Fans and media members alike were shocked this morning when the Cubs announced that they had re-signed Dexter Fowler to a one-year deal, just days after the Baltimore media and a number of national reporters broke the news of a three-year agreement between Fowler and the Orioles. Fowler’s agent, Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, vehemently denies that an agreement was ever in place, however, and even went so far as to say that the two sides were ever even nearing a deal. Close felt strongly enough about what he terms “irresponsible behavior” on the team’s behalf to issue a release with the following statement:
“In my 25 years in this business, never before have I witnessed such irresponsible behavior on so many fronts. Both the Orioles front office and members of the media were so busy recklessly spreading rumors that they forgot or simply chose not to concern themselves with the truth. The Orioles’ willful disregard of collectively bargained rules governing free agency and the media’ eager complicity in helping the Orioles violate those rules are reprehensible. Dexter Fowler never reached agreement with the Orioles and did not come close to signing with the club; any suggestion otherwise is only a continuation of an already disturbing trend.”
Close’s comments are among the most scathing public-facing remarks from an agent or executive that I can recall seeing, and his clear intent is to communicate that his agency in no way contributed to any reports of Fowler’s alleged agreement with Baltimore. That, then, would imply that the information (or, rather, misinformation) came from the team’s side of the equation, though executive vice president and general manager Dan Duquette said today at Yovani Gallardo‘s introductory press conference that he was never under the impression that a deal was in place. Via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko:
“We made a very competitive offer,” Duquette explained. “There was not an agreement to terms because they kept insisting on an opt-out. I don’t see, club ownership doesn’t see the value in that type of arrangement to the Orioles. If we are going to guarantee a contract, it should be a contract.”
The Orioles have reportedly been staunchly against opt-out clauses throughout the duration of the offseason, and while initial reports of talks with both Gallardo and Fowler included mention of opt-out provisions, the ultimately reported agreements (and, in Gallardo’s case, announced agreement) did not include opt-out clauses. Notably, Kubtako writes that while the Orioles will not publicly acknowledge that they believed an agreement to be in place, “multiple sources within the organization” confirmed to him earlier this week that there was an agreement in place, and other reporters followed suit with confirmation of the agreement.
Beyond all of that, the arguable face of the Orioles’ franchise, Adam Jones, went on record with multiple reporters (including ESPN’s Jayson Stark and the Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina) discussing his excitement over the addition of Fowler. Jones went so far as to say that he spoke to Fowler himself. “I spoke to him,” Jones told Stark. “He’s excited. He should be on his way here now.” Whatever belief that the Orioles had that an agreement with Fowler had been reached, it trickled down out of the front office. And, if Jones’ comments are accurate, it would seem that Fowler himself at least seemed optimistic about the possibility of a deal being consummated.
What isn’t clear, then, is what specifically led those who believed a deal had been struck to come to that conclusion. Duquette’s comments today signified that the opt-out clause was a persistent sticking point from Fowler’s camp, and it should be noted that Close/Excel are the leaders in the opt-out charge; Close represents Zack Greinke, Masahiro Tanaka, Clayton Kershaw and Jason Heyward — each of whom has secured an opt-out clause in recent contracts (multiple opt-outs, in Heyward’s case). As such, it seems reasonable to expect that an opt-out clause was indeed a longstanding request from Fowler’s camp. However, reports today characterized the insistence on an opt-out as a last-minute wrench thrown into talks, thus serving as the impetus for Fowler’s return to Chicago.
Clearly, there’s no benefit for either involved party to have word of a deal leak out when it isn’t true, but something appears to have either been lost in translation during negotiations or been altered late in the game. The definitive level of transparency required to know exactly what transpired — if that level of clarity even exists one way or the other — isn’t likely to ever be publicly available, however.
Anyone read this as kind of throwing shade at this very site?
No probably more of guys like Ken Rosenthal who are usually accurate in reporting this seems like the agent trying to save face. Too many reputable people were reporting the Orioles story though for it to be fabricated.
If that were the case, then why would the Orioles be denying that a deal was ever in place too?
Pretty sure it is against the rules to leak that information before a deal is complete Could be wrong though.
Right, but this seems to be taking a shot at the whole new-ish culture of “who has the scoop” and the very existence of this site seems to propagate it. Teenage tweeters are having semi-careers based on “sources” who break the rumors and deals online up to the second as they are happening.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this site and I often tell people my fave sports are #1. MLB; and #2. the MLB offseason. This seems like an older-school agent who is making a point to let people know that he’s fed up with the current somewhat transparent state of the offseason game, and wants to keep things like they were, with the public 100% in the dark on deals and trades until after the contracts are signed and deals signed off on.
I guess Jon Heyman was main source not Rosenthal
I’d put money on Fowler just changing his mind halfway to O’s training camp, and his agent just covering for him.
Sounds like a game of quien es mas macho, I don’t know why Fowler ever expected an opt out from the Orioles though that is all on his agent for even thinking that was going to happen. The Orioles were probably also shocked the Cubs made room for him again.
I agree with you 100%. Adam Jones wouldn’t say the things he did about Fowler being on his way to Sarasota and how excited Fowler was to join the team if it wasn’t true. Fowler and his agent are just covering up their own mistake.
Except he never said that Fowler said he was on his way. Jones said “He should be on his way here now”. That just sounds like an assumption based on the agreement to me.
Yep, and I bet Jones read the press on this more than an actual conversation between the two players actually happened. It’s 2016, people communicate less in general, I’m betting Jones read this rumor online and spoke based on that. Nice catch, rythestunner.
Yeah cause Jones would just say he spoke to him? I don’t think so
Jones and Fowler are friends and talk to each other regularly. He even mentioned a follow up conversation he had with Dexter today.
Jones and Fowler are friends. They speak to each other since minor league days.
It’s part of the MLB CF fraternity thing. I believe it’s basically a club, of sorts, started from Torii Hunter.
I’d have to agree with you.
yeah agents never lie ……
Special Agent Close.: “In my 25 years in this business, never before have I witnessed such irresponsible behavior on so many fronts.
I am so confused. The rumor of Fowler and Gallardo signing with the Orioles was going on for a few weeks. In fact, I kidded on Steve M’s site at MASN, that the negotiators or all parties involved had died and turned into skeletons and had cob webs all over them because of the snail’s pace that was involved here. Now, Special Agent Close is waving his arms like wacky wavey inflatable tube man. Close could have come out and said there was no deal or there are still processes to be taken care of or the i’s and t’s need to be dotted and crossed, however he did not do that. Now, Fowler is on a team that is loaded with outfielders instead of being on a team where Fowler would have been the second best outfielder. If you look at it from that viewpoint it makes absolutely no sense as to what Close says here!!! SMH
PS Cripes Fowler isn’t that special I would have liked to had him on the team, but for Close to go ballistic like this is completely over the top.
He should seriously consider firing his agent he settled for essentially 13 million guaranteed to end up on the same team that offered him a QO, that is just a terrible agent.
Nobody could predict a market in which the richest team spent not a dollar and almost every position player over the age of 26 earned much less than he was projected to.. Took a bit less on an AAV basis (Orioles did offer 33 million) to earn potentially much more next year.
he is just slightly above average as an OF. One fluky power year late in his career. Dexter you are not worth a QO. One team desperate for OF came after you for 12 million a year. You will never get more. Have fun auditioning in Chicago again in 2016. Do a Matt Weiters and if a QO is offered again say yes fast.
The whole thing is challenging to one’s reality.
Plus, to wind up right back to where you started and less money is silly.
You combine that with no real position for Fowler is ridiculous
I thought the Cubs wanted to get Soler and the rest of their young Cubs out there and playing full time, they can’t do that with Fowler back with them.
Plus to say you are flying to Sarasota and then wind up in Phoenix is the pure definition of a 180 degree turn around.
13 mil guaranteed, a real shot at a WS, and another chance at free agency this upcoming off season, which features a much weaker class of free agents. Also some have reported that with the option that’ll most likely be declined, they (the Cubs) have a gentlemen’s agreement in place with Fowler to not give him a qualifying offer, which would seemingly increase his value. While it isn’t a long term deal many seek once they reach free agency, he’ll at least get another shot at it.
Strongly agreed. Close is coming out of this the worst.
Some old people just refuse to change their ways to the times, and come away looking out of touch and pathetic.
Casey Close is 52 years old that is hardly an old person.
All he did was clear his name just now he was probably too busy working things out with the Cubs for his client to try and address rumors that were already out there before. Why are you so offended by his statement that you have to insult him? In fact your rant is longer than his, so who’s really acting “special”
Was it really a rant? Plus, I was also poking at Duquette because of the slow process. Like I said or inferred Close must have been taking a nap or something during negotiations. Bottom line is this makes no sense, plus why would the Orioles want turmoil? I know, I don’t like turmoil and avoid it when I can.
Other than Jimenez, Duquette’s FA signs have been pretty solid his entire career and not many GM’s in the buisness as long as he has been can say that. I’d take it easy on The Duke lefty. Now Gallardo has failure written on him, but even if he’s #2? That’s still pretty good run of guys he’s vetted during his career. Angelos needs to let him spend a few million more perhaps and the last 2(only) could have been avoided altogether.
You too Silver? I didn’t think what I typed was that bad.
My goodness, if anything I defended the ‘Duke’ in a way.
Besides maybe their lingering saltiness from Colby Rasmus signed with the Astros instead of the O’s. Isn’t Close the agent of Rasmus?
Not only I thought Close was friendly with Showalter.
I just don’t see why there’s such a brouhaha
They obviously were negotiating. Both parties agree they were. Close had no reason to say anything during the negotiations. Upon the media blaming his client because the media got it wrong, he has now come forward, just as you suggest he should have, only he waited until the media reacted. If those members of the media (Olney and others) had acknowledged they were so busy trying to be first, that they forgot to be right, Mr.Close wouldn’t have needed to say anything.
Why didn’t Close say anything after the reports started coming out? He’s trying to save face now.
The only issue I have is calling Adam Jones the “arguable face of The Orioles”. Adam Jones IS the face of the team, without question. He’s the leader in the clubhouse and on the field.
I had typed “face of the franchise,” then I thought of Manny Machado, which gave me enough to pause to backtrack and include “arguable.”
Most O’s fans will have no problem with Jones being the face of the franchise. Machado while getting better still has some growing to do.
These are not actual titles, so yes, anyone can argue them.
Chris Davis’s contract also gives him an argument to that title.
As an Astros fan my first thought here is of Brady Aiken was also represented by Close and close also attempted to throw the club under the bus when things fell apart. Two different situations I know, but the ‘Stros have been vindicated multiple times since and the Orioles appear to be very consistent with their FA approach. 1 + 1 = ?
This is Close doing his best Drew Rosenhaus impersonation. Reminds me a lot of the situation the Ravens had with Terrell Owens.
Interesting, seems like Close is the problem here, not the player, team or media.
Close is a relic of an old guard who is childishly refusing to conform to new media.
Potential opening day lineup:
CF Fowler
2B Zobrist
1B Rizzo
3B Bryant
C Schwarber
RF Heyward
LF Soler
SS Russell
P Arrieta
Doesn’t get much more solid, gonna be a tough team to beat all year.
Cubs still stealing Astro thunder all these years and different leagues later. Baseball God has a cruel sense of humor.
If that’s their everyday lineup, Arrieta’s arm is going to fall off.
I don’t think Maddon does the whole “pitcher batting 9th” thing – Arrieta will be 8th and Russell 9th.
Still looking pretty clear that Cubs-Red Sox is the early season favorite for WS matchup.
I wouldn’t even say the Red Sox are the favorite in their division, but they should be competitive.
You are wrong, they are the absolute favorite in the AL. They are way deeper and have a better 1-25 than all other teams in their div.
That being said, all AL teams are going to be competitive this year, there’s no rebuilding team in the AL this season, it’s going to be interesting for sure.
I disagree. All they really added was Price and Kimbrel. While nice and impressive…… they still have the same black hole rotation after Price, and the Same bad bullpen leading up to Kimbrel. Last year the rotation ranked 24th in SP ERA, and 26th in Bullpen ERA. Adding two pitchers I doubt will drastically change that and make the team go from 78 wins to 90+. As of today I see them being in the 81-85 win range. The other teams in that division are just as good if not better…… still.
I think what Red Sox Nation is hoping for is improvement from it’s players – a healthy Pedroia, a vastly improved Sandoval & Ramirez, a progressing young core of Bogaerts, Betts, Bradley & Swihart. Then factor in TWO bullpen arms – Carson Smith & Craig Kimbrel, in addition to Koji and Tazawa and you have a fairly solid bullpen core.
Adding Price to a rotation which at the end of last year looked unrecognizable to the beginning of the year – both Porcello & Kelly looked strong and Rodriguez should only improve to be one of the best pitchers in the AL.
Players’ performances over the course of a season fluctuate from year to year – look at the 2013 and 2014 seasons for the Red Sox – practically the same team – one a WS winner, next last place in the division. I’d say once again both is a possibility for the Boston Red Sox. I’d say we have reason to be optimistic though…
In your eyes.
The game is in Anaheim. Montero catching, Schwarbomb DH.
I think Soler will end up drawing the short stick on this one. He’ll likely get the start against lefties in left field (he doesn’t have significant platoon splits, but Schwarber seems to in an admittedly small sample), the 20-30 or so games that Fowler and Heyward don’t start and an occasional start if Schwarber is behind the plate. Unless Schwarbs struggles bad I figure Soler is in line for 250 ABs or so.
But honestly, as much as I think Soler is going to be an offensive stud one day, I’m alright with that in a 1-2 year window. The defensive limitations of the outfield we were going to be running out there until Fowler came back were frightening.
I’ve been a studious fan for 40+ years. I can spot a team that looks like it will make a run. However, I don’t bet on the Cubs. 2004 was the Cub’s year. As always, bad actors, under performers and bad luck took the Cubs out. As for the lineup shown above, nothing about that makes me think its a winner. The starting pitchers are very good and the Manager is exceptional. Its just not a very good lineup…. you never know with Madden.
Bird land is going Cuckoo!!!!!!!
Not really, a lot of us would have liked to had a legit lead-off hitter like Fowler on the team, but we will get over it.
I was mad for about an hour. But in the end it is Fowler’s life. Can’t blame him for wanting a shot at maybe a WS. Don’t really like his agent getting all high and mighty. But oh well, stuff happens.
MLB’s gotta get a handle on this opt out nonsense and nip it in the bud.
If dudes like Dexter Fowler are attempting them, what’s the point of even trying to sign free agents long term anymore?
Why? Nobody is forcing teams to give it, and sometimes it works for the team more than the player
Just wondering under what scenario it works in the teams favor? If they out perform the contract they opt out and you lose the bargain that you had. If they under perform they don’t opt out and you’re stuck with a bad contract.
Lets say Heyward has an amazing 2-3 years with the Cubs, then hits his first opt out and takes it and signs elsewhere for HUGE money. Then with his new team he falls off a Pujols size cliff and is nowhere near worth the money he signed for…… or he just gets seriously injured and misses a majority of the year and when he comes back is never the same again. I’d say if that played out that way it went pretty well for the Cubs….. avoiding that financial headache and black hole of a salary eating up payroll for the better part of a decade. That’s how it works for the team. Also, let’s say Heyward finally puts it all together and becomes the 30-20 player who hits for average and gets on base at a near .400 clip the first few years. I know it sounds crazy, but the Cubs got hell of a deal for him the first couple of years then. They could either pay him the even bigger bucks afterwards or let him walk and use the money across multiple positions. So yeah, I’d say it works well for both parties. Like Grienke. I am willing to bet he returns to being the 3.50 ERA owning pitcher he was before arriving in LA. The Dodgers will be thrilled he opted out and they didn’t re-sign him for the asinine money the Diamondbacks gave him.
Opt-outs never work in the teams favor. If a player lives up to the deal, the opt-out and ask for more. If a player underperforms, the team is still paying the original deal. In no way do teams benefit from opt-outs.
I agree that opt-outs aren’t ever good for the team. However, the argument is that if a player opts out, then the team likely did well on the contract. No one can say that signing Greinke didn’t work out for the Dodgers, even if he left earlier than they may have hoped. That being said, it’s still a clear win for the player and a loss for the team, but I have no problem with Fowler asking for an opt-out. Disagree with Dave on this one, I’d just let the market determine if the player’s worth it. In Fowler’s case, the market said he wasn’t, since he ended up not getting one
Perfect example: Zack Greinke. I’m certain the Dodgers would rather have him over Kazmir and the ten other pitchers they signed.
I disagree.
Nothing says a team has to re-sign a player who opts out looking for more money. Time and time again, we see complaints from fans and pundits about the ridiculous length of contracts and how horrible they’re going to be in the last few years. There’s this sense of resignation to them crippling your team moving forward and you just hope they’re good enough in the front to make it worthwhile.
Well, here’s your protection. Heyward got 7 years but in reality he’s gone after two or three. The Cubs’ risk on the deal is substantially lowered.
“But what if he flops?” you ask. If he flops, the Cubs have a bad contract for seven years — just like they would have anyway, because that’s how a contract without an opt-out works.
Generally speaking, I think opt-outs CAN work well the longer and more scary a deal gets. For example, Cespedes’ deal is an overpay but it’s not team-crippling, so I don’t really like the opt-out there. Similarly with Justin Upton; that deal isn’t super scary either way, so the potential benefit to the team is lowered. An opt-out for Fowler would have been a terrible idea for the O’s. I like it for Heyward, Cueto and Price, not to mention Stanton.
Also no team is giving them out without presuming the opt in represents catastrophic injury or talent regression. They’re using it as a means to get players one 1 or 2 year deals that would never have signed them before. I hated it too until I realized it was a two way street.
Excellent point there too. Didn’t even think of it that way.
“Jones went so far as to say that he spoke to Fowler himself. “I spoke to him,” Jones told Stark. “He’s excited. He should be on his way here now.”
I doubt Jones would lie about this. What happened I think is that Close leaked that there was an agreement with the Orioles on 3 yrs to get the Cubs to jump in with a 1 yr deal, when in fact there was only an offer. Cubs had likely been reluctant to lose the draft pick compensation for just 1 yr and were probably offering 2 yrs. If the Cubs didn’t come through he accepts the Orioles offer, and probably him and Fowler were both surprised they did
Best defense is a good offense. he probably wanted to be first to accuse the Orioles to deflect the Cubs attention from the fact that he played them by telling them through the media that he had an agreement.
Problem is the Cubs didn’t lose a draft pick because they gave him the QO
It’s a bit of semantics but you could say the Cubs are losing a pick by virtue of not gaining a new one from Fowler signing elsewhere.
So you, the agent, is griping at another club after your client turned down $33 million over 3 years to resign with his home team for $8 million this year after deciding not to take the $15 million they had offered a few months ago…
Your client just lost $7 million from the Cubs alone, not to mention the guaranteed $33 million from the Orioles had it gone the other way.
And we’re supposed to believe this is the Orioles’ fault?
Fowler got 13 million guaranteed, including next year’s buyout. He really lost 2.8 million- nothing worth not declining the qualifying offer for, and clearly Fowler and his agent viewed the pillow contract as the best way to maximize his value moving forward. I’m not sure what specifically he’s angry about with the Orioles’ handling of things, but to characterize this as a huge loss for Fowler and Close is probably an exaggeration. He’s just betting on himself
That’s only the case if he’s so bad that the cubs decline his option year for $4M more. If he’s good, fowler opts out and only gets 1/8.
He only lost 2.8 mil. There is s $5 million buy out of the option. Guaranteed $13 million.
The only scenario in which he’s guaranteed $13M this season is if he’s terrible. Otherwise, if he’s mediocre, the Cubs will exercise his option for essentially $4M and his contract becomes 2/17. If he feels he’s underpaid, Fowler himself opts out and the deal is 1/8.
He’s left significant money on the table.
This is incorrect. Whether Fowler exercises his option for next year or not (he won’t, even with a bad year), the buyout guarantees that the Cubs will owe at least an additional $5MM. In other words, if both parties agree (they won’t), Fowler plays next season for $9MM. If either party declines, the team owes $5MM and Fowler becomes becomes a free agent once again. This is simply a creative structure that allows the Cubs to shift a large chunk of his one-year salary to next year’s budget line.
It’s a mutual option. Fowler has to exercise it as well.
Close is full of it.
If there was never an agreement in place with the O’s, why didn’t he refute it when it was announced two days ago?
Such an obvious play to get the Cubs to scramble.
Pretty much this. Were they just “too busy” to refute the reports? Or did they not hear any of them? I HIGHLY doubt it.
These 2 sides had been negotiating for a pretty long time, and an opt-out isn’t something that’s thrown in at the end of a negotiation. I’m sure the Orioles said no to that from the beginning, and Fowler and his team just pushed it again at the end as an excuse to get out of whatever they supposedly agreed upon after setting something up with the Cubs.
They’re just trying to save face now and blame it on the media. That’s my guess.
The problem with that is that the Cubs didn’t need to scramble. They were content to move on without Fowler. They already had an outfield surplus. I’m not sure who leaked the information or why, but it’s not as if the Cubs were so desperate that they swooped in with a fantastic offer- it seems more that he didn’t get the offer that he wanted and he was willing to take a one-year deal to bet on himself, and the price came down to the point that the Cubs had to jump
My sense is that Close prefers negotiations for his clients to remain under the media radar and I respect that. I recall (perhaps incorrectly) that negotiations for other prominent Excel clients were relatively quiet before apparent sudden announcements: Jason Heyward, Zack Grienke, even Alex Gordon. Thus, if his philosophy is to keep his clients’ dealings out of the media, I can respect that the Orioles’ less conservative approach with the media prior to the deal becoming official was problematic for Close. When release of potential deal terms being discussed could undermine negotiations, I don’t find Close’s comments to be out of line. But it is an interesting discussion, indeed. I hope we as fans learn more of what actually transpired.
Doubtful. And the team that was offering the player $20MM more than what he got will continue to be painted as the bad guy.
Yep, because by leaking it, they may have been trying to keep other teams from looking into Fowler’s services.
Once again, if the “leak” wasn’t a legit agreement, why didn’t Close refute the reports when they came out two days ago?
He was busy finding his client an agreeable contract with another team.
why should he? its the media who made the mistake. they should take care of it themselves. instead they pointed at his client, which is why he felt he needed to say something.
The O’s had been talking to Fowler for a few weeks, so why didn’t the agent demand an opt-out when he first started talking to the O’s? Why did he let it get this far into the process? Seems like the agent could’ve handled this way better than he did.
It is a head scratcher. Duquette has already said this off season that opt outs are a nonstarter. For better or worse the O’s just don’t do that.
Who says the agent didn’t?
He might have. All I’m saying is if the report is true and that’s why the deal fell threw, why did they continue negotiating and “agree” to a deal? He knew he was never getting an opt-out from the O’s.
And even if there wasn’t an agreement in place with the O’s, by not refuting it, he’s just as guilty as the folks he’s railing against.
From everything I have been reading, Hoyer and Epstien have said all along that they have been in constant contact with Fowler. I think Fowler may have just realized he had a better chance at winning in Chicago in Baltimore. All the other free agent signings by the Cubs have been for lesser amounts then they were offered by other teams! Fowler is another example of that.
The question becomes playing time in the Cubs outfield. A lot of talk about Soler being traded, I believe, is also media talk. The Cubs would have to be nuts to give up on his talent this soon. Spring training will settle the dust in the outfield. However, my feeling is that Miguel Montero might be the odd man out. Moving him for more pitching or prospects would leave the position open to a platoon of David Ross, Wilson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber. Maddon loves having 3 catchers and it would allow more development for a young catching core while Schwarber gets his at bats.
Just saying!
Close is not the source that told the media Fowler had signed with the Orioles. The media got it wrong. It is not his job to report the media’s inaccuracies, until that media tries to cover itself by pointing fingers at his client. That is when it becomes his business, and that is when he made his statement.
If the media is reporting that my client is off the market, I’d definitely refute that.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. My assumption is that a verbal agreement was in place and Fowler bailed. Same thing Ervin Santana did to the Blue Jays a few years ago.
Only way to prevent this in the future is to do away with opt out clauses in contracts. Players are being greedy. Teams shouldn’t have to take on all risk and little reward for the kind of money thats getting dished out.
If you want to keep opt outs it should be a two way street. If you suck or stay hurt the team should be able to dump you at the end of the year.
You’re not saying to get rid of opt-outs, you’re saying to get rid of guaranteed contracts.
Are you sure you don’t own a Major League Baseball team, Charles?
I wish. I’m just a fan and have no personal interest in the Cubs or Orioles. I just happen to take sides with the teams in this case. They sign players to all this money and if things go well the player can say ok now I want more yet if things go bad the teams are stuck paying for a player that isn’t living up to his contract.
Doesn’t seem fair to me. The fans are the ones that end up getting screwed because their team has a budget and once they’re stuck with a few bad contracts it hurts the product on the field.
If you’re going to let players have opt outs then the teams should have the same options in the contract.
“The fans are the ones that end up getting screwed because their team has a budget and once they’re stuck with a few bad contracts it hurts the product on the field.”
1. Fans aren’t that affected by the team’s payroll. If they are, it’s not as much as people tend to claim. The cost of TV packages, concessions, tickets, merchandise is all based on supply/demand, not because the team needs more money to pay a player.
2. Wouldn’t a fan want to see a 32/33/34 year old opt out of his deal? I love that the Giants signed Johnny Cueto, but I hope in 2 years, he opts out. Re-enter the market, let teams establish his value after 2 seasons…. because the opposite is he gets signed to a 5/6 year deal, stinks it up after season 3, and the Giants are stuck with that contract. Had he opted out, they could have saved a lot of money.
“If you’re going to let players have opt outs then the teams should have the same options in the contract.”
Teams do have options on players, all the time. They can vest, they can be mutual, the team can just pay a guy and tell him to get lost after a certain period of time. If a team can negotiate an option into a player contract, they are allowed to do so, with the potential for financial consequences.
I’m not sure why the opt-out seems like a horrible thing. It can be especially beneficial to the team and to the player, which is what baseball aims to do: create a balance between the owners and players. As for the fans, you get to enjoy baseball. The owner likely doesn’t concern himself with your opinion regarding HIS money.
So hypothetically a team signs Bryce Harper to a 10 yr 450 million contract. He has an opt out after 3 years. In 3 years he’s still a beast and now he wants another 10 yr contract for 500 mil. Team lets him walk for a draft pick.
Or you sign him to the same 10 yr 450 mil contract and 3 years in he’s hitting .240 with 12 HR a year and doesn’t opt out. Now your franchise is screwed for the next 7 years.
There’s no risk for the player. All of it falls on the team.
If the team that signs Bryce Harper gives him an opt-out, why would we be concerned about the risk the team is taking on? It’s their team, it’s their decision to ultimately offer the opt-out.
Seriously, I don’t understand why people think this is the worse thing ever. The players can ask, the teams can offer… neither party has to agree. But when there is agreement, both parties assume the risk willingly, or least semi-reluctantly.
Close needs to retire, the game has clearly passed him by and he’s losing his clients money due to his own ego.
Eh, I don’t know. I believe, although MLBTR’s database doesn’t confirm this, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, that Close also represents Greinke and Heyward, who got solid deals this winter (although the story of the Diamondback’ pursuit of Greinke admittedly seems as though the team was willing to almost write a blank check rather than great work on Close’s part). I think this was more about a calculated risk on their part for Fowler to beat the Orioles’ offer next winter. We’ll see how that works out
I’m not agreeing with Just Another Fan by any means since I don’t know enough (or care enough) about Close, but are we really impressed by the contracts he got Greinke and Heyward? Those were the top 2 free agents available… They would’ve gotten great contracts even if they represented themselves.
I’m not particularly crediting Close with being a fantastic agent- just saying that I’m not sure how much he’s “costing his own clients because of his ego.” Just seems, as I said, to be Fowler and Close betting on a good year this year, which would look great if Fowler hits the market next year off and great year and gets 65 million. It’s a risk-reward trade off
And, FWIW, I was impressed by Greinke’s contract. I didn’t think he’d sniff 200 million at his age, but I can’t know if that was a great job by an agent or a team that believed it was a piece or two away from contention, and willing to go the extra mile to get him
In this case, for Fowler, is the risk worth it?
If he’s above-average, which is what it would take for him to get that kind of money, he’ll likely get slapped with another qualifying offer, and likely find himself right back in the same boat—looking for a team in almost March.
If he’s below average, he likely gets less money.
And not to mention, I sometimes scratch my head regarding the desire to get back to the market right away. Considering a point I already made that Fowler wasn’t highly sought after already, who’s to say he’ll be highly sought after again.
And less free agents means less holes to fill for teams. That’s less teams that will court Fowler because they already filled the gap in the OF for years to come. That’s not to say there’s nowhere for him to play, but there may not be as many suitors in a bidding war because teams won’t pay $65M for a guy they don’t need.
Also, with the impressive class of free agents coming up in a couple of years, teams have likely already taken notice. Do they want to fill up the payroll with guys that are far less impressive?
I don’t know if the risk would be worth it. But that’s between Fowler and Close.
If he gets the qo after this year that will be ~30m over 2 years. I imagine that he can sign a contract the following year for 3m without a ton of issue.
You’ve made virtually the same comment a number of times now. Just based on the list of people who have gotten opt-outs that Steve provided, he’s nailed $775 million dollars worth of contracts in recent history including $400MM this offseason.
Seems like he’s doing alright to me.
Are you allergic to facts?
S’more schnapps, free hat, they took our jerbs, rabble-rabble
sorry for his lose cus now the cubbies are gonna be some trash
You speak Jive as well?
Given that Fowler signed for a lot less money, both annually and total contract, it’s not as if the Cubs made a stupendous last minute offer to steal him from the Orioles. Seems like maybe there was a little failure to communicate.
Who wants a good conspiracy theory? Fowler had a deal in place with the O’s and was close to signing. The Reds, seeing Baltimore is basically their last option to offload Bruce, decide to give Chicago half the money of Fowlers new contract to get him to come back. Now Baltimore is pressured by their fans to add an impact bat, and they come crawling to Cincinatti and Bruce. This is the reason Fowler is a Cub
hmmm. Really far fetched, but nice imagination though. If there is any conspiracy I’d say it is more likely Fowler was close to signing, had a change of heart and wanted to go back to Chicago, for pretty much any money, and told his agent either late last night or VERY early this morning. His agent then told the O’s who are well known to not offer opt out clauses to put in an opt out clause then he’ll sign. O’s said f**k off. Fowler FLEW to Arizona to talk to Theo and Hoyer personally and they ironed out a deal this morning. At least I think he flew…. I don’t think he lives in Arizona. I’d imagine he lives in his home state Georgia…… 1 state away from O’s training camp in Florida. Why do I think this is a more likely scenario? Because this deal was announce around 11:45AM this morning. Fowler walked onto the practice field shortly after. So unless he lives in Arizona and a short drive away to Mesa, this is a very likely scenario.
What caused the change of heart?
Being on a STELLAR team last year and walking away from it after it looks like they improved even more this offseason through transactions is a pretty hard thing to do…… why walk away?
That same improved team is playing in a division where while, yes, two other teams are stiff opponents, the other two teams are obviously tanking on purpose in 2016……. that’s 36 games that should be nearly automatic wins. Everyone in the AL East is competitive, it’ll be stressful and rough.
Maddon seems like the chillest guy to work with….. why walk away to go to stone faced Showalter?
Rationalizing leaving a team who won 97 games and went deep into the playoffs to join a team that won 81 and made mediocre additions of Trumbo and Gallardo as their main moves….. seems pretty difficult to do.
While taking $20M less in guaranteed money seems INSANE……. the core reason why everyone plays is to win. While that not always seem to be the case in today’s game, it is still true. It’s rare to see players take less money to go to a team in hopes to win because…… passing up on MILLIONS of dollars, I’d imagine, is very very hard to do. The Cubs now signed 4 players this offseason who did just that. Speaks VOLUMES about the culture the front office has created, and what a desirable manager Maddon is to play for. If Renteria was calling the shots on the field I don’t know if the Cubs sign some of these players, at least not to the discounts they got them at. Not dissing Renteria, but Maddon is a well known guy who players love to play for.
Oh yeah, another reason to want to come back….. why walk away from a team that has the reigning Manager of the Year, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and a player who finished 4th in MVP voting……… to the Orioles…… who have none of that (other than a 4th place finisher in MVP voting in Machado).
Not knocking the Cubs, but I think greinke got robbed of the cy young, didn’t he have the best ERA since Maddox? And the first homer he gave up was in the all star game. And for manager of the year, it basically is given to the manager of a team whose not predicted to do well eg. Bannister, hinch, Collins.
wait which manager has had a losing record with there current team…….. not Buck
Not Maddon, either.
Maddon is 97-65 (.599) with the Cubs and .525 lifetime.
Buck is 458-409 with the Orioles (.528) and .519 lifetime
Well say what you want. Sure Maddon is a good manager. But I doubt he would have led the O’s to the playoffs 2 of the last 4 seasons. O’s also have lead the AL in wins over the last 4 seasons.
O’s needed a tough manager at the time. Showalter was the only guy who had the guts to step into what was going on in Baltimore. He laid it down, cut the BS or you’re not playing here.
If that means a player like Fowler not signing with us. So be it!
Interesting how Agents use social media to push their clients. I don’t understand why the O’s are opt out negative? Opt outs are a good way to dump a player if he hasn’t performed up to snuff.
The opt out is a player invoked option, not the team. If they player sucks and chooses not to opt out, the team is stuck with them.
I fully understand the Orioles reluctance to offer the opt out, especially in this case. They’d be giving up a draft pick this year to sign a guy that may only be around for one year. If he leaves and they need to replace him, they may lose another next year. The Orioles don’t exactly have the best farm system as it is. To give up draft picks, they need to get value, and a one year deal is not value.
this off season has been pretty terrible for reporting. there were several free agents that were signed by teams that weren’t seen as buyers by the media. (greinke, cueto, samardizja, etc)
I’m so confused…