[Astros] New Beltran Information 11-30

I tend to agree.

As much as I love Bagwell (and I do), his salary does not match his output.

Is he still one of the best first basemen in the game? Sure.

Does he deserve to go into the Hall? I absolutely think so.

But is he playing up to the level of money we're paying him? I'm not too sure about that.

However, I think Houston fans will be in a rage if the Astros don't do everything in their power to acquire Beltran.

Even if that means giving him more money than he deserves, or giving him a contract that will pay him money even when he's no longer as productive as he once was.

 

I've never really heard Beltran talk about dropping Boras. Why would you fire someone who makes you more money? Players do love Scott Boras.

I don't think that the Yankees are that interested in getting Beltran. The Cubs can't do anything if they can't trade Sosa (and it does appear that they are stuck with Sammy). The Angels have taken themselves out. I think that unless teams like the Mets get desperate and throw out some ridiculous contract, Beltran will be an Astro next year.

 

Agents like Boras may get you a buttload of money but do they treat you like a person or dollar signs...do they look at their player's personal as well as financial well being (as in Jerry Maguire). It's not always about the money.

 

It is always about the money...sad but true.

Agents like Jerry Mcguire don't exist in real life.

 

Well in the case of Scott Boras... you are definitely right. And it almost seems, based on the latest Beltran article, that we would have landed him already if not for the stupid games Boras is playing

 

you're wrong. yes, they do.

and athletes don't always make decisions primarily for cash. we've seen that time and time again. i can name you a very long list of players who took less money to play in their hometowns or to stay with a club they love playing for. the list here in houston, alone, is impressive.

 

I didn't b**** about Olajuwon, and will not b**** about Bagwell. His current salaray is a "make good" on the past. He deserves to stay, he deserves to retire an Astro, he deserves to get 500 HR in this uni. However, at his current level, he is hardly one of the best first basemen currently playing.

 

I'd be interested in seeing the list.

 

off the top of my head...biggio and caminiti both took less to stay here. players give hometown discounts all the time. roger clemens...andy pettite. bagwell has deferred money over and over again. we don't hear as much about the hometown discounts in other places, because they're not reported nationally. some players take less to go take a chance with a team they think has a better chance to win a championship...i see that in hockey, quite a bit. obviously baseball is the sport where this is most amplified, because there's so much comparable flexibility in payrolls with no salary cap. think pujols could have negotiated more out of the Yanks than he did with the cards?? how about vlad with the Angels?

as for the agents...jerry maguire was modeled after a real agent. why the guy's name is escaping me right now is beyond me. but he has his clients take the full-range of factors into account before making a decision. money is part of that decision, but not the only decision.

 

The "they took less money" thing sounds good, but it's pretty rare. It does happen. But Bags? He got what was coming to him, you think that contract's a bargain? Biggio wouldn't be making more in another market than he's making with the Stros. Andy Pettite got a very competitive offer from the Stros, he's got a high dollar contract. Jeff Kent signed for a reasonable amount, but I don't remember hearing about someone offering more for his services.

The Clemens signing, on the other hand, was at a discount.

 

In 1995, the Colorado Rockies offered a king's ransom for Biggio(and rightly so)... he accepted Houston's lesser offer to remain with the team. From 1996-1999, those were Biggio's most productive, HOF-type, years... and he was playing in the Astrodome. He would have put up GIGANTIC numbers had he gone to Colorado.

Andy Pettite was offered a last-second king's ransom from the Yankees... he was ready to return home.

Jeff Kent was offered much more money by Boston... but he wanted to play in Texas (in fact, I had no idea about this one until his press conference with the Dodgers... he talked about how Boston winning the championship made him think about what it would have been like had he agreed to play with them).

Bagwell eventually got his... but keep in mind he's agreed to defer large portions of that contract every year, so that this team could get players like Kent, Pettite, Wagner re-signed, and Biggio's multiple (painful) extensions.

Another Houston sports example:
- Barkley accepted a 1 million dollar contract from the Rockets, so that they could sign Pippen in 1999. Hell, the MLE is worth more than that today.

 

Sam -- Biggio did take less money for his first big contract. He was pursued by St. Louis and Colorado. He turned them both down to stay here. Taking less money to do so. Caminiti did it...twice, I believe. Bagwell got his money...I didn't say he didn't...but he did defer money over and over again.

Pettitte's offer was competitive..but it was less than what the Yanks ultimately offered, if I remember right. Sounds like what may end up happening with Beltran, if you ask me.

Clemens was definitely a discount, as you said.

You're right about Kent. And I think there are some analogies to Beltran's situation there, too. Kent hit the market thinking he was going to get huge offers everywhere. He ended up having to settle for a lot less than his agent thought he'd get, here in Houston.

We don't hear about it elsewhere as much...but then again, the hometown discounts we hear about here locally aren't frequently reported or known about nationally. But I can remember more than a few occassions where the players' union was pissed at a guy because he took a smaller offer to stay in with a team he really wanted to play for.

But come on...do we make decisions solely on money? I mean, would you go work in Detroit for more money?? I wouldn't. With a wife and kids, money certainly isn't the sole criteria.

 

So is the vet's minimum. (BTW - CB was paid handsomely the nexty year to help 'compensate' for his Largeness' largess.)

 

Judging from the people I've met and the things I've heard, you're actually wrong here, MadMax. Maybe there are a few good agents out there, but I certainly haven't met them.

Anyway, back to Beltran. I still think the Yankees are players in this whole sordid affair (and no, I haven't gotten my info yet). Just a feeling, really. Never count them out (unfortunately).

 

Ken Rosenthal predicts Beltran to the Yankees. Of course, it's nothing more than your typical idiotic speculation about McLane. No real facts, just guess work.

 

Leigh Steinberg?

I remember hearing how he set up conferences to discuss the cumulative effects of concussions - probably because his clients included Troy Aikman and Steve Young.

 

If one had to bet against the Yankees in a bidding war that would be idiotic. I am not saying CB is going to be a Yank, but if Boss George gets motivated then CB gets paid. Very Very Big Time.

 

I want some new info from the negotiations.

 

your experience is different from mine. even if there are a "few" as you concede, that is my very point. i didn't say they were the majority...i said it's wrong to say they don't exist. there are some out there.

 

I find my self coming in this thread 3 to 4 times a day. Just waiting for some new info. on Beltran. I cant wait for the new season to start & i cant wait to RE-SIGN BELTRAN!!!!!