Texas does it again
Never bet against Boras.
I should have known better. After we signed Washburn, I was certain that as an M's fan I would have preferred having Millwood's contract. I do, but I'm glad we didn't sign him. Let me explain.
Just as Hicks blew everyone away with A-Rod, Texas has gone out and given Millwood a contract that I am glad Bavasi passed on. There is just no way to justify giving someone like Kevin Millwood a contract of that size and length.
The contract is hardly the worst in baseball. Kevin Millwood has been getting paychecks in the $7-$10 million/yr range for years now. He gets a nice raise on this one, but it's nothing like what Toronto gave Davis or anything like that. Millwood has proven he is pretty durable, knows how to pitch, and he cashed in on that ERA title.
But... there is a reason Millwood has been signing one year contracts during his career. Atlanta let him walk w/o a long term deal. So did Philadelphia. So did Cleveland. They all liked him as a pitcher, but none were ever going to give him anything like what Texas was willing to pay. He's not a marquee player, and he's been injured. Likelihood of injury is a huge factor when offering contracts to any player in baseball.
If you play in Arlington you have to overpay in most cases to get pitching. We all understand why. And this certainly makes Texas better as long as Millwood stays off the DL.
Now that Millwood plays in Texas, we can be pretty sure he will never win an ERA title again. If he had signed in Seattle, there's a pretty good chance he could have competed for it every year of his contract. But we have no idea if Millwood would have ever signed here. Maybe Boras was telling Bavasi it rains here too much, was too far from his home etc... and no reasonable amount of money was going to get him here.
Bavasi obviously read the tea leaves and decided he liked Washburn better at 4 yrs/$37 mil compared to 5 yrs/$60 mil for Millwood.
However, most of us would choose to look at it this way.
Texas is paying $12 million a year for a #1 starter.
Bavasi is paying $9 million a year for a #4 starter. (he's a 3 only under an absolute best case scenario)
When you look at it this way, you take the Millwood contract every time. I would lose Carl Everett in a heart beat if it meant getting Millwood instead.
So the Millwood contract is much more appealing to me than Washburn's, if I have to choose. But I don't, so I'm glad the M's didn't give Millwood that much money for that long. I just don't think it is a good way to do business. Just because your rival is willing to roll the dice (eg. Chan Ho Park) doesn't mean you have too.
The organization is right to let Millwood pass if that is what it would take to get him. When you play in Safeco, you must use it to your advantage, and I don't think giving 5 year deals to older pitchers with some history of arm trouble is the way to go.
I don't like the Millwood contract, but I HATE the Washburn contract.
That's the simplest way to explain it.
Never bet against Boras.
I should have known better. After we signed Washburn, I was certain that as an M's fan I would have preferred having Millwood's contract. I do, but I'm glad we didn't sign him. Let me explain.
Just as Hicks blew everyone away with A-Rod, Texas has gone out and given Millwood a contract that I am glad Bavasi passed on. There is just no way to justify giving someone like Kevin Millwood a contract of that size and length.
The contract is hardly the worst in baseball. Kevin Millwood has been getting paychecks in the $7-$10 million/yr range for years now. He gets a nice raise on this one, but it's nothing like what Toronto gave Davis or anything like that. Millwood has proven he is pretty durable, knows how to pitch, and he cashed in on that ERA title.
But... there is a reason Millwood has been signing one year contracts during his career. Atlanta let him walk w/o a long term deal. So did Philadelphia. So did Cleveland. They all liked him as a pitcher, but none were ever going to give him anything like what Texas was willing to pay. He's not a marquee player, and he's been injured. Likelihood of injury is a huge factor when offering contracts to any player in baseball.
If you play in Arlington you have to overpay in most cases to get pitching. We all understand why. And this certainly makes Texas better as long as Millwood stays off the DL.
Now that Millwood plays in Texas, we can be pretty sure he will never win an ERA title again. If he had signed in Seattle, there's a pretty good chance he could have competed for it every year of his contract. But we have no idea if Millwood would have ever signed here. Maybe Boras was telling Bavasi it rains here too much, was too far from his home etc... and no reasonable amount of money was going to get him here.
Bavasi obviously read the tea leaves and decided he liked Washburn better at 4 yrs/$37 mil compared to 5 yrs/$60 mil for Millwood.
However, most of us would choose to look at it this way.
Texas is paying $12 million a year for a #1 starter.
Bavasi is paying $9 million a year for a #4 starter. (he's a 3 only under an absolute best case scenario)
When you look at it this way, you take the Millwood contract every time. I would lose Carl Everett in a heart beat if it meant getting Millwood instead.
So the Millwood contract is much more appealing to me than Washburn's, if I have to choose. But I don't, so I'm glad the M's didn't give Millwood that much money for that long. I just don't think it is a good way to do business. Just because your rival is willing to roll the dice (eg. Chan Ho Park) doesn't mean you have too.
The organization is right to let Millwood pass if that is what it would take to get him. When you play in Safeco, you must use it to your advantage, and I don't think giving 5 year deals to older pitchers with some history of arm trouble is the way to go.
I don't like the Millwood contract, but I HATE the Washburn contract.
That's the simplest way to explain it.
posted by Tom at
9:40 AM
