Spring Training 2010

[Qalex1]

<!--quoteo(post=80625:date=Feb 25 2010, 11:34 AM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Feb 25 2010, 11:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80614:date=Feb 25 2010, 08:38 AM:name=jstraw)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jstraw @ Feb 25 2010, 08:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80611:date=Feb 25 2010, 08:25 AM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Feb 25 2010, 08:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80601:date=Feb 25 2010, 08:10 AM:name=bz)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bz @ Feb 25 2010, 08:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80537:date=Feb 24 2010, 01:12 PM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Feb 24 2010, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80515:date=Feb 24 2010, 12:12 PM:name=rok)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rok @ Feb 24 2010, 12:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->As long as he isn't wasting a roster spot and his contract doesn't restrict our ability to add other players in the next 2-3 seasons,<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

What about the past 2 seasons?
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You're right. Soriano's contract prevented us from signing...oh wait...it didn't prevent us from doing shit. We still signed the Milton Bradley's...we even signed the Aaron Miles's's. We get it. You don't like Soriano or his contract. Don't force squares into round holes to try and prove some point that doesn't exist.
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The mere fact that Soriano is on our roster prevented us from making a go at any top notch free agent signed in the last 3 years. It also prevented us from trading for high salaried players like Halladay. You sir, are a fucking retard if you cannot see that. How can you be so obtuse?
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No shit. We were fucking BROKE this off season. It even made dealing Bradley a tougher situation. And it contributed to his bad contact being a crisis.

And when Rappster went off about not caring how much a player makes...it's just a roster spot...on B&IR Tuesday, I was flipping my Internet radio the bird. The money fucking matters.
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I think Rapp's point (and I hate defending Rapp, by the way) is that you can't be extra critical of Soriano because of how much money he makes. He's already made his money -- just judge him on his performance -- not against what his salary is.

Now -- if you want to judge HENDRY based on how much money Soriano makes that's a different story...

If Rapp wants to chime in and say otherwise, that's fine -- but I think that's what he was trying to get at.
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My only problem with that argument is that it makes no sense. If I pull stats off baseball reference, and I say “Player A is a left fielder. Here are his stats from last year. Are you pleased with the results or not?”

G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
109 503 453 76 127 27 0 29 75 19 3 43 103 .280 .344 .532 .876 119

You can’t possibly answer the question, without some reference to his salary and expectations (which is what salary is basically measuring. Higher expectations, higher salary) If Player A was expected to be a scrub off the bench making the league minimum, you are over-the-moon ecstatic with those numbers. If Player A turns out to be Alfonso Soriano in 2009, taking up a percentage of the payroll, you’re not so happy. Players are always judged relative to their expectations (and therefore salaries).

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s not room to criticize Jim Hendry for the monolithic contract.