Two days into the regular season, only one position player from MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list remains unsigned: designated hitter/first baseman Brandon Belt. On Friday, the veteran slugger discussed his enduring free agency in an appearance on The JD Bunkis Podcast. According to Belt, he had very few calls with teams this winter that went further than the teams expressing loose interest. He never got to the point of “talking about money” with any clubs.
Belt suggests that numerous teams considered him a second-choice option if they were unable to land their first choice on a longer-term deal. In the end, he says “pretty much every one” of those teams “got their guy.” He could be referring to the Giants, who signed Jorge Soler to a three-year deal, or the Mariners, who signed Mitch Garver to a two-year contract. Several other teams signed designated hitters to one-year deals this offseason, including the Diamondbacks (Joc Pederson), the Mets (J.D. Martinez), and the Blue Jays (Justin Turner).
The Rangers were one team that reportedly discussed signing Belt, but evidently, they never reached the point of making him an offer. That surely has something to do with top prospect Wyatt Langford earning a spot on the Opening Day roster, but still, Texas could have considered Belt for the spot that ultimately went to non-roster invitee Jared Walsh. Two more teams that seemed like potential fits for Belt also opted to sign veterans on minor league deals instead: the Blue Jays went with Daniel Vogelbach, while the Angels added Miguel Sano.
Although Belt “definitely” wants to play in 2024 (per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic), he told Bunkis that he didn’t want to settle for a minor league contract. He made $9.3 million last season, and it’s safe to say he outperformed the Blue Jays’ expectations when they offered him that deal. It’s reasonable to presume he was hoping for a raise. Instead, he will almost certainly have to settle for a sizeable pay cut, if and when he eventually signs. To that point, Belt mentioned how different his free agent experience was during the 2022-23 offseason. He says it was “pretty easy” to land a contract because “quite a few teams” were interested in his services. That couldn’t be further from the case this time around.
Belt says the whole experience has “baffled [him] a little bit,” and it’s not hard to see why. The left-handed hitter is coming off an excellent season with Toronto in which he hit 19 home runs in just 103 games. He also hit 23 doubles and drew 61 walks over 404 plate appearances. Only seven AL batters (min. 400 PA) outproduced his .858 OPS and 138 wRC+. His .336 expected wOBA was more good than great, and he’s likely due for some regression as he enters his late thirties. Still, plenty of teams would be better off with his experienced lefty bat on their roster.
Baffling
Truly baffling.
Teams are waffling
Circle of life, circle of life
Below the Belt.
Can see the Yankees Should injuries to Stanton and Rizzo happen. The problem as everyone knows is teams are trying to do away with the expensive strict DH. Maybe Boston if Yoshida gets hurt but they will probably try to low ball him with an MLB minimum offer. Probably some other teams I’m missing. He should consider an independent league to stay in shape.
NYY won’t pay him. He’d be a nice pick up for a .120 hitting Stanton. Stanton as a DH was what- hitless until the NYY had a 6 run lead, they he hits a solo shot. That’s not the DH the NYY need. Soler would have been the right choice for NYY if they could dump 1/2 of Stanton’s salary on someone lol
But The blue jays must know something about him, they signed Danny Burgers without even making Belt an offer. Something might be going on there.
Stanton has until June to show he is capable of garnering DH at bats cause Dominquez is coming and once he does Stanton may find himself on the bench fighting for at bats. Maybe this will be Yankees ticket to try and trade him as I imagine he waive his no trade clause for the right team. Yankees easily can eat 2/3 of his contract as Imagine $25 million savings better than nothing and a bargain with 3 1/2 yrs for a DH player with 30 Hr pop and 75 rbis
I’m not sure anyone takes him even at that tbh. They won’t give anything up for sure.
Suspenders.
This is baffling more than anything that has ever been baffling before.
Huge missed opportunity to use “baffled” there.
I’d rather have Belt at first than Joey the K Gallo.
What’s baffling to me is that agents are not preparing their margin players/ clients for this possibility.
The influx from Asia plus very young players being brought up sooner than ever (with large contracts) is leading to less chairs at the MLB dinner table.
There are only so many seats at the table and one dimensional DH types are not as desirable as they once were.
Unfortunately for a guy like Belt – it’s just math.
I assume Belt was a consideration for the Cubs if they didn’t get their guy in Bellinger. They would have wanted a lefty bat to replace him, and Belt could have been a full time DH. They could still sign him, and it’d help their lineup a bit. The fear would be that Morel doesn’t work at 3B, and then you have to DH him to keep his bat in the lineup and Belt is a wasted spot.
Look at all the teams’ rosters for 1B/DH. Pretty much everyone likes what they have, either in cheap, younger talent, or established players.
And didnt Belt signed kind of late last year, and start the season 3-50ish, with a million strikeouts? Being a slow starter along with his asking price might be a deterrent for a team, even though he did end up with decent numbers
And with his knees, not the all-around player anymore.
Brandon Belt has always been a fairly solid player but he is not a guy that “moves the needle very much” for me.
Solid but unspectacular.
Injuries have become an issue for him.
Just my take…..
36 year old DH that has only played 100+ games (barely) once in the past 3 full seasons can’t understand why interest was minimal? Maybe he should give J.D. Martinez a call and compare notes
He had an OPS+ of 136 in 404 PAs last year. Let’s not act like he wasn’t good. Even in his down years, he still hits at a good clip. You can’t tell me that a bunch of teams couldn’t use him.
Not that many true DH left especially older expensive one’s.
Most teams like an extra OF or multiple position infielders for flexibility. They are also usually cheaper and younger right now.
Belt isn’t a true DH, he is an excellent defensive first baseman.
I don’t gotta tell you that a bunch of teams that couldn’t use him……there’s 30 teams already yelling you and Belt that.
He had an OPS+ of 136 in 404 PAs last year.
=========================
He also had a .370 BABIP. That will revert. And he was strictly a platoon player.
i’m not so sure it will revert as much as you think. Belt was in the 96th percentile in chase rate, of course he has always been near to the top of the league in walks, so he forces pitchers to come in the zone, and he barreled 15% of pitches. He whiffs a lot but when he connects he connects *hard*, half his hits were for extra bases.
@Rct That’s because he was a platoon hitter primarily facing RH pitching. A bunch of teams can’t afford to tie up a roster spot on a platoon hitting DH
JD Martinez is by far the better hitter and always has been.
Yeah but JD Martinez can only play for 1 team at a time.
Baffling or Bally put a lot of teams in revenue uncertainty!
That’s all this is. Economic downturn combined with playing a position that is not at the highest level of demand.
Economic downturn?? I don’t believe the teams that Bally dropped lost much when MLB or Amazon took over?
Not really baffling at all. Considering his year with Toronto, few team would have expected him to take a pay cut. Walsh and Vogelbach made their teams as the 26th man, and have the pay rate that corresponds with the position. Sano is younger, cheaper, and is playing on a team that does not expect to contend, with or without Belt. Money is tight thru out the league because of the Bally situation, and you don’t break budget for someone who is not a difference maker.
He’s an older 1B who had a nice comeback year who probably overvalued himself while 1B like Carlos Santana and Rowdy Tellez accepted lower offers early. The 1B market wasn’t that deep last off season.
He never received an offer
Nor did he indicate he would accept a lower than expected offer. If you want a job, you have to sell your services. He didn’t.
He’s way better than rowdy too. Not even close. Pirates signed wrong guy
After watching Tellez opening day I would be tempted to cut bait and sign Belt instead but it is too early to write him off. More of a manager mistake of starting him against a left hander. At least he wised up and pinch hit for him which resulted in a HR.
okay
Injuries happen… he’ll get the call soon enough.
Dude just wants his 200th home run!
Perhaps he would’ve cost more than they were willing to spend on a bench player, but I’m surprised the Cardinals didn’t even consider Belt as a clearly superior alternative to Matt Carpenter.
STL does not need a part-time 1B and a full-time DH like Belt. Add to that, way, way too expensive. STL is cheap to pay Belt or anyone else that kind of money. Add to that STL has way too many misfit pieces vying for DH at-bats. The Carpenter as 26th man roster spot definitely a very questionable signing I agree.
Yes but Carpenter plays multiple positions and has a history with the Cardinals. Both he and Belt have hit well recently and Carpenter is cheaper.
Carpenter can’t play 2B or 3B anymore, just 1B or DH like Belt does.
You can’t trust Spring Training stats that much, and while Carpenter did have that excellent stretch with the Yankees, he has overall been a significantly weaker hitter than Belt over the past few years.
As I said, cost could’ve been a factor, but they should’ve at least checked into the possibility of signing Belt instead of Carpenter.
They blew their wad first day for FA. They should have had belt and Monty
Teams are risk averse with this type of player…ancient of days, and any second the possibility of one of his reconstructed knees might blow out yet again. Plus it’s a position almost every team can cover at little to no cost if they don’t already have a star there.
I know you’re a thousand miles away, ya filthy SOB… but are your ears ringing yet? I saw an interesting comment on this arty! 😉
mlbtraderumors.com/2024/03/the-opener-opening-day-…
@Gwynny I am a bit slow on the uptake this morning, and having a little trouble identifying this ‘interesting comment’ you are pointing me towards…please excuse my dense-ness.
Eh, you must not see Old York then.
He wrote:
Last year, the two teams that played in the WS were the Rangers and Diamondbacks. The Rangers had a ST record of 13-15 while the D-Backs had a ST record of 16-14.
Based on that, no team had a similar record, but the Pirates had a record of 13-16 while the Mariners have a 15-13 record. Also, last year, the Rangers were 4.5 games back from top in the ST standings while the D-Backs were 2.5 back.
Mariners are 2.5 back and the Padres are 4.5 back.
So, I think it’s safe to say that the Mariners will be playing in the World Series this year with either the Padres or Pirates facing them.
-A few of us had a small thread going, tis all chap! Cheers amigo, good luck!
Weird I never muted Old York so I don’t know why I couldn’t see his comment. Anywho, I think I follow his reasoning although it seems a tad spurious? Enjoy your weekend amigo!!!
Tad spurious now synonymous with random af? Lol
Have fun dude!
I think I had a roommate back in college who named his tally-wacker “Tad Spurious”…or that was his adult film screen name.
Did he slump his shoulders and shake his head defiantly?
Padres could use Pham and Belt, honestly. ProZocar isn’t going to cut it.
100%, not sure what they’re waiting for
So could the Astros. I don’t buy Jose Abreu unless he produces quickly. Our left handed bat/1B backup shouldn’t be on a major league roster, to say nothing of a contender.
Agree but Belt fit is dicey. Machado looks to be DH for awhile and to put Belt on 1st you have to rearrange the infield, Cro back to 2d, Boggie back to SS, and Kim to 3rd? Don’t see that happening …. if he’s willing to play for the minimum would be a good bat off the bench…
Get him Preller!
Take him in Cleveland but not for $9m/yr
Reminds me of Denard Span
Because they both hit lefthanded? I ran out of comparisons at that point…
They both wore a baseball uniform and both blinked on the same day… Come on, you don’t see it?
My bad! I guess I’m blinder than Tommy Pham.
>.<
I will not contribute to the Tommy Pham bashing lol. He was a nice guy in person.
San Diego CANNOT say the same… but we wish him well!
As long as you don’t beat him in fantasy football.
Moreso than the past teams seem to have decided they’re not obligated to sign expensive aging veterans and can fill their potential roster spot with cheaper options for “good enough” production. Also 1B/DH has becomes crashing less valued over the years.
Belt could be in a Gardner situation- the harsh or not so harsh reality is that there are veterans who have a good season late in their career but nothing so spectacular that anybody clamoring to give them big money to play the best year and they quietly retire “early” because the offers aren’t good enough to entice them to keep up with the baseball schedule now that they’ve made the money they’ve already made and they informally retire by force majeure.
The system has always been set up this way, but for whatever reason front offices have just now woken up and realized a better way to play the game. That being said it also means the system is now broken as teams are allowed to get players during their best years for very little money under the premise they’ll be paid more later. Less and less that’s happening so a day of reckoning is coming during future bargaining agreements. Ultimately, team control years needs to be significantly altered or done away with altogether.
The Owners will never relinquish Control Years, sorry Randor.
It is called a strike. It has happened before and almost certainly will again. It has been 30 years since the last strike and the current system screws all but the top 2 to 3% of players.
If that happens, what would be the incentive to field a minor league system? The team is going to loose any quality player as soon as they produce at the ML level. The team pays for not only that player, but all of the teammates that don’t make it, which allows the few to develop to ML caliber. Why invest all that money for a player you lose after one year?
Why wouldn’t you simply compensate them for their efforts so that you don’t lose them? They’re 18, you see them as the future face of the franchise – pay them. Doesn’t seem all that complicated.
To be completely fair to reality here- it’s not like Belt was a guy who somehow didn’t reach arbitration, signed an extremely team friendly long term deal that he vastly over performed during and then got iced out right when it came time for someone to make up for that underpay- and there are some guys this does happen to- but in point of fact was coming off a fairly reasonably valued 5 years/$72.8M extension, plus an $18.4M QO salaried season plus a pretty decently priced $9.3M one year deal. All in all that’s equivalent to 7 years/$100.5M.
A player like Brandon Belt getting 7 years/$100.5M is an extremely fair value and a lot of guys coming off that kind of deal often do struggle to find work or even bother to keep playing after the age of 35.
However, in regards to these various arguments about how and when players get paid and the fact that more and more veterans are getting pushed out for younger, cheaper options, despite probably having a few more decent years left in the tank wherein they may have been able to secure an additional $5-$15M per season and instead get shut out and effectively forced into retirement…
The problem with all of this is that when they’re young and new you can argue that they’re an unknown commodity and one piece of a cattle call of young talent that may or may not pan out- hence why the minors exist and why there are way more prospects that don’t pan out than that do- and then when they’ve panned out and proven themselves, they’re suddenly old and it’d be dumb to pay them anything or give them anything long term…. and now you’ve gotten 10+ great years from a player and barely paid them. That’s the fear of where this trend is headed.
But then you’ve got guys like Will Smith- who get a very long term, very lucrative contract and fans decry it’s too long, it’s an overpay, etc. but if the contract had been shorter but the same value- and the dollars are generally the ultimate goal for the player- fans would’ve complained about how his AAV was too high.
I don’t think there’s a perfect solution to any of this and I think a new CBA will try to address the conflicts of interest inherent to the situation-
I personally think there needs to be mandatory minimum arbitration salaries attached to WAR value- that WAR $ needs to become a more codified and technically applicable calculation and that player popularity with fans should also be considered, too…
One of the harsh realities is that a guy like Belt was underpaid for his prime years and overpaid for his decline years and so in the end the team broke even on his compensation and if you look at his overall WAR and trajectory, it’s understandable why he may not have been offered any major league deals going into the 2024 season and just because a guy wants to keep playing, doesn’t mean it’s financially and statistically justifiable to fill a roster spot with that player- especially if they’ve already been paid fairly for past performance and the decline has been undeniable and persistent.
That’s great for Trout, Chourios, Keith, and Acuna types, but what about the solid but average 1B, or the 3rd starter types? They are necessary for filling out the team, but not worth the cost of a minor league system, or a bidding war. Not every player is face of the franchise worthy.
There’s a way to make it work and structure your payroll accordingly. Soccer teams (outside of America) do not have years of control and the game thrives just fine.
Again, Brandon Belt is gonna be fine. I don’t think anybody is crying for Brandon Belt- but his frustration is a fair point for the guys who never got that massive deal but hung around…
I think one solution could be sort of like the NFL where there’s a roster bonus or something for guys who get called up- not just the temporary massive salary for being on the 40 man roster itself but an overall rule where the minimum salary of anybody playing on an MLB 40 man roster coming out of spring training is a guaranteed $1.62M for their first year, a guaranteed $3.24M the second year, etc. and elimination of pro-rated deals- so if you get called up, you get that salary, period.
It means if a guy busts his behind for 10 or 15 years, gets jerked around roster-wise, etc. and find himself at 33 or 35 years old and pushed out of the game, but he’s spent like 6 to 12 years mostly on major league 40 man rosters, that guy has still managed to earn a minimum of like $2.5M or so per season that entire time- even as a pre-arbitration player and so the majority of these Quadruple-A guys who hang around the game all these years still wind up with $40M in salaries- meaning most of them can retire with a solid $15M to $20M in cash after taxes and yeah, they’re not mega wealthy, but they won’t have to worry about a day job and they have money to retire with. It might not be generational wealth or more money than they know what to do with, but it’d be fair compensation for being a regular part of an industry with more than enough money to go around.
I really do think the MLB minimum needs to get pushed up to like $1.62M per season with raises that virtually double for pre-arbitration guys and that arbitration salaries have minimum values that are more substantial than they currently are.
The new trend in baseball is that treats are bringing their prospects up faster than they have in the past. This will result in shortened careers.
teams- not treats. Stupid autocorrect.
In other words, teams found a new way not to spend money. The next CBA needs to put a lot more cash in young players’ pockets.
And with 12 teams now making the playoffs, the goal isn’t to be great, it’s to be good enough and then hope to get lucky in the postseason.
In my opinion are certainly a number of teams where he would be an upgrade at 1B/LF based on some of these lineups. I think it’s ridiculous how some of the wealthy owners just sit on their profits and don’t seem to make much of an effort to field a competitive team.
If he wanted a raise over last year, he might just be asking too much.
Belt is younger than JD Martinez, can actually play the field and had any almost identical OPS+ (136) as JD (134) in 2023. What hand they hit from and JD not having not quite a bad splits same handed is the difference.
Belt just ends up being collateral damage to what happened to the Boras 4 1/2. I can see him not wanting to accept an MiLB offer. This is where the MLBPA needs to look at the NBA model of “cap exception contracts” that go to veteran players, In the case of MLB not only would contract not count toward CBT, the MLB veteran could occupy a special “41st” 40 man spot. It’s the 40 man spot MLB teams hoard and value so much.
My guess is due to injury or poor performance someone will reach out with a deal late April or into May. That’s better for Belt, it shortens his season keeps his legs fresh.
I’ll pretend to be the owners.
“Intriguing idea, MLBPA. Agree to a salary cap, and we’ll be happy to give that idea its full due hearing.”
Why would the owners take that position? Furthermore, why would the players agree to an unrelated premise solely for the opportunity to discuss their main point of contention?
Because the Owners want a Salary Cap since the beginning of time, Randor. And this is exactly how CBA negotiations are initiated.
Because they want that opportunity to discuss their main point of contention. The players don’t get to discuss what they want without the owners getting to discuss what they want. To get you have to give.
Nobody wants a salary cap. It’s bad for business.
What would having a player exempt for taxation have to do with the salary cap? Exempting the player from taxation would benefit the owners every bit as much as the players if not more.
A cap and a floor.
A floor is the worst idea.
Ok I’ll pretend to be an MBA with a minor is sports business management, oh wait I am..
The NBA mid-level exemption starts at $5M annual and climbs as high a $12M for non tax paying teams, Now the NBA and MLB CBA’s are not apples to apples, but this clearly works in the NBA for the benefit of veteran players. In the NBA this can go for deals up to 4yrs and some teams are too far above cap lines they don’t even get an exemption.
As I said previously, what teams are loathe to give up for veterans, especially those on 1yr deals, are 40 man rosters spots. Ex the 26 man roster, the 14 remaining 40 man spots are lottery tickets of talent with surplus value as compared to a free agent, especially in years 1-3.. This was made worse for middle class veterans when MLB rosters expanded to 26 without a corresponding change to the 40 man limit as a veteran wouldn’t have options left to go up and down.
MLBPA would pitch this to owners as follows” non CBT tax payers if you sign a veteran to such a contract, you get a competitive balance draft pick and said player does not count against your 40 man.. CBT Tax payers would have access access to such a contract, the max$ would be lower AND they’d not eligible for a draft pick. ALL teams benefit by having the MLB veteran who costs just $ and doesn’t count toward the 40 man or the CBT. calculation.
This addresses the 2 things squeezing MLB veterans, This is not about talent, this is about a teams internal calculation of what a 40 man roster spot is worth when occupied by a 21yo vs a 31yo and a team’s CBT. situation. Purely hypothetical, the contract value is $6-8M for non tax payers, the higher the contract $ amount the higher the draft pick compensation and or extra International $’s. For tax payers the max starts @ $5M and goes down with each threshold crossed
$20 million to $40 million: $4M
$40 million to $60 million: $3M
$60 million or more $2M
Tell me which MLB team says no and WHY?
There will never be salary caps in MLB, NBA has one in name only there are so many exceptions. NFL does but their economics are radically different than MLB’s
As A Jay’s fan Belt was injured quite A bit. He would be A great platoon player. He probably wants A similar amount he made last year and this past offseason has shown that with reduced tv money for half the league he would have to take A reduced salary. If I had to choose JDM or Belt 100% would take JDM who hits both sides of the plate well.
The Mariners should sign him
It appears that most clubs decided to hand positions to players making the minimum over marginal free agents for too much money!
Baffling? Really? He should play golf with Donaldson or just play golf
If his last name was Bell he would have signed already.
Belt is too harsh a name and teams seem to be avoiding players with hard consonants in their name.
Kirk Kirkpatrick never got to play baseball for this reason. Too many harsh letters.
He should change it to Bolt. Then he could pinche run!
H-Town should grab him up and platoon him with Abreu. Or just flat out start if Abreu can’t kick it in gear
Belt will turn 36 next month, and a GM doesn’t want to sign a player as he is fading. Some of Belt’s statistics that would concern me would be his low RBI to PA rate of 9.4% last year, and his high strike out rate of 35%, along with his BA of .235 over the last two years.
@Buckwheat
RBI to PA rate? That’s a new one.
RBI are very team-dependent, and BA means very little. He had a 136 OPS+ last year. A one-year deal around $5M would be a bargain.
@gbs42
RBI’s are also not indicative to hit, rather the there was a base runner(s) when he got a hit. OPS+ is ok, I prefer wRC+.
Agreed about the 5M to be a bargain. Sometimes you can’t see the Forrest for the trees.
So you would rather guys get their hits when baserunners aren’t on base than on base? Getting clutch hits and scoring runs is a key element to the game that you are trying to push out the door with over redundancy of number crunching.
You don’t have any control over whether anyone is on base when you come up to bat, so why would that factor into this at all?
@Mets6986??
Your first sentence is a strawman, so I’m not going to respond. Being clutch isn’t a teachable skill. Over redundantcy is in itself a redundant phrase. Lastly, there isn’t a team in baseball which doesn’t have a department dedicated to crunching numbers. And I’m pretty sure they don’t recommend anything based on RBI’s
Because the point of the game is to score runs. Sometimes you give up stats to get a run home. But in saber metrics world you would rather not get that run home as long as you get your meaningless numbers up. The only try numbers that matter are runs scored and runs allowed which RBIs is a very key stat. I don’t care what a saber metrics say.
You’re not going to respond but you did respond? I’m pretty sure it’s not a teachable skill either. It’s natural ability. Some have it and others do not. It is what makes players superstars from good players. You’re out of your mind if you think baseball doesn’t care about RBIs . Scoring runs and preventing runs is the most important part of the game. Players that produce them are valued more then players that dont.
@Mets6986
I’m not going to respond to your strawman fallacy, and didn’t. You almost have it. It’s about creating runs not necessarily scoring them. Afterall, creating runs will eventually lead to scoring runs.
In a situation where there is a runner at 3B, none out, if the batter walks he doesn’t get an RBI but still creates a situation for more runs to be scored which can be measured by WPA, RE24, wRC+. RBI’s are a redundant stat which no one takes seriously when even a cursory examination of advanced stats are done.
141 K’s in 404 PA’s. Often injured. Slow starter. Couldn’t hit a thing in April. Couldn’t drive in runs when it mattered. He only hits off speed pitches because he can’t catch up to fastballs, hence the K’s, and a lot of them from looking. I watched him all of ‘23 and wondered if this was the best cleanup hitter the Jays could get. He played for himself, much like Chapman did. But hey, at least he didn’t smash iPads in the dugout. And boy can he fish. He’s not allowed back to Lake Simcoe for fear of catching all the bass himself.
What do you mean, he played for himself? Makes zero sense
Just my opinion, but I think there were a number of guys on the Jays in ‘23 who were playing for contracts and trying to hit homers. A lot of swings and misses instead of making contact to move runners over and pass the baton. There wasn’t much small ball played in T.O. last season, just a lot of individuals wanting to do it themselves.
Sure his strikeouts are higher than you’d like. Maybe he could concentrate on that in 2024. He shouldn’t cost much 6M or less? He could be productive in a platoon 1B and DH role goal maybe 375 PA. Good defense/run prevention wins games also. Even newer statistics don’t always capture the true value the human eye is a good way to judge also.
Defensive range, errors saved on bad throws, allowing 2B to position closer to 2B based on scouting reports.
I thought he could help the NYM I still do except now less roster spots and less DH ABs because of JD Martinez
I’ll throw in for Tampa Bay! I could see Brandon belting them out for the Rays!
oh pls no. hoping he gets offered a pillow contract with the Bucs or someone else in the NL
The contract the Jays handed out was a massive overpay, and they managed to win that decision. Doubt another team was trying to outbid the Jays last offseason and he could have been signed for less money.
When you consider Joc Pederson’s contract after the year he had it truly is baffling that Belt went unsigned.
I hope he gets an opportunity because not only can he still hit, he became a funny entertainer later in his career. “The Captain” schtick was great. But he’s also very serious and even tempered.
We don’t know Belt’s contract demands but can’t believe he was asking for anything outrageous. Confusing times.
Agreed Dave, but he may have also been a victim of a perfect storm-type trap. Bally/TV revenue uncertainty, teams committing to their (related) signees early, a position of little-to-no demand in today’s market, 36 and gimpy, some usual suspect teams are already up against the CBT, cheaper alternatives sprinkled throughout every single Farm, etc. …and while it’s doubtful that Belt priced himself out, there is that distinct possibility that teams just assumed his price to be semi-elevated and pivoted before any talks of money.
Baffled. Perplexed. Bewildered. Leisurely. Unexciting. Rich.
Festering rebuke. Shackled in flummox. Levitational retort.
I watched the jays alot. From what I saw belt really didn’t contribute when it mattered most. He never gave us that clutch hit
Could be selective memory and/or a supposed lack of clutch hitting that is unlikely to repeat. Overall, he was a very good hitter last year.
His WIMM % could pick up though with a fresh start on another team.
I could help Belt, I’ve improved my *Winchell’s In Mid-Morning* %s every year!
sorry I keep confusing when-it-mattered-most (wimm) with Winchell’s In Mid-Morning (WIMM) stats. BTW, our boy J. Kruk is still MLB all time leader in WIMM%.
30 years ago you’d go to a AAA game and see a Brandon Belt in the lineup and recall his past World Series experience…and he’d be hanging on because guys maybe still hadn’t made lifetime money.
In all this he’s a player that doesn’t HAVE to go play the game. It’s a choice he’s making as much as it is teams not being interested. High cost older guy locking up a DH slot isn’t how teams are wanting to roll.
This is ridiculous. I may have the opposite take and this isn’t intended toward Brandon specifically. But teams should have a salary floor. They should carry a minimum payroll. Brandon could help a team. It should t have taken so long to sign Montgomery or the other Boras guys. I’m sure owners don’t like where the numbers are going but they need to suck it up. They have the dollar bucks.
A floor can’t come without a ceiling, and those have both been stated non-starters in previous CBA negotiations.
Reminds me when Ron Leflore negotiated with Bud Ceiling
Brandon Belt and any number of players could be atleast on this Oakland roster. The fact MLB allows one team that MIGHT compete for a AAA title on the field is ridiculous and should be insulting to fans enough that they react with their pocket book. MLB doesn’t feel that people truly care enough to stay away. They need to learn that lesson.
Brandon, if you want to play, take a page out of Pablo’s playbook. Drop your asking price, sign a minor league deal, make the team and enjoy this great game. Otherwise you will sit and wallow in tears that the average person could care less about. $1 million or even league minimum is a lot of money for the average people buying tickets.
The guy has had a successful mlb career. I don’t think he needs your advice on how to make a baseball team or make money. He has done both while you have not.
Because his way of thinking has worked so well this year.
What about the guys who own the teams? What’s $1 million to them?
I’d like to know what his asking price is. Even if they never got around to talking specifics, there are always parameters out there.
Belt and/or his agent are misreading the market, badly. Not baffling, badly.
Perfect combination this year of broken TV deal putting half the league in a salary freeze, new CBA rewarding teams to bring up rookies, more Japanese players being posted, harsher luxury tax penalties with Cohen Tax, teams locking up young players to extensions which keeps their payroll down in terms of AAV which you would think gives them more money for free agency but conversely locks up their 26 man roster from being able to add additional players (especially ones who cost more than their own young stars), increased operating costs due to inflation and minimum wage hikes (most employees of teams AREN’T the 26 players, 30 trainers & coaches & the 10-20 executives you see in the yearbook – it’s the thousands of parking lot attendants, janitors, line cooks, dishwashers, window washers, maids, etc. who work behind the scenes or before and after games cleaning it, prepping the food for the restaurants & buffets, cleaning the luxury boxes, restrooms, locker rooms, dugouts, etc.) those salary increases add up. Even if they already make more than minimum wage, the hikes will push their salary up, and most of all more and more billionaire corporate owners who care more about profits and bottom line than winning and less and less spare no expense owners like George Steinbrenner who cared only about winning…. Also it would not surprise me if there’s collusion going on again, definitely in terms of Bauer and possibly in terms of Boras clients.
Belt and Solano would make a pretty decent platoon for a team, should the need arise at some point.
Always felt he was overrated.
Must be Boras’ fault…
I’m not baffled, but I AM flummoxed.
When he was with the Blue Jays last year he said he was retiring to spend more time with his family.
If you are changing your mind you can’t wait until late in the offseason. You have to make your mind up quickly and sign somewhere right away.
I’m as anti-owner, pro union as it gets but this offseason is the players fault not the owners. This whole concept of waiting the entire offseason to get the offer you want is ridiculously stupid. The closer it gets to the start of the season the less you are going to receive.
Having players like Montgomery, Snell, Chapman wait forever to sign hurt fellow players like JD Davis, Mike Clevinger, etc.. and they didn’t even benefit from it. They could have had the same or better deals months earlier. The time to pivot to max AAV one year deals with player options was months ago not the day before the season starts.
Baffled? I mean that’s someone thinking very highly of themselves. Do some reflecting Brandon. You were ok last year, you are 35 and were expecting a pay raise. Guys don’t get paid more as they get older, especially a guy of your level. You are a mediocre DH and platoon guy at first base these days. He’d be a great fit with anyone looking for a guy to DH, play first to give a guy a day off and some great playoff experience. Other than that you aren’t worth more than the 9 mill you got last season.
Not really, he’s one of if not the most experienced lefty 1B/DH in the league, Belt should think highly of himself… Has adapted to many coaching styles, revamped his own playing style, and has shown strong mentorship and media savviness. It’s quite astonishing that teams wouldn’t offer him a couple mill to guide their young guys and get some positive consistency from someone who isn’t even asking for loads of playtime. Not to mention he’s tied for most rings among active players.
The reality is simply that non-All Star level players in their mid-30’s are not going to receive multi-year deals and they aren’t going to get nearly as much as they want.
Belt got $9.3 MM last year. I imagine he wanted a two-year deal and around the same money. That just ain’t gonna happen for a 36 year-old that has made one All Star team in his career, eight years ago.
I’m willing to bet he could have easily signed a one-year deal in the $5-$7 MM range.
You’re assuming teams knew what he wanted in a deal, and that he wanted too much, when he says they never talked figures with any team.
I would say it’s a fairly safe assumption. One with any knowledge of baseball economics would make.
Clear fit in Miami to platoon with Bell at 1B/DH… Especially when Avi Garcia is on the roster and looking horrible already two games… Eat the money and sign this guy Sherman. If you truly do care about winning.
should have been the move for the Cubs before overpaying LA for Michael Busch. Guy will sign for $5-7 million – absolute bargain.
This has nothing to do with Belts ability. He is older and a bit injury prone but we see guys in worse spots find a home. The real issue is nobody needs to fill his position at the moment, teams are happy with what they got. He will have to slide in somewhere to fill in for an injury down the road this season.
Teams have realized that they can get more value out of younger players. At this point Belt brings one limited skill to a team and that’s hitting in a platoon. Teams aren’t willing to waste resources on an old DH with really limited positional value.
103 out of 162. Well damn I want a guy who missed 59 games too.
What’re they supposed to do? Take playing time away from Vladdy…?
I need someone to mow my yard this summer. So he will always have an opportunity for work
Baffled? You’re not going to make much when you’re constantly on the IL.
Left handed 1b/dh exclusive. Hasn’t had 100 hits in a season in 5 years and is 35. Has struggled against lefties… and he thought he’d be someone’s first option? Lol