It has now been a full two weeks since Justin Masterson reportedly offered the Indians a three- or four-year, $40MM to $60MM extension. The club has yet to act on the offer, however, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
In fact, says Heyman, Masterson has made two separate proposals, both of which are still on the table and one of which is for only three years. Both offers include less guaranteed years at a slightly lower average annual value than the recent Homer Bailey extension. Bailey got six years and $105MM, earning approximately a $19MM AAV for the five free agent years covered. Masterson and the Indians have already agreed upon a $9.7625MM deal for 2014, so the new contract would cover 2015 and beyond.
This makes no sense if you follow the Indians from afar and figure they want to build on 2013 and be a perennial contender.
It makes total sense if one has been watching the Indians under the current ownership and front office operations since the sale of the team.
The objective appears to be to win just enough to keep fans interested enough to show a profit. But the fans have bailed, as every decent ballplayer that passed through was gone for one reason or another – while the team screams “rebuild” every few years.
No reason that Justin Masterson should be any different than Omar Visquel or Victor Martinez – both of whom made it clear that they wanted to stay.
2009, 2010, 2012 – he’s #5 SP. 2011, 2013 he’s a #2. Is that worth 15MM AVV? If you look at it ‘trend’-wise he’ll be terrible in 2014, good 2015, terrible 2016, and good 2017. 3 year deal is the way to go haha.
Okay he’s only 28 but I see your point.Talking maybe 2 good years really out of his major league career and I don’t see how he’s worth 15-20 million. Guy has really been awful for the majority of his career most always over a 4 era and has never really been a stand out at all.He rather average considering so I don’t get it. This could be just as stupid as that Homer Bailey deal that was mentioned.
Why be so basic? Look at his FIP compadre, put Masterson on a team with a great INF and his ceiling would likely be a 4.00 ERA pitcher with his extreme GB tendencies
so a 4 era per year for 20 million per? It’s pure insanity.This isnt like Justin Verlander coming off of the mvp and cy young seasons this guy has never dominated he shouldn’t even be making anywhere close to that.maybe 30 for 3 years nothing more than that.
And what Homer Bailey dominated? Even Rick Nolasco made more than what you’re saying, are you impying Masterson is worse than him? And not 20 mil per no one said that. The story clear says 3 at 40 which is 12.5 per or 4 at 60 which is 15 per. And don’t worry if the Indians don’t want him at that go ahead give him a QO and teams will still gladly pay that.
My friend in 2009 Masterson was 24 and 2010 he was 25. You can probably count on one hand and still have a couple of fingers the numbers of pitchers that are very good at those ages. Sure you have Kershaw and Felix Hernandez but for every one of those at 24 and 25 there are probably 25 other guys in their early 20’s that at best are mediocre.
The point here is in 2 of his last 3 years Masterson has been very good and the Indians have a chance to re-sign a very good pitcher during his prime 29 to 32 years old for about $15MM +/- that’s below market value in today’s baseball environment.
The Indians need to re-sign him before he hits FA or they most definitely will lose him.
Age 24 and 25 weren’t his first seasons in the big were they? He had 289 IP before that.
Actually no. The 2009 season at the age of 24 was his first full season and 2nd season overall. He pitched in 2008 but most of it was in relief appearances and only for a total of 88 1/3 innings.
Wow, I’m agreeing with a Yankee fan… This feels weird
I wasn’t aware players can offer their teams a contract.
Why not? As with any negotiation, there are two parties; one must offer and one must accept to form a contract. Here, the player came forward with an offer first. The uniform player contract is in the CBA, just as accessible to the player (and his agent) as the team.
Free agents do it. Boras requested the Ellsbury contract for Choo.
This is an example of how one mistake creates another. The Indians can not afford to make a big salary mistake. Why? Because they make too many other medium salary mistakes. Example A is Michael Bourne. Example B is David Murphy. Now they have to be very careful with Masterson. Not sure what I would do now, maybe wait as long as I could to see how 2014 starts. If he starts strong give him three years. Indians are not rich enough to offer contracts longer than three or four years.
The amazing thing about the Indians is that for the past 5 years, they have had a player payroll about 20% higher than the Rays, Pirates and A’s. We don’t know the budget for the rest of baseball ops, but the ratio appears to be about the same. We look at the results both on the major league roster and on with the legitimate high-level farm system prospects (the Indians always get good pub for their lower level prospects, it’s when the guys start to move up that one realizes that CF Trevor Crowe should not have been drafted before Jacoby Ellsbury) show that a lot of “mistakes” have been made. And that’s not even talking about the terrible trades. That leaves Indian fans have to put up with “small market” talk (NE Ohio is the size of greater St. Louis) from the ownership and FO as they say they cannot compete on the unfair playing field.
The fanbase or any team in any professional sport needs players on the team that they can identify with. The Rays, A’s and Prates can extend their young players in their early free agent years at market rate. The Indians haven’t – they just churn ballplayers as MLB top AAAA team. So where is all the money going?
Where is the money going? Can you say ‘Dolan’?
Yah cause he is just going to leave those deals on the table during the season as he pitches good…no way. He would pull them back and ask for more, or leave via FA.
I wouldn’t include David Murphy just yet. Let’s see what he does this season. But you could have made Nick Swisher Example B.
Masterson has publicly stated he is looking for the market rate. I dunno what that means. Many are assuming that means what Bailey got in terms of average annual value. The AAVs being tossed around are in nominal dollars. Bailey’s contract provides that he receive only $56 million for 2014-2017 or $47 million, if you prefer, for the years 2015-2017. But wait there is more, or more aptly less. Only a portion of his annual salary is paid during the season with the balance paid in November. During the 2014 season he will receive $3 and 15:$4M, 16:$11M, 17:$12M,
It is only in 2018 when he is to receive $21 million ($14 million) that he receives the nominal AAV of $19 million. Obviously the net present value of Bailey’s contract even if you calculate it only starting with 2015 is below $19 million.
The length of Bailey’s contract seems to have been dictated more by the Reds needing to come up with a payment stream they could afford over the next few years more than locking Bailey up for as long as they did unless they are projecting that by the end of this season he will be viewed as an elite pitcher.
Masterson is currently not an elite pitcher. Absent a much better season this season than he had last season he most probably receives at best a four year offer but more likely a three in the $15-$16 million per year in nominal dollars. If Masterson is looking for anything more than that per year for three then his offer to the Tribe is a non-starter.
The Tribe, and most teams, in paying a player must be concerned with the value of the player to them and not the value other teams might attach to the player.
If this deal doesn’t happen, there will be a huge backlash in Cleveland. As an Indians fan, I’m not looking forward to listening to all of the talk about how cheap the team is. For that reason, extending Masterson would have a very strong benefit to showing the fans that the team wants to win. Beyond that, I cannot comment on how good the offer is and if the team should do it. I think if it is 3 years, $45MM, it’s a no brainer. When’s the last time a pitcher (or any player) wanted to stick around at a discount? Considering how young the rest of the pitching staff is, it seems like money well spent. I also think Masterson will continue to pitch like he did in 2013.