OMG! Cordero suddenly seems cheap! (Eckstein)

[endaround]

David Eckstein wants a 4 year $9 million per year deal.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2007/11/17/2007-11-17_mets_eye_david_eckstein-2.html

 

via FJM

[trwi7]

Wow umm I know we're not supposed to use "AOL speak" on here but there's really nothing more you can say other than lol.

[Brian the Automator]

If Eckstein's looking for 9M a year, inflation's gotten out of control, and my boss needs to hit me with a BIG raise.

[dadofandrew]

About double what he's worth...that's about par for the course though. The game is loaded with cash, and the players share of it is way down.

[logan82]

Free Agent=outrageous contract

Sounds like to much, but I would be willing to bet that it isn't to far out of line with what a SS on the open marktet would get.

[mothershipconnection]

AOL speak is allowed when David Eckstein and $9MM per year are strung together. I don't buy that this is what crap players will be paid, because there are a ton of crap players and only so many roster spots, so you'll always have scrap heap players willing to play for league minimum, and that'd be smarter than spending that much on Eckstein.

[Invader3K]

I could see him getting like 4 yrs and $6 or 7 million per, but not more than that.

[endaround]

Eckstein shouldn't get anywhere close to 4 years. His defense nose dived last season. Maybe it was just fluctuations, but he had no arm strength to begin with and if he loses even a little it isn't good.

[don1481]

If Eckstein's looking for 9M a year, inflation's gotten out of control, and my boss needs to hit me with a BIG raise.

 

Maybe you and I are just in the wrong industry, Brian...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

I hope Eckstein gets laughed out of the room for that ridiculous of a demand. Seriously - players like him are basically a dime a dozen; Ned Yost calls them "gritty" or "gamers" or "battlers." They're all one and the same, really.

[dadofandrew]

Eckstein is about average at SS, and just below at 2B. He has a ton of value. Seriously, many act like there are 5 good players in the game. Each team needs 8 position starters, 5 SP, and 3 RP. If you fit in and can do one of those things, you are going to make some serious money.

[And That]

Seriously, many act like there are 5 good players in the game.

No, many don't.

[Team Canada]

If he's average, shouldn't he have average value, not "a ton of value"? Why is being average so amazing? By definition that means half the league is better than he is.

[splitterpfj]

Being average doesn't make one amazing, but being average, and a free agent, often makes one wealthy beyond realistic expectations.

 

I certainly don't think this player is worth 9 million per year, and absolutely not that amount four times over, but he may get more than we think. One thing that will work against him is the number of available second basemen. Iguchi, Castillo, and Matsui are all free agents, so without knowing if even one veteran is available via trade, we know there are three options who may sign for less. Just watch though, the Mets are talking about grit, etc, and he's been on two Series winners, his agent may be able to sell a deal that seems insane.

[dadofandrew]

Average is often an upgrade, and is valued highly...a team of 25 average guys will win 81, and the playoffs are not far from that, often just 5-10 more wins. Average is valuable, look at the guys signing contracts. You can argue they aren't worth it, but everyone is worth what they can get.

[chuckiehacks]

Nothing better to say than my all-time favorite FJM quote:

David Eckstein playing third base would be amazing. I would love to see that. If Jacoby Ellsbury hit a ball down the line to David Eckstein and Eck had to backhand it and throw from foul territory, by the time the ball landed in the first baseman's glove Ellsbury would be sitting on the bench after his inside-the-park little-league HR and Kevin Youkilis would be at the plate with a count of 2-0.

[Tbadder]

If this little twerp of hyper linited ability gets 9 mil per then the baseball really is the next housing market disaster in waiting.

[TCSM]

how many people wanna bet sutton is asking the gm to sign eckstein http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[homer]

So is $9 million per year the going rate for average?

[TooLiveBrew]

I'm well below average. At this point, that should net me at least $500K.

 

AOL speak is allowed when David Eckstein and $9MM per year are strung together.

OMG!!1!!! R u CRZY Xtein?! Whut r u thnkng! LOLzzz.

 

Seriously. That's a lot of money for Ryan Theriot v. 1.5.

[Big Reed]

Ryan Theriot is looking a lot better compared to what Eckstein is asking .

[TooLiveBrew]

No kidding, Reed. The Cards have it alright, though - they've got Brendan Ryan to step up to SS. Heck, he really can't be any worse than Eck, and would seem to have a reasonable shot to do better. Unless they need a sacrifice bunt to be what would have been a bunt hit & a sacrifice for anyone with speed. Then they're gonna miss Eck.

[dadofandrew]

No doubt Reed. Mediocre and cheap is a potent combo platter. Eck as a 2B isn't worth much more than Castillo, so his asking price probably went down now. He has every right to ask for the sky though...they often get it these days.

[Big Reed]

living near Springfield ILL , I have the opportunity to listen to a lot of Cubs and Cardinals sports talk shows. the tone for the Cardinals for almost the entire year was gloom and doom. A lot of people wanted to fire La Russa in April. Much was said about how the Cards are getting OLD. On the other hand, the cubs announcers were always very positive about the present and the future. I guess after they fired the realistic steve Stone who called it like it was, Cubs announcers had to be positive.

 

With that said, the Cubs announcers seemed to really like theriot. they also thought he should have started at short from day 1, and he was a key ingrediant to their success.

 

When I looked at the play-offs, i saw a rookie shorstop for the Cubs, Rockies, and Dbacks. You don't need some scappy veteran shortstop making $6-10 million to be able to win. What you need is a talented shortstop who can also catch the ball.

 

here's hoping that Eckstein gets his money. it will mean the Cardinals have less money to spend on their real needs.

[Thurston Fluff]

So is $9 million per year the going rate for average?

 

Weren't we debating if Jenkins $9 million should have been picked next year? I do remember our fearless leader Brian mentioning it on a radio program last summer as being more reasonable as time went on, though I don't remember if he felt it was worth it. Jenkins may be better in some ways but Eck plays middle infield vs corner outfield so that makes him more valuable. I don't think the $ are the problem as much as the years. Average players can get desperate teams to bite on short term fixes but I don't know how many will pay for average as the long term answer. Either way this just looks like more sticker shock. Generally free agents get paid more than they are worth.

[endaround]

Except Eckstein is coming off a horrible year. That's what makes this so strange