Whoa! Jayson Werth signs with Nationals for 7 years, $126 million
stevek
Posts: 29,035 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
Sun Dec 05 05:55pm EST
Whoa! Jayson Werth signs with Nationals for 7 years, $126 million
By David Brown
Scott Boras, you've done it again.
On the eve of baseball's Winter Meetings, the super agent jumped in and worked a seven-year, $126-million deal for free-agent client Jayson Werth(notes) and the Washington Nationals.
That's also, more or less, what fellow Boras clients Matt Holliday(notes) and Barry Zito(notes) make.
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported it first.
It's not so much the $18-million-per-season outlay that's shocking, but it's the length of the deal — Werth (pictured) turns 32 in May — along with the destination. Washington, unlike the front-running Philadelphia Phillies, tends to finish at the bottom of the NL East.
The Nats are seen as a team on the rise, but — with Stephen Strasburg(notes) out for the 2011 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery and super prospect Bryce Harper barely old enough to vote — Washington doesn't seem on the verge of contending.
General manager Mike Rizzo, though, certainly found a replacement for Adam Dunn(notes).
As for Werth, getting the best deal obviously was paramount. Contending? Yeah, maybe in a couple of years.
And, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, other MLB executives are livid about what Werth's deal means for the league's salary structure.
What will Carl Crawford(notes) command, for example, and how can his contract span any less than eight years?
News of the deal also comes as a bummer for the Phillies, who won't get the Nationals' top draft pick — No. 3 overall — as compensation because it's too high and thus protected. Instead, Philly gets a supplemental pick for one of its top players the past several seasons.
And so the Boston Red Sox have missed out — for now — on getting Adrian Gonzalez(notes) and Werth. Theo Epstein is being conservative, so far, with payroll. But he might be pound foolish by not going the extra step with either slugger.
After all, folks were fretting 20 years ago when Kirby Puckett got $3 million a year. In five years, $18 million a season might seem reasonable.
Then again, it's hard to imagine a 38-year-old Jayson Werth putting up $18 million of production.
Whoa! Jayson Werth signs with Nationals for 7 years, $126 million
By David Brown
Scott Boras, you've done it again.
On the eve of baseball's Winter Meetings, the super agent jumped in and worked a seven-year, $126-million deal for free-agent client Jayson Werth(notes) and the Washington Nationals.
That's also, more or less, what fellow Boras clients Matt Holliday(notes) and Barry Zito(notes) make.
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported it first.
It's not so much the $18-million-per-season outlay that's shocking, but it's the length of the deal — Werth (pictured) turns 32 in May — along with the destination. Washington, unlike the front-running Philadelphia Phillies, tends to finish at the bottom of the NL East.
The Nats are seen as a team on the rise, but — with Stephen Strasburg(notes) out for the 2011 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery and super prospect Bryce Harper barely old enough to vote — Washington doesn't seem on the verge of contending.
General manager Mike Rizzo, though, certainly found a replacement for Adam Dunn(notes).
As for Werth, getting the best deal obviously was paramount. Contending? Yeah, maybe in a couple of years.
And, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, other MLB executives are livid about what Werth's deal means for the league's salary structure.
What will Carl Crawford(notes) command, for example, and how can his contract span any less than eight years?
News of the deal also comes as a bummer for the Phillies, who won't get the Nationals' top draft pick — No. 3 overall — as compensation because it's too high and thus protected. Instead, Philly gets a supplemental pick for one of its top players the past several seasons.
And so the Boston Red Sox have missed out — for now — on getting Adrian Gonzalez(notes) and Werth. Theo Epstein is being conservative, so far, with payroll. But he might be pound foolish by not going the extra step with either slugger.
After all, folks were fretting 20 years ago when Kirby Puckett got $3 million a year. In five years, $18 million a season might seem reasonable.
Then again, it's hard to imagine a 38-year-old Jayson Werth putting up $18 million of production.
0
Comments
A bad team that will continue to be bad.
<< <i>That's an awful contract. >>
Seems pretty good for Werth.
<< <i>
<< <i>That's an awful contract. >>
Seems pretty good for Werth. >>
Well yeah, but that's not what I meant. They'll be paying Werth until he's 39/40.... I realize he's been pretty good the last few years, but I wouldn't offer him anything over a 4 year deal at that price.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>I can't wait till they call up that kid Bryce Harper...according to reports, he throws a 98 mph fastball and can hit a ball 550 feet.. >>
But can he actually hit a big league breaking ball? And, yes, that contract is awful for the Nationals; not sure what they think overpaying for a mid level player will do
Absolutely right. Anyone can agree or disagree with the money being paid to Ryan Howard, but Ryan Howard is the type of player ya should give the big money to, not a Jayson Werth type player. And it has more to do with just winning ball games, it has to do with putting keisters in the stands. Let's be honest...ya can love or hate Ryan Howard, but when you're watching him come to bat on TV, you're not going to the refrigerator for a drink, you're gonna watch him...and also Howard is the type of player ya pay to go to the ballpark to see. Nobody is saying let's go to the ballpark to watch Jayson Werth.
Just all around, in every aspect, a bad signing for this big money, which basically guarantees the Nationals stay mired in the basement.
Terrible contract for the Nats.
Shane
<< <i>$18 million a year for Werth? That sounds like bad news for Cardinals fans in the Pujols contract extension. If Werth is worth $18 million, then what will Pujols get?
Terrible contract for the Nats. >>
It is a bad contract for any team looking to sign players.
<< <i>$18 million a year for Werth? That sounds like bad news for Cardinals fans in the Pujols contract extension. If Werth is worth $18 million, then what will Pujols get?
Terrible contract for the Nats. >>
<<< what will Pujols get >>>
The city of St. Louis, plus another Missouri city to be named later.
As stated above Pujols will get whatever he wants! Using Werth's contract as a scale Pujols should get about 10 years $400m... AT LEAST!
Here is an excerpt from a column in the St. Pete Times yesterday:
<< <i>
The Yankees re-sign Derek Jeter and are going after pitcher Cliff Lee and, seemingly, every other free agent out there. The Red Sox have met with free agent Carl Crawford and are trying to pry Adrian Gonzalez out of San Diego. Meantime, the Rays are saying goodbye to Crawford and are talking about trading away shortstop Jason Bartlett, and, perhaps, a starting pitcher. The Royals are thinking about dealing ace Zack Greinke. How can commissioner Bud Selig and the rest of those who run Major League Baseball look at this and not think baseball is messed up?
>>
<< <i>Baseball salaries are ridiculous. Obviously the other sports are out of hand too, but it's especially bad when you have the Yankees and Sox spending like mad men.
Here is an excerpt from a column in the St. Pete Times yesterday:
<< <i>
The Yankees re-sign Derek Jeter and are going after pitcher Cliff Lee and, seemingly, every other free agent out there. The Red Sox have met with free agent Carl Crawford and are trying to pry Adrian Gonzalez out of San Diego. Meantime, the Rays are saying goodbye to Crawford and are talking about trading away shortstop Jason Bartlett, and, perhaps, a starting pitcher. The Royals are thinking about dealing ace Zack Greinke. How can commissioner Bud Selig and the rest of those who run Major League Baseball look at this and not think baseball is messed up?
>>
[/q
That is what happens when you have two baseball teams in a football state.
<< <i>the Nationals KNOW their team sucks. All of the players in MLB KNOW that the Nats suck. Just means that for anyone seriously considering joining the Nationals out of free agency, the Nats are going to HAVE to overpay. >>
I completely agree with this. I think this is a terrible contract for the Nationals and for baseball in general, but after losing Dunn, the Nationals had to make a splash and they had to overpay to do it. They offered Teixeira ton of money but the situation in Washington doesn't compare to New York's so they learned their lesson. Not only do they need to show their fans that they want to win, they need to show guys like Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg so they don't jump ship the first chance they get.
If this move doesn't help attract other mid-level+ players to the Nationals it could very easily become one of the worst contracts in baseball history. It might even make Barry Zito's contract look reasonable.
I am glad I sold all my valuable baseball cards in 2006.