kidding me?
Boras has managed to sign players to some of the richest deals in the history of the sport. If I'm an owner I'd get my hands on Tony Soprano and find out where to dump Boras' body next to Jimmy Hoffa. If I'm a player, I'd go out of my way to sign up with Boras who always maximizes the player contracts and has singlehandedly managed to change the economics of the sport.
The Dodgers made a good signing for Jason Schmidt. Three years for $47.5 million. That's a bargain in comparison to some of the other deals out there, including Ted Lilly's 4-year, $40 million with the Cubs. He's replacing Greg Maddux who moved down the coast to the Padres in a 1-year, $10 million deal with a player option.
If these new contracts seem to be excessive, you're right. Teams are throwing crazy money around, and expect them to start complaining that the economics of the sport are out of whack as soon as midseason.
UPDATE:
Just breaking: Andy Pettitte is returning to the Bronx. One year, $16 million, with a player option for 2008. That's a big upgrade for the Yankee pitching staff, which has been sorely lacking in big game pitching. He was 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA last year for the Astros.
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