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[matthewwhatever]

Who the hell is going to their games to afford that paycheck?

The money comes from TV. Ticket sales are basically bonus money.

Also, are you arguing that the owner -- who is the biggest slimeball in all of baseball -- deserves to keep more money? Because that's the alternative. I'd rather see one of the best hitters in baseball get the money than see Loria get more hundreds of millions.

 

[Alex Anderson]

I long to see him fall enough in skill to where he won't opt out and they get stuck paying that whole salary. Just because.

 

[enanogrande]

Wait, he's THE Marlins fan?

Dude, how was it to meet E-40?

He was hella cool, I had him cracking up during the whole World Series.

 

[entremet]

Panda should be getting his pay day soon.

 

[Link]

Who the hell is going to their games to afford that paycheck?

No one, but it doesn't matter. Loria and Samson managed to get the county to pay for the ballpark and subsequent annual taxes. Nevermind that the mayor got recalled, the county commissioners that voted for it resigned, and that there's an ongoing SEC investigation.

Of course, the positive is now the public down here is aware that paying for billionaires' stadiums is a complete scam.

 

[RibMan]

Why do baseball players get paid ridiculous money?

It's baseball

Yes, and baseball is a business. They get paid very high figures because they bring in very high figures for the business. Unless something catastrophic happens, the Marlins will make their money back and then some.

 

[Loco4Coco]

Now Jose Fernandez can get a contract extension...oh wait.

 

[Delta Assault]

No one, but it doesn't matter. Loria and Samson managed to get the county to pay for the ballpark and subsequent annual taxes. Nevermind that the mayor got recalled, the county commissioners that voted for it resigned, and that there's an ongoing SEC investigation.

Of course, the positive is now the public down here is aware that paying for billionaires' stadiums is a complete scam.

Boy, that all sounds really... fishy.

 

[Chuck]

Uhhhhhhhhh

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

Lol, the 6 year/$51 million contract we signed McCutchen to has to be the best bargain in the MLB.

Madison Bumgarner has a 6 year, $35.56 million dollar contract with two option years. He was already under control for 5 years of that, but it's still a massive, massive bargain.

McCutchen is probably the best value for a position player, though.

 

[radioactivez0r]

I am amused at the idea that though he can opt out after 5 or 6 years, they tacked on an extra 13th year to the contract for some reason. I don't understand baseball financials but that seems like an empty gesture.

 

[terrisus]

Why do baseball players get paid ridiculous money?

It's baseball

The money's coming in.
It's going to be going somewhere.

It's either that, or the owner just pockets the money.
Which, considering it is Loria... >.>

 

[SliceSabre]

The money comes from TV. Ticket sales are basically bonus money.

Also, are you arguing that the owner -- who is the biggest slimeball in all of baseball -- deserves to keep more money? Because that's the alternative. I'd rather see one of the best hitters in baseball get the money than see Loria get more hundreds of millions.

No one, but it doesn't matter. Loria and Samson managed to get the county to pay for the ballpark and subsequent annual taxes. Nevermind that the mayor got recalled, the county commissioners that voted for it resigned, and that there's an ongoing SEC investigation.

Of course, the positive is now the public down here is aware that paying for billionaires' stadiums is a complete scam.

Oh wow I had read some stuff about how that stadium was built and maintained but I didn't know it was that bad.

 

[Boombloxer]

Absolutely ridiculous.

In a good way.

I wish the NBA/NFL had no cap so the player can earn what they're actually worth.

LBJ would be at 70M a season, easy.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Boy, that all sounds really... fishy.

The Mets were going to make an attempt to sign Giancarlo had he came out to FA, but considering how expensive his contract would've been, signing Michael Cuddyer to a 2 yr deal and not paying that big a figure was a smarter move.

It's not a 25 year old phenom, but it's still a lot of money that the Marlins now have to part with.

 

[thehypocrite]

Good. Players should get paid. Fuck the oppressive socialism of MLB.

 

[Choomp]

I'd never give anyone that long of a contract, but I guess if it had to be anyone than Giancarlo it is.

 

[giancarlo123x]

I love money.

 

[enanogrande]

Well after looking at the contract a bit more... It's not THAT bad. Wins are costing ~$6 Million. $25 Million dollars per year is 4.1 wins (And the price of a win will go up YOY, as it always does.) Stanton was worth 6.5 wins this past year and is only 24 - he should (big SHOULD) average those same 6.5 wins till his year 30 season at the very least, which equals out to 39 wins. He'd have to produce just 14.3 wins for the remainder of the contract for it to be a wash financially for the Marlins - less if we take into account inflation.

Of course, its never smart to sign contracts longer than ~8 years due to injury worries and normal declines in players, and this contract gives Stanton all the power with both a no trade claus AND an opt-out after year 5.. but financially, it doesn't seem all that bad.

 

[Link]

I'd never give anyone that long of a contract, but I guess if it had to be anyone that Giancarlo it is.

Just knowing it's the Marlins, I can tell you without even seeing the contract that it's terribly backloaded and they'll be unloading him or letting him opt out before the salary gets out of control.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

Lol, the 6 year/$51 million contract we signed McCutchen to has to be the best bargain in the MLB.

Paul Goldscmidt says hi.

 

[newjeruse]

This contract makes the Mike Trout extension last year look like a bargain.

Different circumstances. Trout wasn't even arbitration eligible when that was signed. The terms of that contract were equally stunning considering his service time. He'll be making over 33 million per year during the FA years they bought out. Trout is also going to have a chance for another contract in the prime of his career, Stanton now won't.

 

[chicagocubsfan]

Paul Goldscmidt says hi.

Rizzo says hi back. 7 years 41 million.

 

[Couleurs]

Stanton owns and deserves the money but I thought teams were trying to get away from crazy long contracts after the clusterfuck that was ARods 10 year deal.

 

[turnbuckle]

Good deal for the Marlins.
Will be good for the short term while he's young and productive, and, if he remains healthy and productive a few years out it'll make for a substantial trade piece when they go back to their inevitable fire sale mode. He most certainly would have gotten a higher AAV on the open market

 

[DoktorEvil]

Stanton owns and deserves the money but I thought teams were trying to get away from crazy long contracts after the clusterfuck that was ARods 10 year deal.

Well, the Marlins need to reassure the fanbase that they don't intend to uproot the team.

Signing your best player immediately and with a long term deal before FA assures that.

It's not as bad a deal as the Cano 10 yr/240 Mil with Cano at 31. Stanton can become one of the best players in the MLB.

 

[matthewwhatever]

Stanton owns and deserves the money but I thought teams were trying to get away from crazy long contracts after the clusterfuck that was ARods 10 year deal.

A-Rod's first ten-year contract was pretty good though. It's only after he opted out and resigned for a new ten-year deal that things went bad.

 

[turnbuckle]

This is the first thing I thought of. Trout is, literally, the best player I've seen play in the last 15 years probably. He's just great at everything. And I mean overall player. Some great hitters out there.

The first 2 years of Trout were the best first two years I've ever seen of an MLB player. But he's hacking a lot more now, hasn't been running quite as well on the bases, and his defense has fallen apart. Perhaps, hopefully, he's been playing through some temporary injury and he'll return to form at least defensively.

Going by UZR, Stanton was about 12 runs better than Trout defensively last year. Trout went from a +13 run fielder (very good, especially considering he only played in 139 games) to a -10 run fielder in 157 games this season. Unlike Stanton, Trout doesn't have a very strong or accurate arm and much of his defensive value depended on his speed and athleticism.

Trout's strikeout rate went from 21% in 2012 to 19% in 2013 to over 26% this year (Nearly as bad as Giancarlo's strikeout rate) with less power than Stanton.

All that said, I'm a huge Trout fan. But if we're going to see more of the 2014 version than what we're used to, he's no longer unquestionably the best player in baseball (despite what the MVP awards say...of which he was robbed of in 2012 and 2013). I'd still prefer Trout over Stanton, but Trout's speed and defensive regression and K rate are troubling. He's trending more towards a 1.5 tool guy (power and respectable speed for a player of said power) than the 4 tool phenom (never had an arm).

 

[Choomp]

Just knowing it's the Marlins, I can tell you without even seeing the contract that it's terribly backloaded and they'll be unloading him or letting him opt out before the salary gets out of control.

Let's say he wants to opt out at one point, who's going to want to pick up that contract at that point? I'm just interested in seeing on how this plays out in the long run.

 

[trifelife]

Cut to a shot of Mike Trout doing the Birdman hand rub in the year 2020

 

[BigJonsson]

Let's say he wants to opt out at one point, who's going to want to pick up that contract at that point? I'm just interested in seeing on how this plays out in the long run.

Salaries are going to keep going up, 25 million is near the top right now but that will change

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Stanton owns and deserves the money but I thought teams were trying to get away from crazy long contracts after the clusterfuck that was ARods 10 year deal.

Signing a top 5 player to a long term deal when he's 25 is not the same as doing it when he's 32. A-Rod was so good during that first 10 year contract that he exceeded the $250 million value in 6 years before he opted out.

 

[Jack Remington]

Well worth it. If he continues to beast he can opt out and sign another monster deal right in the middle of his prime. Not sure what is in it for the Marlins to be honest. Usually these early extensions make sense if a player takes a little less than market value but I guess they felt they had to buy back some good will with players.

You know who's got to feel like shit seeing these young players like Trout, Stanton, Posey and Kershaw sign monster extensions is Andrew McCutchen. Dude is just as good as any of them and will be making like 1/3 as much as they will through most of his prime. His agent has got to be kicking himself.

Posey maybe. He's not on the same level as Trout, Stanton or Kershaw.

 

[davepoobond]

That's a hell of a contract

 

[kess]

No one, but it doesn't matter. Loria and Samson managed to get the county to pay for the ballpark and subsequent annual taxes. Nevermind that the mayor got recalled, the county commissioners that voted for it resigned, and that there's an ongoing SEC investigation.

Of course, the positive is now the public down here is aware that paying for billionaires' stadiums is a complete scam.

One of the better sports memories I have is watching some dude dressed up as David Samson inviting people to boo him as he walked around the Stade Olympique concourse.

 

[Zee-Row]

Damn I wish the Rays got a new stadium in downtown Tampa so they could afford to pay their players. Maddon would of stayed if we didnt play in a shitty stadium.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Why do baseball players get paid ridiculous money?

It's baseball

More money in baseball, and more games.

Personally if we go by pure devotion and skill, hockey players should make bank.

 

[bjork]

Why do baseball players get paid ridiculous money?

It's baseball

Because being paid to play basketball or football or for having a giant ass is any less ridiculous.

 

[xbhaskarx]

How can the Marlins afford this when they get like 10k fans out to games despite being in a brand new stadium....

 

[turnbuckle]

How can the Marlins afford this when they get like 10k fans out to games despite being in a brand new stadium....

Oh, they can afford it.
$25m a year is a steal for the next 6 years of Stanton.

This is going to be a fun team to watch for the next few years, and when it's time for the next firesale the Marlins will have a ton of pieces to trade for their next batch of prospects.

--

Also, just did a little math

Mike Trout's strikeout rate since June 29th (halfway point of the season) was nearly 36%
To put that in perspect; Mark Reynolds holds the all-time record for strikeouts in a season (223). His Strikeout rate that year was "only" 33.7%.

But I have no doubts Trout will get the biggest contract ever once it gets closer to that time.

---

And as a Tiger fan, I really am worried about the contracts given to Cabrera and Verlander. Giving those huge contracts to players near or past 30 is generally a terrible idea. Miami was smart to keep the AAV low and throw a lot of years; Stanton was smart to get an opt out option. I could see more contracts going this way in the future. Makes sense from both the player and team perspective.

 

[friskykillface]

That guy is my age too , welp another L
Bumgarner will get paid when he's a free agent $$$$$$

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Well, the Marlins need to reassure the fanbase that they don't intend to uproot the team.

Signing your best player immediately and with a long term deal before FA assures that.

It's not as bad a deal as the Cano 10 yr/240 Mil with Cano at 31. Stanton can become one of the best players in the MLB.

Well the Marlins aren't going anywhere anytime soon with the stadium there.

Also from my understanding, the Marlins actually are pretty strong financially? It's just that the owner didn't want to pay for a stadium and thus bilked the county for one. I was under the impression the team can spend money if it wanted to on payroll.

 

[Tempesta di Fuoco]

I don't even understand. He isn't even that great. He's a really good player, but $325 million? Jesus.

 

[Slizz]

The only reason this contract was made was to add value to a pretty average franchise.

Loria is going to sell the club soon and having a brand new stadium and a superstar locked up for so long makes it more valuable on the market.

Loria is such a scumbag.


Stanton will be in LA in 5 years.

I don't even understand. He isn't even that great. He's a really good player, but $325 million? Jesus.

If he hadn't gotten hit in the face and missed the last 20 games, he could have very well won NL MVP.

Also unlike Pujols and the other 9 digit contracts that have been signed is hes only 25, instead of 30.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Well the Marlins aren't going anywhere anytime soon with the stadium there.

Also from my understanding, the Marlins actually are pretty strong financially? It's just that the owner didn't want to pay for a stadium and thus bilked the county for one. I was under the impression the team can spend money if it wanted to on payroll.

The thing is Loria has a bad track record when it comes to how he treats ownership of his teams.

Loria is the same guy that did the same thing to Miami that he did to the Expos. He's the reason the Expos no longer exist.

The guy is scum and he is reportedly a huge art & antiquities dealer in NYC.

He also fired Larry Beinfest, one of the best executives in all of baseball. The man is the reason why the Marlins managed to stay competitive in baseball with a small payroll in a small market and why the Mariners had so much talent in the early 90s(he was a scout for the Mariners then).