As fans, too often we hear of rich young athletes who aren't satisfied with their lot in life and they cry for more.
Some sportswriters and broadcasters will have you thinking that this is acceptable; after all, if someone made more money than you for the same work you were doing, wouldn't you complain as well?
At first blush, this seems like a plausible argument.
But I say its apples and oranges, for what in the world can possibly be better than playing a game for a living. And how many millions is enough already?
Yet for players like Cole Hamels, the talented young left handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, who haven't made their millions yet, the issue isn't how much but how soon. The way the system works is that the first three years a player is in the league (depending on service time and "super two" rules too complicated to explore here), the owners can basically pay these players any amount over the minimum that they desire.
However, many times, in the interest of appeasing their good young players, and with the often misguided hope that the players will show appreciation by reducing their salary demands in later negotiations, the owners pay players more than they are required to.
Last year, for example, the Phillies gave Ryan Howard $900,000. This was more than 50 percent more than they needed to pay him.
Unfortunately, instead of making one player happy it often sets a precedent for the next young player to come along. Well hello, Mr. Hamels, who called the $500,000 the Phils gave him a "low blow". Putting aside for a second how much the average American would love to be insulted with pay like that, it was still $150,000 more than they were required to pay him.
Likewise, Jonathan Papelbon, the outstanding young closer for the Boston Red Sox, says he wants the same $900,000 the Phils gave Howard and that he won't sign for less. Meanwhile, B.J. Upton was renewed for $10,000 less than what he made last year, despite a season in which he hit .300 and had 24 home runs, 82 RBI, and 22 steals. He isn't complaining, at least publicly.
The list of cry babies continues. Prince Fielder isn't happy with the $670,000 the Brewers gave him, though that is 50 percent more than what he was entitled to.
If the owners don't take control of salaries when they have the chance, by the time players become arbitration-eligible, their salaries will already be in the stratosphere. And this will of course be passed along to you and I in the form of increased ticket prices.
One way for the owners to avoid this issue and to gain some cost certainty is to issue long-term deals to their best young players, essentially "buying out" some arbitration and perhaps even some free agent years in the process.
That's what the Cardinals did with Albert Pujols and more recently what the Rockies did with Troy Tulowitzki.
But players like Fielder and the others should just wait their turn and understand that as long as they continue to produce, they will soon be rich beyond their wildest dreams. Good things come to those who wait.
15 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Rob P about 1 year ago
Fielder might eat himself out of the league before the big money comes.
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Hah ha. That's a distinct possibility Rob.
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Dan Siegel about 1 year ago
John Maine couldn't agree with the Mets on a contract, but did not insult the club and smartly said that it is still "good money."
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Aaron Keel about 1 year ago
Look we can all sit here and say that they are spoiled and yada yada but the fact remains that if we were in their position we would probably do the same thing. You don't think these guys said the same thing when they were younger, that they would just be happy to play in the bigs? For a lot of them the dollar amount equals respect, so if your team, who makes a killing off of your jersey and apparel sales and ticket sales from people coming to the stadium to watch you play is paying you peanuts, you're damn right to complain. The reason players make the money they do is because they are the driving force in sports, if I quit my job someone will replace me and their will be no problem, the same cannot always be said in sports where superstars do not come around that often.
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Michael Fitzpatrick about 1 year ago
That is a very good point Aaron. It is hard to fathom how players today can complain about money when we see hundred million dollar contracts flying around all over the place. The reason most normal people cannot fathom it is simply because of the dollar amounts we see. If the dollar amounts were in terms that we could understand, we might be able to see why players complain about money and ask for more money.
Lets say you are baseball player making $50,000 per year. But, you alone are earning your team $3 million dollars through apparel sales, extra ticket sales and the revenue that comes with ticket sales (ie. food, drinks, etc.). Wouldn't you want to be paid more money if the team was earning that much money off of you?
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Very good comments Aaorn and Martin I'm not sure I agree that each player earns his team $3 million but point made anyway. I guess where I have a problem is 1) the public way they come out and complain instead of doing it quietly through their agents, 2) the three year salary guideline was put in place and radicated by the plauers union and 3) yes I can't relate to the amounts they make. But in every job, experience pays. For example, in construction you get paid more if you're a senior guy and likewse you don't start out in the business world as CEO, you have to work your way up. So too a basebll player who hones his skills and learns more each yesr and is thus worth more to the club. Finally, the thing that really grinds my gears is that there is no provision for a payer's salary to go down if he has a bad year, yet we can get fired or smaller raises if we have a bad year.
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Michael Fitzpatrick about 1 year ago
Good points Bob. I agree if a young player has had one or two good seasons, that he is not really in a position to ask for a huge contract. But then again, imagine how much money a young player like Jose Reyes or Prince Fielder is making for their ball clubs. It would be like a salesman selling $3 million worth of, say, insurance and getting paid a commission of $30,000 on those sales (I am just making these figures up to show a point, don't know the first thing about insurance sales).
I very much agree with you that salaries should include a lot more performance related pay. There should be a fair base salary with a lot of performance based incentives included (ie. more money for better stats, revenue sharing from the amount of money the team makes - the more people the players are able to drive into the stadium, the more money they should make, the more of your jerseys the team sells the more the player makes, etc.). The better the company/team does, the more the employees/players should be rewarded.
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Ah, pay for performance. I think the White Sox have tried that philosophy over the years. It's certainly an interesting way to do it, except the players union won't play along with the idea whent he rubber meets the road. I hate to sound like my Dad, but in the old days players next year contract depended on how they performed the year prior. Nowadays with all the guaranteed contracts, the incentive to perform has to come from within. Some guys could do it - look at Greg Maddux, he won 3 more Cy Young awards after signing as a FA with Atlanta after the Cubs foolishly let him go. But many see their numbers drop off after signing the long-term deal, only to bounce back in their contract year.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Doesn't everyone, no matter what their job is, try and get the most money possible? Sure these guys are not "entitled" to anything over the minimum, but what is wrong with them wanting more. Just becuase the salary scale is much larger than the average fan deals with in their own personal life, does not mean these guys are cry babies. Also, why do you care if Fielder is unhappy with 670k? What difference does it make in your life? These guys have no idea how long they will be in baseball, nothing is gauranteed. They should try and get the most money they can every year. I know I do. As far as the contract year bounce back-it is a myth spread by dimwitted sportswriters.
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Patrick Gallen about 1 year ago
We wrote similar articles, but I couldnt agree more with everything you are saying too. There is so much emphasis put on contractual decisions these days, the players are getting out of hand. The money will come boys, the money will come. It makes me upset because its taking away from a great thing. Spring training.
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Thanks for the comment Patrick. I'll look for your article.
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Kayte Hyatt about 1 year ago
Ugh! Doesn't it just drive you crazy? I mean yeah they have to travel a lot, and yeah baseball isn't all fun and games but it is a game! Their "job" is to entertain by doing something the love; playing the game of baseball. Being in the MLB is every little boy's dream and they have it sitting in the palm of their hand. Money will make people do crazy things, for instance, erase the memories of playing catch with your dad in the yard or your little league teams. Greedy, Greedy, Greedy!
P.S. I am interning for Bleacher Report so keep me posted on your articles and let me know if I can help out with anything!
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Thanks Kayte, will do. One way to keep track of what I'm writing is to add me as a "fan". I have been busy writing about one article every day so you'll get some work in editing my stuff.
I understand wanting the money, but these guys are major league baseball players, so the money is coming. It's just a matter of time. And not small money, but huge sums of money. And I don't know why but for some reason players are complaining more than ever about having to wait to become millionaires. You're interning, right? Think you could wait 3 years if I told you your salary would be at least 1 million per year? Adn that's at the low end probably.
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Mark Croushorn about 1 year ago
I can give you a good reason why players do not want to wait three years to get paid and that is simply the possibility of a career ending or altering injury. Sure if you let me sign a guaranteed contract that said I would be paid at least one million per year even if I got hurt and was out of baseball then I might consider signing. But then it would be a guaranteed contract not just an implied salary. What do you tell the kid that plays baseball for two years at minimum contract and then in his third year before he re-signs he suffers a horrible injury and not only can't he play baseball anymore but he also will be semi-crippled for life? His teams makes a bunch of money off him and he just made about $700,000 before tax and has an injury that affects the rest of his life. I don't know if that compensation is worth the injury he now must deal with.
Sure there are plenty of major league players who make way more money then they are worth but it is just a simple matter of supply and demand. The greater your skill the more demand there is for your services and thus your value increases. I don't blame players at all for trying to get as much money out of the owners as they can. Either the rules need to change or the owners need to figure out how to stand up to the players.
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Mark, I understand why players want the money NOW. I just don't understand why they get unglued when they don't get millions in only their second or third years, don't they udnerstand how the business works? I don't blame players for wanting the most they can get, but in most of these cases, they are getting even more than they should and they still complain. And while yes, I understand the argument that they could get hurt, guys like Papalbon and Fielder are going to be great players who will eventually make millions and won't give one dime back to the owners if they get hurt or if they underperform. So why should the owners give them more than they have to while they (the owners) have the leverage?
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