Comments on: Buzz: O’Perez Won Arbitration Hearing

By: cver

cver — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:31:13 +0000

In this case, the Mets were greedy inept screw-ups or so it appears. Maybe they just felt they had nothing to lose, because they knew that Perez was gonna be more expensive than they wanted to pay once the 08 Season ended, but the guy was worth every penny and more than what he ended up getting. Why not let the guy feel good about the Mets. It probably won’t amount to much, but considering Santana and Perez won nearly the same amount of games last season, it seems silly to not give Perez his 6.5 mil or whatever it was. He helped the Mets out a lot since joining. They could have shown a little more gratitude also, especially when you think about his 06 playoff performance.

By: TobeRinkler

TobeRinkler — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:40:44 +0000

Which pitcher was it that said something like “I wish I could dye myself left-handed”?

By: CaseStreet

CaseStreet — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 05:32:13 +0000

In FA, the market would tell you he’s worth $10 million. However, under arbitration, I’d say he’s worth at least $6.5 million. Of course they want him as cheap as possible, but we’re not talking about cars, we’re talking about a player’s salary.

Let me put it to you in a way you might understand. In terms of fairness, would you rather your employer pay you the least possible because of “the market”? or Would you rather they pay you what your worth based on your contributions?

Even if you don’t agree and say it’s “the market”. Your car argument only makes sense when you have a high supply and low demand. Here, there is a low supply and high demand for young-quality lefties. So, probably not going to pay below sticker price.

Either way, I hope it doesn’t hurt the team in the long run.

By: VCarver

VCarver — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:48:35 +0000

Yeah, I know that’s how arb works in baseball. And yes, it is realistic to compare Wang and Perez. Because the figure Wang was asking for is the same as what the Mets offered Perez. And Wang couldn’t even get that. Realistically, based on their relative stats/performance over the last year or last two years, Wang is the more valuable pitcher. Therefore he should have at least gotten his $4.6 million. That’s what he was asking for.

By: VCarver

VCarver — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:43:47 +0000

If Wang lost (and he really lost bad) because of such a petty reason, then he needs a new agent. The arbitrator also needs to be looked into.

A player should lose because his stats/performance don’t stack up to a certain standard, not because of what he or his agent may or may call him.

By: TRex23

TRex23 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:26:39 +0000

As fans, we have to change our mindset about this business with Boras and him putting his clients in bad situations (i.e., Weaver).

The problem is, WE love the game and WE love our team. The players and Boras love the money.

I think that we need to realize that most of the players don’t even care any more whether they win or lose or whether the team they are on is good or stinks. They simply want the most money.

It can break your heart as a fan to realize that you care more about wins and losses than the player does, but that’s the reality. Do you think Jeff Weaver really cares whether he wins another game in his life? He’s still going to get paid. Anymore, these players are looking to set themselves up for a big payday and they’ll let the chips fall where they may.

It’s like the old saying, “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to sail right up alongside it.” Or substitute, “…but it can by you the type of misery you prefer.

That’s the modern athlete. They take the most money and when the game is over, the go to their home or their hotel room or condo and they don’t interact with anyone on the team until they show up the next day for the game. The kind of money they make affords them the ability to live a lifestyle that is largely insulated from the criticism. They only have to deal with that at the ballpark, then they go their own way.

So you see, it is the rare athlete (David Wright) that actually cares about improving and winning and losing. That is why no athlete will EVER learn a lesson from guys like Jeff Weaver. To them, he’s not in a bad situation. He’s just rich.

By: les paul

les paul — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:20:53 +0000

Ryan Howard doesn’t eat nearly as many hot dogs as the Babe!

By: les paul

les paul — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:19:29 +0000

In arbitration either the player or the team wins. There is no middle ground. So if a team puts in $2 million and the player puts in $15 and the decision is the player wins they get all $15 million. So comparing Wang to Perez isn’t very realistic because they put in different numbers.

By: les paul

les paul — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:17:08 +0000

Wang lost because he called himself the Michael Jordan of Taiwan. MLB makes about $3 million a year from Taiwan and he’s no MJ.

By: letsgomets942

letsgomets942 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:09:19 +0000

Boras is going to tell Perez to take the most money and Perez will leave and ruin his career. Look what he did to Weaver he never should of left St. Louis and Loshe still dose not have a job! Perez found a home with the Mets and he should stand up to Boras if he was smart but, I dont see Oliver doing that. Boras is a real A$$!