Filed under: Red Sox, Rockies, Yankees
Get your weekend off on the right foot with an eclectic look around the major leagues from Pat Lackey and Andrew Johnson in The Starting Rotation.The Ace: Premium Position?
Maybe the biggest controversy of the offseason so far has been the huge contract extension given to Troy Tulowitzki by the Rockies, which amounts to a 10-year, $157.75 million contract -- the eighth largest in baseball history. Given the huge amount of money and length (Tulo will make $20 million a season from 2015-2019; his 30th birthday will be in October 2014), it's easy to see why some people are up in arms over the deal, but given the paucity of shortstops on the market this winter, perhaps it's worth asking if a premier shortstop is the type of player for which overpaying is worth it.
There is some anecdotal evidence that shortstops get paid better. The second and third largest contracts ever (Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $256 million deal signed with the Rangers around this time in 2000 and Derek Jeter's just-expired 10-year, $189 million deal) went to shortstops.
When combined with Tulo's new deal, that means three of the eight largest contracts in baseball history belong to shortstops. That's not exactly the best way to look at things, though. Rodriguez's contract went to a once-in-a-generation talent that hit free agency at the age of 25. Jeter's contract was given out by the Yankees, who authored four of the sport's six largest deals.
Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/the-starting-rotation-valuing-shortstops/
No comments:
Post a Comment