-- They offered him $8MM and he wanted $13MM.
-- They offered him $37MM for 3 years ($12.3 per year) and he wanted more.
-- Minutes before arbitration, they offer him a 2 yr./$23MM deal which he accepts. It works out to $11.5/yr.
I just don't get this whole thing. If the front office was willing to give him $8MM plus a "two million dollar signing bonus", why not just offer the son of a bitch $10MM to begin with? That's basically what it is. Ten this year. Thirteen next. It's a fair deal, but it's like come on. Why drag this crap out like this?
What I believe to be true is that the owners around baseball, and probably Commissioner Old Balls himself, were pressuring the Giants not to allow any new arbitration precedents to be set. As this Baggarly article points out, if players like Lincecum break arby records by a mile, this system, based on precedent, would be on its way to becoming quickly obsolete and ineffective.
What if the Royals had Lincecum? When he won that $13MM settlement, that would've killed them. Then what about '11 when he won $15 or $17? They have to trade their 2nd year arbitration star player because they can't afford his awarded salary?
Obviously Timmy is a one-in-a-million player, but he nearly broke a system by himself. Small market clubs and Old Balls Selig just let out a huge collective sigh of relief that these two parties avoided an ugly-looking hearing.
My shortened thoughts? Timmy is good. Pay Timmy. Keep Timmy happy. Don't let Timmy leave San Francisco. Ever. Hey, even Simple Jack could agree with that, and that's with Ben Stiller going "full retard".
It's a Tropic Thunder joke people. Get with the program.
So what do you think Timmy's gonna do with that money? Buy a bunch of oregano? Get some new skull caps? I bet he buys a few pitchers of Coors Light at Bar None for beer pong now. Although with Brian Wilson also getting a hefty raise, maybe they'll start going to classier bars...
Nah. It'll never happen.
Have a great weekend y'all.
Let your Budweisers be cold and your Skoal as moist as the day it was shipped from the factory.
I like your blog and share your hatred of the Dodgers. But I think you are wrong about the Lincecum contract. It was Lincecum who finally came to his senses. Lincecum was way off on what the arb award would have been (don't confuse this with what he is worth. His worth is skewed by the fact he is 1st yr arb eligible, so he gets no where near what a free agent gets.)
ReplyDeleteUsually, FAs get 40% of the comparible FA salary in their 1st year of arb, 60% for their 2nd year. So, Lincecum could expect 40% of $22/23 million = $8.8 mil this year, and 60% of $23 mil = $13.8 for next hyear. This is far below his figure ($13 mil this year and, presumably, $18 mil next year). Their problem is they put his FA value at well over $30 million and, so, were destined to lose. The Giants were less than a million under the likely award, and almost guaranteed to win. The giants were more than generous to settle for 2 years at $9 mil and $14 mil.
Lincecum is still under the Giants control for 4 years, so that's two years after this contract is up. The Giants can try to sign him long term then. Lincecum was smart to take the two year $23 million now, cause if he gets hurt. At least he gets $23 million for the rest of his life instead of just one year at $13 million if he would have won arbitration.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good posts! Go Giants! Baseball is finally here....
~King of Cali
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