The Tigers signed Justin Verlander to a five-year contract worth $80MM today, buying out the righthander's two remaining arbitration years plus three years of free agency. MLB.com's Jason Beck says Verlander will get a $500K signing bonus, $6.75MM in '10, $12.75MM in '11, and $20MM per each free agent season. The Tigers get a discount on the arbitration years, as is customary.
Felix Hernandez's five-year contract with Seattle was used as a comparison for this deal, though Verlander will pocket an extra $2MM and won't reach free agency until age 32. You could make the case that Hernandez deserved the larger contract, though that point is certainly debatable.
Verlander, 27 later this month, led the American League in starts (35), innings (240), batters faced (982), strikeouts (269), and wins (19) in 2009, earning him a third place finish in the Cy Young voting. He also has a no-hitter, a Rookie of the Year Award, and World Series experience to his credit.
The second overall pick in the 2004 draft had reportedly been seeking a sixth guaranteed year, but it obviously wasn't a deal breaker. He will earn $6.75MM in 2010, $12.75MM in 2011, then $20MM each year from 2012 to 2014. The deal also includes a $500K bonus.
The Tigers spent most of the offseason shedding salary by trading players like Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson, however they reversed course to lock up one of the game's best young arms.
The Associated Press (via NBCSports.com) broke the news of the agreement, and MLB.com's Jason Beck added some details via Twitter.
YES! This was much needed and expected! Just a tremendous signing!
Ohhhhh yeah! You said it man… I knew it was going to get done. I’m alright with chippin in the few extra million for him to take the 5 year deal. Havin’ him around for 7 more years is huge. This rotation is going to be scary for years to come.
How is he around for 7 more years? The deal was for 5 years and it starts this year.
Yeah man that was my bad. I posted that comment before I read the deal is buying out the remaining 2 arbitration years
Yeah man that was my bad. I posted that comment before I read the deal is buying out the remaining 2 arbitration years
After 3.9% MI state income tax, it is 76.88mm. Felix will make 78mm in Washington with no state income tax.
makes me feel better cause i dont think he deserved more than Felix
makes me feel better cause i dont think he deserved more than Felix
Actually, most of the time, these guys have to pay the state income tax for whatever state they’re playing in, not just their home team’s state. It’s not just a matter of comparing those two states. Sorry…probably too much tax detail for a trade rumor blog. ;)
Now that’s gettin’ it done! I hope Brian Sabean is watching…
Maybe now that they got this done, Johnny Damon possibly next for the Tigers?
That’s what I’ve been wondering about. Besides, the options are running out for Johnny boy like sands through an hourglass. Even Scott Boras has got to know that.
Well it would be harder now because of the Verlander signing but we have to think that the Verlander signing was more of a priority. A Wilkin Ramirez/Ryan Raburn platoon should work but if they have the money for Damon they should make a move. Once again, I’m sure Dave Dombrowski feels better aproaching Damon and Boras now that Verlander is out of the way.
Oh yeah that’s got to be a huge relief.
Meanwhile (regarding Damon) with both sides dancing around each other it may be a mini waiting game for a while longer, but not too long…pitchers & catchers is just about 2 weeks away. Reality’s knocking.
Yeah, You’re right.
I think that every minute that passes by, Damon’s price drops. If he remains unsigned, (as you said spring training is 15 days away) I wouldn’t be surprised to see some other teams get back in to this. Possibly the Braves, Nationals, Blue Jays, Reds, and the Tigers remain the top suitor. It’s going to happen, Damon will end up somewhere but I think he does want to be happy. I’m guessing it will be between the Tigers or Braves.
Back to Verlander, With the control that the Tigers have now…They are building the pitching staff around him. If the Tigers save money, don’t be surprised to spend big next off-season when Willis, Robertson, Ordonez, Bonderman, Laird, Seay, and Everett come off the Books. Possibly Ted Lilly, Josh Beckett, Javier Vazquez, or Bronson Arroyo. I don’t think Damon will cause the Tigers to go bankrupt but I think the Tigers have a lot of flexibility right now.
//Possibly Ted Lilly, Josh Beckett, Javier Vazquez, or Bronson Arroyo.//
Oh god, please not Arroyo. I’ll take any of the other three though. Especially Beckett.
Oh no, not Arroyo. I’ll take Lilly though I think he’d be a nice addition to slot in 4th.
The Tigers’ scenario is sweet! To have an increase of available funds coincide with what promises to be an excellent FA crop is just perfect timing. So they really do need to take advantage. I don’t doubt they will.
About the possibility of Damon’s price dropping, I didn’t consider that but you’re right. It is a fair bet that other teams would jump in, and in such a case, trust Boras to try to milk that for all it’s worth. On the other hand, at this point in the offseason, the advantage may just shift to the teams in the mix…for once.
yeah good point about Boras. I think in the end, it’s Damon’s decision but that doesn’t mean anything since Boras is his agent. If I were Damon, I’d drop Boras for the Nero group (Joke). I would just try to find a job on the east coast. If I’m the Tigers and the Braves on the other hand, I would take my time.
Unless Damon’s price really plummets, Tigers looks like a better chance, I think. Everything I hear suggests the Braves don’t have much $ left to work with.
yeah, and how much worse is a Melky/Diaz platoon in left?
Oh yeah, they’ll “survive.”
BTW, what’s the “span” reference in your handle? Just curious and I don’t want to jump to conclusions (i.e.: Denard Span).
Yep, Denard Spanny!
Nice!
Yeah, I also think that this a sign of the future of the franchise and Verlander…Relationship wise. Going in to a hearing, there are mean words going back and forth. Thats what’s going to happen to Lincecum. I think Tim would kill for this deal
Wow, for that hearing I’d love to be an Infield Fly on the wall!
;-p
haha you bet.
Denard Span fan and a Tigers fan? Aren’t those a bit conflicting? lol
Ahh…but you never know where Span could end up!
Well to be completely honest, I am a Yankees fan. But I am just a huge Baseball fan so I respect and follow all 30 teams a lot. I am just a huge Baseball fan.
My kind of baseball fan. Love your team(s) but never forget that it really is all about ALL 30!
You got it!!!
Yeah man I respect that too. I have players on other teams that I really like because I just love everything about baseball. I do have to admit though I despise the Yankees haha. To each their own though. I just like talking to other people who really like baseball.
Yeah man I respect that too. I have players on other teams that I really like because I just love everything about baseball. I do have to admit though I despise the Yankees haha. To each their own though. I just like talking to other people who really like baseball.
I cant take any new york fan seriously lol.
I cant take any new york fan seriously lol.
No Im sorry but that would be dumb. Damon’s numbers will greatley drop if he plays for Det in the huge ballpark. I dont understand damon at all, he said he wants to play for a winner, wellll the Tigers wont exactly be in 1st place this year lol
How do you know?? the AL central BLOWS…. If one out of Bondo, willis, Roberston and Gallaraga pitches decently the Tigers could have the best rotation in the league…
No Im sorry but that would be dumb. Damon’s numbers will greatley drop if he plays for Det in the huge ballpark. I dont understand damon at all, he said he wants to play for a winner, wellll the Tigers wont exactly be in 1st place this year lol
Excellent.
Its been an impressive offseason of teams signing their best young players up. Congrats to the Tigers on this one.
cannot argue with that
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
sweet….congrats to the tigers. definitely a great deal for the team and the fans. well-deserved contract all around
$16M per is a bit high, IMO….good for Verlander though.
Hmm. Lackey got $82.5M for 5 from the Red Sox. Verlander is better than Lackey. And 3 years younger…
the comparison has to be with Felix and there’s no way he’s worth more than him right now…
but Felix is a few years younger than Verlander. Needs to be someone in his age bracket
but Felix is a few years younger than Verlander. Needs to be someone in his age bracket
Haha. Verlander himself liked this comment. I’m sure Verlander is lovin’ that 80M comin his way
Lackey got that deal as a free agent. Verlander was not a free agent. The Tigers bought out two arbitration years, which are designed to pay a player less than what they would make on the open market.
So, whoever said the comparison was with Felix Hernandez was correct. Hernandez is the slightly better pitcher so Verlander probably have gotten something like $75 million, not the $80 he got.
Point taken on Lackey/free agency, but there’s a difference between Verlander and Hernandez. Felix wouldn’t have been a FA until after 2012, whereas Verlander would have been a FA after 2011. So the Felix deal bought out one more arbitration year and therefore should have been for less money than Verlander’s deal, using your own explanation (although I realize it’s not that cut-and-dried).
If you assume that Verlander would have made at least $8M in 2010 and $12M in 2011 via arbitration, then he’s essentially getting $20M per season for 2012-2014, about what he’d be worth on the open market.
Felix did get that $3.5M signing bonus, so he technically got $81.5M over 5 years. Factoring in the bonus, his first two years of free agency got bought out at roughly $22M per season (assuming $9M for 2010, $12 for 2011, $16.5M for 2012).
Either way, I think we can all agree that both Felix and Justin are very rich men.
I think this is wrong. Both Verlander and Felix had two arb-eligible years left before they both hit free agency after the 2011 season. The M’s didn’t have Felix under team control through 2012; they were in the same boat in terms of service time.
Tigers overpaid by about $10 million over the course of this contract, in my opinion. A five-year contract is a ton of security for a starting pitcher, and a ton of risk for a team. Verlander’s “worth” $20 million a year (for the sake of argument, I’m using FanGraphs dollar values; I’m not arguing FanGraphs values are right, they are what they are), IF you sign him for one year. But a five-year deal, two years of which were team-controlled (where, assuming he stays healthy, he makes a maximum of $25 million total); he shouldn’t be making more than $45 million on those last three seasons (2012, 2013, and 2014), depending on how much of a discount the team demands for the assumed risk. $55 million on those last three years basically pays him precisely what he’s worth on a year-to-year basis (right now), and assumes all the risk he’ll maintain his current dominance. Tigers should have gotten more of a discount for the risk.
That said, in the grand scheme, $10 million is probably a small price to pay to keep the “ace” in town, and to keep the fan base happy. It might not pay for itself in season ticket sales, but it might.
Tigers overpaid by about $10 million over the course of this contract, in my opinion. A five-year contract is a ton of security for a starting pitcher, and a ton of risk for a team. Verlander’s “worth” $20 million a year (for the sake of argument, I’m using FanGraphs dollar values; I’m not arguing FanGraphs values are right, they are what they are), IF you sign him for one year. But a five-year deal, two years of which were team-controlled (where, assuming he stays healthy, he makes a maximum of $25 million total); he shouldn’t be making more than $45 million on those last three seasons (2012, 2013, and 2014), depending on how much of a discount the team demands for the assumed risk. $55 million on those last three years basically pays him precisely what he’s worth on a year-to-year basis (right now), and assumes all the risk he’ll maintain his current dominance. Tigers should have gotten more of a discount for the risk.
That said, in the grand scheme, $10 million is probably a small price to pay to keep the “ace” in town, and to keep the fan base happy. It might not pay for itself in season ticket sales, but it might.
Hard to argue this one, though hopefully for the Tigers this works out better than the long-term deals for Bonderman, Willis, and Robertson.
Agreed. I don’t think Verlander deserved ALL of the money he got. He got more than Felix and Career wise, Felix is better. The good news about Bonderman, Willis, and Robertson is that they are free agents after this season so all of that money comes off the books.
Prehaps, but on an open free agent market with similar years to what he did last year would have cost $20 million, so it is a good deal for both sides. Verlander is an excellent pitcher and I hope he is a lifetime tiger.
Prehaps, but on an open free agent market with similar years to what he did last year would have cost $20 million, so it is a good deal for both sides. Verlander is an excellent pitcher and I hope he is a lifetime tiger.
Good for you Verlander, he got his money, now at 32 he can come to the Yankees so that thing can say won the World Series instead of World Series experience. :]
Excellent. We have our ace for at least 5 years!
So you ARE a Tigers fan!. I’m just astonished that he got more money than Felix but than again…Put comparison’s aside, Verlander is one of the best in the game. The Tigers got this over with, They can now focus on the season and Verlander doesn’t have to worry about anything for the next 5 years but pitching. I love this deal for the Tigers. Next up, Ricky Porcello!
and also, I know our Damon dispute last night, (my apologies) They got the Verlander deal over with. Either the Ramirez/Raburn platoon or Raburn in left OR, something else up Dombrowski’s sleeve.
Well, they bought out more FA years with Vs deal because he was closer to FA than Felix. That has far more to do with the higher amount than his talent.
Good point. Just a really good point. After our dispute last night, we needed an agreement bbxxj!
It’s all good. Grudges are bad for your health.
I’d just like to second this!
Man, you said it!
Of course! I love the Tigers! I want for them to do what I think is best for them. And honestly, I am suprised by that also. I was expecting to see a 6 yr/$85-$90 million to be completely honest. V is one of the best by far and will be for years to come. I really like Porcello also, but I hope they wait a year or two to make sure he is for sure the real thing (which I am willing to bet he is). I’d hate to see more Willis/Guillen/Inge/Robertson contracts… ya know, just be safe with it.
Hey, no hard feelings. I too apologize and hope I wasn’t too mean to you. We had a difference in opinion and expressed it, no big deal on this end. I’ve got no issues with you at all and hope you are the same. I’m not going to agree with you all the time and vice versa, and that’s fine with me. Just don’t take anything I say too seriously and all will be good. :-) We’ll have to wait and see what they’ll do with LF now. Just throwing this out there also, I’ve heard that Josh Willingham could be available…
Thanks man for understanding.
Josh Willingham would really be something in the Tigers lineup. Wow, That actually really seems like it would work out but knowing the Nationals and their sutuation, They’d probably demand some kind of big package for a trade if Willingham were to help out in 2010.
With Bonderman, Robertson, and Willis coming off the books after this season, Who’s to say the Tigers won’t spend on a Josh Beckett for example? Ordonez, Laird, Everett, and Seay as well. I could even see Crawford and possibly Jayson Werth as Tigers targets.
For Verlander, 6 yrs/85-90 Million as you said would be just fine. I think this is a special pitcher though that will only get better.
Not a problem. I am very passionate about baseball, as I’m sure you are also. It’s all good!
Yeah, I just figured I’d throw that out there. It’s something for them to think about at least. I’m sure they would be looking for more than what would be offered, but who knows. And goodge actually made a VERY interesting point in the other thread. It’ll take a while to type, so I’m going to copy and paste it. Here it is:
“It would be so huge if Bonderman actually bounced back this year. But if you consider that Verlander, Porcello and Scherzer are set in the rotation for a few years (assuming JV gets an extension (and this was before he signed, BTW!)), and Crosby and Turner should be up in the MLB by 2012, his days as a Tiger have to be numbered. (If only we still had Jurrjens!)
Then again, maybe they could re-sign Bondo cheap and use Crosby or Turner to net a stud hitter — kind of like trading Maybin and Miller for Miguel Cabrera. I could see Dumbo going after Adrian Gonzalez — he did draft him for the Marlins, after all. Put Miguel Cabrera at DH and Gonzalez at 1B (sign to long-term deal) and that’s some serious firepower for years to come.
That Nunez guy will maybe be the Tigers SS of the future? I don’t want Reyes — he’s a goof-off. I’d rather see them be defensive-minded up the middle and add power at 3B or one of the corner OFs.
If they just stick with Verlander/Porcello/Scherzer and hope either Turner or Crosby are ready, and go with Galarraga or Coke or whoever as a fifth starter in 2011, they’ll be able to add about $60M worth of FA hitters next offseason — that’s a lot of lumber. Carl Crawford at $20M/year? Adrian Gonzalez at $15M/year? They’d still have $25M to spend on a RF, 3B and SS, assuming a $120M payroll. Amazing. I really hope Dumbo doesn’t mess this up!”
That could be a possibility also for 2011 to go with Crawford.
He’s an ace and will be for the next 5-10 years at least. Love this signing and hope to see another one in 5 years.
Yeah you bet. Just a couple of huge Baseball fans talking Baseball right!
Verlander, Porcello, Scherzer looks great. Could use company but thats where next years free agent class comes in as we had discussed. I really think Casey Crosby is a special pitcher. I wouldn’t trade him. Unless it was for a Derek Holland type pitcher for example. Someone who is locked up for some amount of time and young. Bonderman could be offered arb if he has a big 2010. Net a couple of draft picks. As for Crawford, maybe 16MM a year?? I’m just thinking how much he’s going to demand knowing that the Yankees and Red Sox could be in play. Adrian Gonzalez would really help the Tigers out big time but then again, The Padres are going to want Crosby along with the rest of the planet.
Werth
Crawford
Victor Martinez
Ted Lilly
could all fit in their budget…
I’m just speculating but next off-season we could see the Mariners of next off-season dont you think?
I really like where we will stand money wise next off-season. I can see us making some big moves to really help out the ball club in the long run. And after the Cabrera trade, I’m putting nothing past Dombrowski. I could see him pulling the necessary strings to pry away Gonzalez without having to give up Crosby, and possibly without giving up Turner. But we’ll see.
The main person I’d like to see them pursue would be Crawford. We need his speed on this team. We don’t really have that base stealing threat anymore with Grandy gone to the Yankmes. Anything else would be icing on the cake. I would really like to see the Gonzalez trade go through, signing another SP would be nice and getting a 3B would be nice also. He’d be a bit of money, but perhaps Aramis Ramirez would be a nice fit also if we can’t get Adrian…
So many possibilities run through my head when we talk about the possible 2011 roster…
Crawford would be great no doubt. Although after the Jair Jurrjens trade I can’t see how Dave Dombrowski has recovered from that. Some cheaper players Jerkyboy, Jorge Cantu, JJ Hardy, Brad Hawpe, Brandon Webb. Maybe a couple of trades for younger talented players will come out of the hat. We will see!
I dont see us targeting Vmart. I’d love to see them agressivley pursue Lilly, Werth, Beckett and Adam Dunn. Maybe a SS to bride the gap to Nunez
JJ Hardy?
Maybe not so much Vmart, I think Avila will step in in 2011 as the legit starting catcher.
I can’t see them going after Adrian. Cabrera a 27-year-old DH? No thanks, the man is a very underrated defensive first basemen, and can flat-out hit. Miggy is our first baseman. As for Crawford, I’d love to see that, but maybe Jackson develops into the leadoff hitter we’ve been searching for and instead the Tigers go after Jayson Werth. They’re definitely going to sign at least one of Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly. They are going to be scary good in 2011.
Cabrera being the DH would be the only downfall. But imagine the power we’d have at the 3-4 spots. We’re talking Manny and David Ortiz when they were juiced. We could look at someone to give Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun a really good run for their money as one of the best young tandems in the game.
But yes, I agree on Cabrera being a VERY underrated 1B. He’s done very well and continues to get better. I would prefer Crawford over Werth myself. I love his speed and there aren’t many out there that can run like him.
Any direction they go in will make them unbelievably good in 2011… until then, let’s hope for the best in 2010!
Guys I am a huge Tigers fan also… and I am all about them going after a bat next year like Dunn, Crawford, or Werth… And maybe a SP like Webb..
BUT you have to think…. even if they continue to keep payroll around $120M, that means JUST CABRERA AND VERLANDER will be taking up 33% of the payroll…. If they signed Crawford at $13 per year, and say Lilly or Webb at $10 per year, that would be OVER 55% of the payroll in 4 players… you still need 21 other guys..
And eventually Porcello, Scherzer, Avila, Sizemore, Jackson, Perry and others will hit arbitration…
You cant have over half your payroll in 4 players… it wont work… the only way it would is if they filled the rest of the roster with only players with less than 4 years service time like the Marlins.. But for the Marlins to do that they have to trade away their big names right away at 4 years…
7 years…even better
Oh for sure. I’d like to of seen a really long term contract, but I’ll take it in 5 year increments also!
That will really suck if they give Damond 6 to 8 million and they gave Granderson the road out of here because he cost too much. They could of had him for 8 to 10 million but yet no they didnt want to pay him that. He was the heart and soul of our Tigers they suck if they sign Damon.
Actually it was about 20million over 2 years they got off their chests with Curtis. But they got a haul of prospects so,…
Yeah but I don’t think it was for payroll flexibility as much as it was “moving in the right direction”
But something that you have to understand when getting frustrated by the Granderson deal is that for the money that Grandy made, he really wasn’t putting up tremendous numbers! The Tigers saw an opportunity to get a #2 or #3 in Scherzer as well as a huge arm in Schlereth as well as Austin Jackson, a mirror image of Grandersons capabilities for a fraction of the cost. Say what you want about Dave Dombrowski’s dumb deals over the last 3 years and I am right there agreeing with you 100%. But he has made up for a lot of it this offseason. He has saved the Tigers $$$ and made them younger without losing that much talent in the process and gained very valuable pieces for the future as well. This signing and hopefully a cheap Johnny Damon for 1-2 years will cap off a terrific offseason for DD and the Tigers and I am truly excited to see what 2010 and more notably, 2011 bring to the Motor City!! GO TIGERS!!
3-4 WAR from CF is pretty tremendous, IMO
I don’t think Granderson’s contract is the reason he was traded. It was relatively affordable. I think he was traded because the Tigers had several needs and trading Granderson (and Jackson) would help fill them.
Exactly. They gave up their No. 2 SP and starting CF for a No. 2/No. 3 SP, a CF that could be Grandy in a few years and 2 very nice power RP. To make it better is that all of them are under contract for a minimum of 5 years! That was a smart trade made to help this team in the long run.
Nice. Great for the TIGERS. I love that teams are really starting to lock up their home grown guys and are not letting them get away just to save a little $$$.
I don’t know what the Yankees will do if this catches on.
This makes me very, very happy.
I BET IT DOES!!! CAN I GET A SMALL LOAN, MAYBE $2M OR SO??
im not as greedy as this guy. just about $10,000 for me
im not as greedy as this guy. just about $10,000 for me
Wish he would have taken a bigger discount, but really no complaints about 5/80
very good for detroit and good for baseball him porcello scherzer thats a very good front 3 i believe in a few year gonna be one of the best top 3 plus they have some nice arms in the bullpen zumaya valverde perry schelerith a few other good arms if they jackson and sizemore can be decent they can surprise i hear good things about austin jackson plus miggy inge magglio if he can bounce back damon would be perfect for them to a nice bat not for defense nice signing it makes me happy to see teams sign there own nice young pitchers long term like verlander j.johnson and king felix
fine, i’ll do it…
where were the mets on this one?!?!
Don’t quite get where the Mets fit in this. Is this a historical reference, or did I miss something?
OR…is it just not a “real” thread until somebody bellyaches about the Mets?
I would think that this and the King Felix deal kinda set the floor for Beckett at 5 years, $90MM, come next season. After all, he’s an established front line starter with 2 WS rings, who remains relatively young at 30. Despite Verlander’s very, very good 4 seasons, and being 3 years younger, Beckett is a more established and seasoned performer. I’d love to see Theo lock him up. I think this and the Felix deal set the price on Lilly and Vasquez at somewhere between $15MM and $17MM per season, but both of them being 34, I doubt anyone will be willing to give them 5 year commitments. Arroyo, in my mind, is a second tier starter. At 33, I don’t think he can command more than 3-4 years. Dollarwise, his record might support $10MM to $13MM as a number 2 or 3 starter, and that is probably limited to the national league. I think he’d fare much worse in the AL, statistically, and in what an AL team would be willing to pay him.
I wouldnt be surprised to see them let Beckett walk.
I wouldnt be surprised to see them let Beckett walk.
Great deal for Tigers fans. :)
Heard the news at work on a boring night of women’s basketball and it instantly made my entire day. I wouldn’t have minded a 6th year on this deal, but I’ll take the 5 and have him around for 5 more years. JV deserves every penny because he’ll be our ace and cornerstone of a staff that should feature a lethal rotation and pen. I can’t wait to see this entire staff in a few years when Crosby, Turner, Satterwhite, Oliver, Weinhardt, and all the rest of the young guys are ready to go.
If DD goes out and spends our money on the right guys next year we could be looking at an absolute force of a team.
I don’t know the exact terms, but it seems likely they gave him $8MM for one of the arbitration years, $12MM for the other, and $20MM for each of the three free agent years. I think that’s a slight overpay since the club is assuming all of the injury risk of the contract.
I think Verlander’s agent did a great job. He gets full market value, guaranteed money (even if he gets injured), and will be a free agent at 31.
Verlander will pay 3.9% flat state income tax in Michigan, reducing the salary to 76.88mm. Felix Hernandez will pay 0% state income tax in Washington and make 78mm.
Interesting point. This is the kind of thing you rarely hear about, yet it does make a big difference here. Also, Felix got a signing bonus of $3.5M and Verlander did not, so technically Felix got $1.5M more than Verlander pretax.
Interesting point. This is the kind of thing you rarely hear about, yet it does make a big difference here. Also, Felix got a signing bonus of $3.5M and Verlander did not, so technically Felix got $1.5M more than Verlander pretax.
Couldn’t be happier about the new contract! I love me some JV on the mound. The boy can pitch!
Interesting move for a team supposedly in firesale mode just two months ago. :p
firesale mode has nothing to do with this contract. they were gonna have to pay verlander the amount this year, unless they traded him which would fire up alot of tiger fans. They have the money after this year to pay him.
alright so let’s clear up how much money the tigers now have to spend next off-season for the 2011 season. Guaranteed they have Bonderman (12.5MM) Willis (12MM), Robertson (10MM) Inge (6.5MM). Thats 41MM right there. However people forget that Granderson would have made 8.25MM next season, and edwin jackson in arbitration could have made anywhere from 10-12MM. thats around ANOTHER 19MM, putting them around 60MM. Lastly, Magglio would make 15MM in 2011 if his option vests, but that would be 3MM less than what he made in 2010. All in all, they have potentially 63-75MM to spend in next year’s off-season. Verlander’s contract subtracts 6MM (since they are paying him 6MM than in 2010) and jose valverde subtracts 7MM for 2011. Around 47-62MM left. Dombrowski should hope for the best, and assume the worst that Magglio reaches his incentive and plan next offseason like this)
With Magglio (15MM less to spend)
LF Carl Crawford (20MM-25MM per year, yes higher than what he should make, but Detroit is a difficult place to lure players to play, so if it means overpaying, for this quality of player, it makes sense. assuming 8 years (which is about right) the contract would end at the exact right time, similar to when Damon’s ended)
CF Austin Jackson
1b Miguel Cabrera
C Victor Martinez/part time Avila (13MM-18MM per year. Same concept as crawford. offer him much more money than anyone else, an offer he can’t refuse. I know people want Avila, however, he may still need seasoning. this is a good way to transition him to the full-time job. after magglio and guillen leave, they can shift V-Mart to DH and start Avila)
DH Magglio/Guillen(we are paying them a total of 28MM that year, they can’t sit and do nothing. their defense blows but they could hit .270-.300 which is really all you need from a 5th hitter)
3b Inge(With what’s left in the budget). I know people won’t like this, however, he’s a raised Tiger and Comerica favorite, and will at least give them great defense. He may give them a discount too.)
RF Casper Wells/Wilkin Ramirez/Rayburn
2b Sizemore
SS Nunez/Iorg/Fields (Give all the prospects a chance to bat at the bottom of the order with limited pressure)
P Verlander
P Scherzer
P Porcello
P Crosby
P Turner/Gallaraga
Closer Valverde Setup Coke/Zumaya. Mid Innings Schelereth, Perry, Miner, prospects.
If they do have the additional 12MM to spend, spend it in pieces. a cheap durable veteran starting pitcher with playoff experience (Carl Pavano? Even BONDERMAN (much cheaper than 12MM)) , a cheap veteran reliever (Scott Shields? J.C. Romero?), and a cheap veteran 3b/SS (Orlando Cabrera? Khalil Greene? Bobby Crosby?) I know it seems like a lot of money to guarantee to two players, but look at how the yankees did it in 2009.