MLB 2018-19 Offseason Thread

Good time to mention here that middleweight champ Saul Alvarez did a $365 million / 5 year deal with a streaming service last fall.

 

If the trend continues - by the end of the contract the average age of a baseball fan will be close to 70.

 

I'm almost 70 NOW! What bothers me as a Phillies fan is the non-zero chance Bryce Harper's contract will outlive me.

 

Now Harper can be hated in all four NL East cities. *






* Miami doesn’t count.

 

I don't fault Bryce for getting paid. I'll boo him, because I cheer for the good guys - the ones with the Curly W's, of course.

Teamwise, I'm good with it. Baseball is about 25 guys, and to have that much payroll tied up for the next 13 years in a contract you're never going to be able to unload?

If Harper is Pujols, and the Phillies are the Angels, I'm happy to play the role of the Cardinals.

 

I won't boo him for leaving Washington. I will boo him for leaving to sign a contract just to break Stanton's record of 13/325. He doesn't owe DC anything and signing with Philly will just create a hated rivalry for Nats fans who are good fans but lack an edge.
Here's hoping Scherzer parks the first pitch in his ass

 

Insane.

 

As Harper's pretend voice, I'd like to remind everyone of what it took to get to this point of freedom:

Get HS/GED at age 16;
Play two years of JC ball;
Drafted at 18;
Make majors at 19;
Give DC 7 years of service at preset salary structure with no competitive bidders;
Finally, provide MVP season and multiple other All-Star level performances

All without having one opportunity to receive offers from more than one paying party, ever.

 

And... only have 3 or 4 prime years left.

The system is screwed up.

 

Poor guy scraped by on $21 million last year.

 

he did get 49.7 million for 8 years, including 21 million last year, which is only 4 million less than his average salary next year.

and he never got his team a payoff series win
he's hit .211 in 19 playoff games with a .801 OPS in 89 playoff plate appearances.

 

Pretty good deal for a guy who has never won a playoff series.
Walgreens will still be one of MLB’s favored few, but their national brand identity has taken a hit.