Rivera wants 4 years

[Sports Guy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112443

I hope the Yankees give it to him.

[ChaosLex]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112443

I hope the Yankees give it to him.

Is it just me or are the Yankees really getting screwed this offseason?

Not to say that I don't enjoy it!

[RShack]

Yeah, we already know: http://www.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55052&page=2. Like Elbren said there, "He's ballsy, I'll give him that."

This is gonna be great. There is where we find out how much over-a-barrel the MFY's FO feels like they are...

[Scribo]

Rivera is whacky. Nobody else is going to give him $45MM -- I don't care if it's for three years, four years, or 15 years.

My guess, if the Yankees sign ARod that $45MM offer gets taken off the table. That was basically a panic move to make sure they did not lose two of their top players.

Better grab it now, Mo.

I am loving this off-season for the Spankees.

[Boy Howdy]

Ballplayers = underpaid when they're young & overpaid when they're old.

[Peace21]

My guy is telling me its done.

[CrimsonTribe]

Rivera is whacky. Nobody else is going to give him $45MM -- I don't care if it's for three years, four years, or 15 years.

My guess, if the Yankees sign ARod that $45MM offer gets taken off the table. That was basically a panic move to make sure they did not lose two of their top players.

Better grab it now, Mo.

I am loving this off-season for the Spankees.

Exactly... Rivera is insane. But the Yankees are even more insane if they give him the 4th. They were already giving him 4 yr money over 3 yrs.

The Yanks offseason just tells me that the Steinbrenners are in charge again and Cashman is back to being a figurehead.

[DrungoHazewood]

Ballplayers = underpaid when they're young & overpaid when they're old.

That's what happens when you have a system that sets salaries far, far, far below market value, and teams have complete control of a player, for the first six or eight years of a pro career. The only players eligible to be paid anything like market value are mostly 30+ years old.

Maybe they should give ballplayers and owners exactly the same situation as everyone else - employment and payment is guaranteed only as long as both sides want it to. Everyone is eligible to quit or be fired at any moment. If the O's lose 10 straight all the players might quit and go to another team. Or if somebody makes four errors Angelos comes out on the field with a pink slip. A little chaotic, sure, but old guys wouldn't have a monopoly on big salaries.

[RShack]

That's what happens when you have a system that sets salaries far, far, far below market value, and teams have complete control of a player, for the first six or eight years of a pro career. The only players eligible to be paid anything like market value are mostly 30+ years old.

Maybe they should give ballplayers and owners exactly the same situation as everyone else - employment and payment is guaranteed only as long as both sides want it to. Everyone is eligible to quit or be fired at any moment. If the O's lose 10 straight all the players might quit and go to another team. Or if somebody makes four errors Angelos comes out on the field with a pink slip. A little chaotic, sure, but old guys wouldn't have a monopoly on big salaries.

Charley O. Finley is laughing at us from his grave... he saw exactly how this was gonna turn out. The thing that's hilarious is that the damn owners *insisted* on it! It's like somebody who's armed-and-suicidal... except they have a monopoly, so they're getting even richer. Meanwhile, it's $7 (or whatever it is) for a decent beer, and they move the game time from 8p to 7p so people don't have time to eat before the game.

Forget about French Fries, I'm starting to think that the thing we need to borrow from France is plans for building a guillotine ;-)

[DrungoHazewood]

My esteemed collegue Mr. Shackelford is alluding to the fact that 30?+years ago;Mr. Finley suggested that every year "players would become Free Agents". Its the only time I heard Marvin Miller say he was scared. But the stupid owners went against his reccomendation. How much better and more fun to watch would baseball be if a player was judged year to year and paid for his production based on that? There would be no Jay Payton's and Jay Gibbons left standing thats for sure!

Its called pay for play..and its the free enterprise system that made America great!

But you're missing something, Roy... in the great American free enterprise system an employee has the right to leave and go find a higher salary or better working conditions anytime he wants. So if you really want a free enterprise system in baseball, you'd better be prepared to have Brian Roberts up and leave in the middle of the season and go sign with the Yankees.

[RShack]

But you're missing something, Roy... in the great American free enterprise system an employee has the right to leave and go find a higher salary or better working conditions anytime he wants. So if you really want a free enterprise system in baseball, you'd better be prepared to have Brian Roberts up and leave in the middle of the season and go sign with the Yankees.

Oh, I don't know... I don't think it's crazy to think that they'd have to play out their contracts. I don't think anybody would disagree with that, really. Sticking to that would be an acceptable form of "collusion" amongst the owners. They'd all want it, else they'd end up getting screwed by it too. Except maybe the MFY's. But that might be what it takes for everybody else to gang up on them and force some sanity down their throats anyway. Worse things could happen (and probably will)...

[RShack]

My esteemed collegue Mr. Shackelford is alluding to ...

I never had an Emmy-winner call me "esteemed" before ;-)

Hey Roy, how do you have all your O's stuff arranged? Is it out in a room somewhere? Or is it stashed away? Do you have it arranged like an altar, like Annie had in the movie? Or what?

[Elbren]

FoxSports.net Link

Hey, look at that. I guess 3 years was good enough after all.

Something that I didn't quite like near the bottom of the article.

Agent Scott Boras, the Yankees and MLB are working on a way to ensure Rodriguez can cash in on him breaking Barry Bonds' all-time home run record as a Yankee. Milestone clauses aren't allowed in player contracts.

So it's not allowed in contracts .... but we're going to make a special exception for ARod? Being the highest paid player ever, probably one of the richest athletes in the country, the greatest offensive player in history, a no-doubt HOFer and more than likely the future holder of many of MLB's top offensive records isn't good enough?