Dilemma for Major League clubs as talented players approach arbitration years - Part 2
Just like the Marlins confront a trade-off, Giancarlo also encounters two options which may or may not turn out to be in his favour in the future.
The possibility that he underestimates his worth and allows the Marlins to buy out his arbitration years always exists. The amount of money which he feels that he deserves rightly after some years may not be looking to him as correct and justifiable right
now.
Rightly so, he will then repent why he could not evaluate himself properly while signing the deal with the club. Players that are worth far less than him but earn a greater amount of money will sour his eyes, making him experience spells of jealousy.
Bryce Harper is another player, just like Giancarlo, that will be forcing his club to make a decision about him after a couple of years from now.
Given the fact that he has been touted as a future legend of the game by many experts, it is highly possible that the Washington Nationals let the waves of his hype affect them.
Most probably, they will be ready to put forth an ideal deal for him, one that keeps him in the club for a great number of years, ensuring millions alongside.
The risk that Harper may have a rough patch down the stretch and experience a lengthy decline will be overlooked by them.
As a consequence, they may have a player on their roster who earns millions without commensuration in the form of standout performances.
Even if they trade him, the cost will be borne by them in one form or the other. Unloading a player from the roster does not mean that the team has fully gotten rid of his unproductive presence on their roster.
The recipient club of that player duly accounts for his actual worth before finalising the deal. It fetches concessions in almost all the circumstances.
Similarly, the organisations announce risky decisions due to the possibility that their player will invoke free agency and leave them for good if they don’t pursue him. They go on to accede to such demands of that player which will not even have been met
by the buyers in the free agent market.
For example, Cole Hamels was granted a contract extension by the Philadelphia Phillies during 2012 regular season. It was a dreamy extravagant contract.
The decision was taken by the club because there were clear signs that anything below the expectations of Hamels will make him enforce free agency.
Out of the fear of losing their star pitcher, the Phillies signed an expensive contract with him, ignoring the possibility that they may have paid him a smaller amount of money, had they bought Hamels through the free agent market.
Hamels talked after winning $144 million six-year contract from the Phillies.
"I wanted to give the Phillies every opportunity," Hamels said. "It's very hard to leave a place that you've had so many great memories. You don't want to miss it and not be a part of it. I know the organization has always done a good job of going out to
win. We have great players here. You don't want to have to leave that or stray away and see them win and you're not part of it. "I understand that free agency is great, those opportunities of the unknowing.”
There are so many cases that clubs grapple with every day and try to settle them down. Not always what they think happens actually.
Every single move they take carries a risk. What differentiates a better club from a below average one is the ability to minimise risk through objective evaluation of players.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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