Kuzul

With the recent signings of free agents shortstop Derek Jeter (three years, $51 million guaranteed) and right fielder Jayson Werth (seven years, $126 million), I find myself scratching my head.

How is it that a 36-year-old shortstop, albeit a future Hall of Famer can receive a contract worth $17 million per season, and could reach a maximum of $65 million over four years? Have the Yankees not watched him for the past couple seasons?

Jeter hit a ridiculously low .270 this season with a measly 10 home runs and 67 RBI. I understand that he’s a winner, and I understand that he is the heart and soul of the New York Yankees. Needlees to say, he’s the “Captain!”

However, I don’t see how rewarding him with a $17 million-a-year contract for past play makes any sense. In a year in which the Yankees could have repeated as World Series champs, they need to fortify their rotation this offseason, not the offensive has-beens.

Jayson Werth, on the other hand, received a seven-year contract right before his 32nd birthday. The Nationals were finally making strides and developing their young players, when they make a bone-headed move like this.

Werth hit .296 with 27 homers and 85 RBI. Instead of solidifying their lineup with an established power hitter with a good on-base percentage, they go the route of an unproven hitter.

If you didn’t know, Citizens Bank Park is very hitter friendly, nor did it hurt that he was protected in the lineup by the likes of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Now let’s see how he fares.

Now that I got that off my chest, to the purpose of this article. Let’s pretend Babe Ruth is a 29-year-old slugger coming off a career year. And we know everything he’s going to do for the remainder of his career: 714 home runs, one of the greatest players of all time. How much money does Ruth command?

At a time when he played for beer and peanuts, what would he get during this day and age? Maybe $35-$40 million per year? 

It’s ridiculous when you think about it. But that’s what the MLB is coming down too. Alex Rodriguez makes $27.5 million per year. Would you take him over Babe Ruth? Or Ted Williams? Or Willie Mays? I doubt it.

So does that mean $40-50 million per year for those guys? More so than the entire Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals roster? Incredible.

The overall increase in players’ salaries is startling and absurd. The players are getting more greedy. The owners are getting more greedy. And we, as the fans of the game, are getting hurt the most. People won’t be able to afford $300 tickets for bleacher seats. Or $20 for a hot dog. So stop now while you’re still ahead. 

Instill a salary cap. Provide non-guaranteed contracts. Make the game mean something. I’m tired of rooting for different players every year on my favorite team. It’s not right.

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It is clear to me now, as if it wasn’t before that the Mets ace, Johan Santana was using steroids in the early portion of his career. How do you go from being a Rule V draft pick in 1999 to getting a contract that pays about $23 million per season? How did he go from being a mediocre reliever to an All-Star caliber pitcher who won two Cy Young Awards? Please don’t tell me it was because he watched game-tape.

As a rookie during the 2000 season, Santana pitched to a 6.49 ERA in 86 appearances coming out of the bullpen. His stuff wasn’t nearly as good as it would become, seemingly overnight. So when he made his heralded return to the majors after being sent down to work on his change-up, he worked in the bullpen for half the year. He was made a starter and then started dominating the opposition.

He won his first Cy Young Award after the 2004 season in which he went 20-6 with a 2.61 ERA and 265 strikeouts. Wowie! Where did that come from? A 95 mph fastball, a hard slider, and a ridiculous change-up that left even the A-Rod’s of the world looking silly. Some pretty strong stuff for a guy who led the MLB in wild pitches only a few years before.

2005 and 2006 brought more of the same and before you know it, Johan finally got out of small-market Minnesota and right into the Big Apple to play for the Mets. The only reason the Twins decided to dump the best pitcher they had since Bert Blyleven, was because they couldn’t afford him. In the trade they made with the Mets, the Twins got relative garbage that never really amounted to anything, while the Mets got the best pitcher in the game.

From a guy who threw 95 mph during his peak years with the Twins to a guy who now throws 91 tops, it appears something has gone wrong. Despite the fact the Johan has pitched pretty well with some lackluster performances from his team, it seems as if something has gone awry. From surgery on his pitching elbow in 2009 to his now shoulder surgery in 2010, something bad is brewing.

Whether that means the Mets training staff is incapable of preventing injury or Santana stopped using some sort of performance-enhancers, it appears the 31-year-old’s body is breaking down rather quickly. Losing velocity on all of his pitches and breaking down year after year has me losing my faith in the ace of the staff.

Johan is nowhere near the pitcher that made him the highest paid pitcher in MLB history (for a year until CC Sabathia’s contract in 2009). His dominance: Extinguished. The Mets need to start looking for a new ace because I think Johan’s time has expired.

I just hope that his body is breaking down through natural wear-and-tear and not because he was injecting himself with needles earlier in his career. Maybe the Mets training staff just sucks.

Either way, Johan is not the same pitcher from 2004 or 2006 and frankly, that scares me.

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