Baseball mirrors life. If you do a bad job at work out in the so-called real world, you get fired. In baseball, you get traded or let go. In real life, when your company lets you go, it’s not as harsh as being fired. It lacks finality; maybe at some point they’ll hire you back. And, in most states, you get unemployment insurance, so you can still pay your bills…barely. At least until you can find another lousy job.
For many baseball players, being let go in the world of Major League Baseball means you get to test the free agent market. Your team tells you maybe you can come back, usually at a much lower salary, but everyone knows you’re basically history.
As the November 10 filing deadline for free agency rapidly approaches, agents are throwing players’ names into the ring at a rapid rate, as they investigate the market—hoping to land that big salary with a team that desires their services. It’s kind of like Match.com without the silly profiles. You know, the ones that say, “I like long walks on the beach, margaritas in the bathtub, rainy afternoons….”
Within this year’s circus of free agents, there are some big veteran names that wasted no time in filing, like Bernie Williams, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza and Trevor Hoffman. And then there’s those who haven’t filed yet, like Roger Clemens.
You’ll also find a lot of relative youngsters on the list of those who have filed, like A.J. Burnett, Kevin Millwood and Rafael Furcal. It’s a group that will double in size within the next ten days, as 115 of the 200-plus players eligible for free agency have already filed. On November 11, the floodgates will open, and a river of money will start to flow into the pockets of those who find the right match.
Here’s my list of what’s good, bad and ugly about this year’s free agent fandango before the bidding begins:
The Good. Every year, it seems as though you have a group of players who enter free agency to upgrade their chances of winning it all. Nomar Garciaparra saved a citizen from drowning recently, but he must not believe he can revive the Cubs. Otherwise, why would he ever want to leave the comfortable hitting confines known as Wrigley Field? Shortstops look like they’ll be at a premium in this year’s free agent shuffle, so teams in need will be looking to snap up a Superman-Shortstop-Good-Guy quicker than you can say bang-bang-double-play.
The Bad & The Ugly. Some players are using free agency to bail themselves out of situations they created themselves. Rafael Palmeiro and Kenny Rogers are like two guys you regret bringing to a party. First, Palmeiro got all indignant when Congress asked him if he used steroids, and then when it was revealed he really did use them, he was suspended. Then, to really add insult to re-injury, Raffy injured everyone’s sense of fair play when he blamed the positive test on teammate Miguel Tejada, an extremely popular player with no history of steroid use.
Way to throw your buddy under the bus, Raffy. You have only reinforced what we already knew about you. How much do you think any team, regardless of how badly they’re hurting will pay for a 41-year old guy whose 2005 stats (.266, 18 HR, 60 RBI) were considerably less than impressive?
Rogers, meanwhile, is a prime example of a prima donna reading too much of his own publicity. He has been around for so long that he thinks the press should give him a break. Sorry, Kenny. If you act like a jerk, the press will call it like they see it, no matter how long you’ve been a “good guy.” The Texas Rangers don’t seem to have any problem saying adios to you, despite the fact that you had an All-Star year (14-8, 3.46 ERA) in 2005. Doesn’t that tell you something, Ken? Maybe it’s time for you to find another party to crash, one where you’re appreciated – even when you smack around a cameraman or two.
Whatever their motivations may be, the subject of free agents will be bombarding the world of MLB news in the next three-to-four months. You’ll be hearing names and teams, followed by more names and more teams. You’ll hear about visits and negotiations and agents and owners will pontificate and posture all over the country. You’ll read little hints planted by agents about their clients going to one team or another. Rich guys with attorneys haggling over millions in bonuses and incentives.
And when it’s all done, you’ll see a lot of new faces in old uniforms and vice versa. It’s the annual fiasco called Free Agency, and it starts now!