Bagwell

[polish]

Astros want Bags to hang it up.


The team, however, wants him to announce he can't play anymore, he and agent Barry Axelrod told the paper. Then the Astros would be able make an insurance claim for $15.6 million of the approximately $17 million he is owed in 2006.

[House Divided RV]

Unless they offer him something after his "retirement", I bet he sticks it out another year for that extra $1.5M but it sure would be nice to free up that money for other players!

[Milhouse]

This is just one of the unfortunate sides of today's "business of baseball."
You can't blame a player who pays his dues, works his butt off, and is loyal through all his productive years to want to reap the benefit$ of his career and exit on his terms. However, you also can't blame a team for not wanting to pay the big money to someone who is clearly not the player he once was. After all, what fan won't gripe about losing, especially if the payroll is bogged down with players who are just being rewarded for once being productive?

I think one answer is short-term contracts. That way, a player can shop his talent around when he is productive and teams don't get stuck with players who are grossly overpaid AND keeping future stars down on the farm. I realize that this pretty much guarantees there won't be much loyalty either direction, but that's what we have now anyway. Who really spends their whole career with one organization anymore? The issue is obviously much more complex than this, and we haven't even touched the issue of agents, signing bonuses, escalating salaries, or ticket prices. However, as sad as it might be to see Bagwell depart, I hope he does. And also I hope that he gets his due, both in a negotiated settlement of his contract and from all us fans who have enjoyed watching him all these years.

[Pflugerville Ag]

But good players won't agree to short term contracts b/c they know if they do and then start sucking it up or get hurt, then they are screwed.

[Milhouse]

Pflug. You are so right. That would put professional baseball players in the same boat as you and I are - No play, no pay! They all want guarantees that us in the real world can never get. So, I'm advocating short term contracts as a fix, knowing that will never happen. But, maybe some conversation between interested parties will be generated and some other posters will join in.

[NPLAggie07]

I for one can understand the move to ask Bagwell to hang it up, but I still wish we could give him this year. I think after all that he has mean't to the team that he atleast deserves to try and give it a go next season. If early in the season it doesn't work out then maybe he can call it a carreer.

[Milhouse]

I can think of 17.5 million reasons why the Astros should be concerned about Bags. There is not a position that he can play, and that much money for a pinch hitter is not sound business. Sentimentality is a wonderful thing, but the Astros sure could use some more offensive punch. And that costs money. Not saying that Bags should be thrown out with the bathwater, just that both he and the Astros have a real problem on their hands. PR vs. sound business sense. The fans will understand either option, so long as the Astros win. If they struggle, whichever way it pans out, will have been the wrong decision.

[Dustin00whoop]

I see both sides. He deferred a lot of money at the front end of his contract for the team to sign & resign players. If he hadn't have done that, then the 'stros wouldn't owe here near the 17.5 mill they now owe him. At the same time, it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay a guy for a job he can't do. Or disability income doesn't pay us 100% of our salary. The way the NFL does it is the most fair for the teams, but the MLBPA would never agree to those type of terms.