Come To Think Of It...How The Economy Affects MLB's Older & Second Tier Players

We're in a major recession. Duh! Hey, as I sit here at home unemployed I certainly recognize that. So it's even more difficult than usual to feel any empathy toward people who play games for a living.

But if you put yourself in their shoes for a minute you'll understand that the economy is having an affect on some of them also.

Oh, not the younger, bigger stars.  CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira were going to get a huge windfall no matter what.  But look at some aging stars like Manny Ramirez and Andy Pettitte, as well as some so-called "second tier" ballplayers like Randy Wolf and you'll see what I mean.

As I write this, there are close to one hundred free agents without a job.  That's good for the owners and GMs, not so good for players and their agents. But it also means that even smaller market clubs can get in on the action of they choose.

Older players like Pettitte are settling for less money and one year contracts. Andy signed for $5.5M, about half of what he was originally seeking.

Manny is still waiting for that four year deal that may not ever come.  Right now, the Dodgers have offered him a two year contract and, without any other suitors at this time, are understandably unwilling to bid against themselves. If the Mets get into the bidding this will change, but for now he plays the waiting game.

Catcher Jason Varitek declined arbitration and will likely be forced to accept about half of the money he would have otherwise made if he had accepted that offer from the Red Sox.  

Hey, Ken Griffey, Jr. is still available.

Moises Alou, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas and Kenny Rogers may have to retire. Sean Casey, Todd Jones and Jeff Kent just did. Randy Johnson probably would have too, if he wasn't five wins short of 300 for his career. 

One exception here was the signing of Derek Lowe who, at age 35, received a four year deal from the Atlanta Braves. But his performance has not indicated that a slowdown is coming any time soon, he keeps himself in excellent condition, and he has a terrific postseason resume.

Now consider that Jon Garland just reportedly signed a one year deal with Arizona for about $7M. He turned down arbitration, where he would have likely earned between $12M - $14M, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Likewise Randy Wolf, whose three year offer from the Houston Astros was pulled before he could accept, leaving him likely to have to settle for a one year deal.

Another segment of players who are affected are those coming off of injury-plagued seasons. Or, in the case of Ben Sheets, injury-plagued careers. As Big Ben waits for a multi-year offer, other notable free agents remain in limbo.

Bobby Abreu is still unsigned and has reduced his expectations in half. Adam Dunn may have to settle for a $5M deal with the Nationals.

Oliver Perez remains available, though the Mets are said to be getting closer to signing him.

Other notable free agents include Joe Beimel, Paul Byrd, Orlando Cabrera, Juan Cruz, Orlando Hudson, Jason Jennings, Braden Looper and Pedro Martinez.

Even the New York Yankees will likely have a slightly lower payroll this season, despite signing three big-name free agents this winter. The other Evil Empire, the Boston Red Sox, have resorted to signing lower priced guys like Rocco Baldelli and Brad Penny, after losing the Teixeira sweepstakes.

The Chicago Cubs are both spending and dumping. While re-signing Ryan Dempster and tagging Milton Bradley, they chose to let Kerry Wood and Jason Marquis go and also traded Mark DeRosa for a package of questionable prospects.

And the market is forcing the Cubs to reconsider the logic of trading for Jake Peavy, who has a $22M option year in 2013 that would likely have to be guaranteed if traded.

So, come to think of it, the economy is affecting the baseball world and there are some decent bargains to be had out there. True, even the guys who sign for less will make more money than most of us, so I'm certainly not advocating that we hold any benefits for them. Just hope that your team can benefit from them.