Kuzul

We should all be so lucky to make the league minimum. Before we go feeling sorry for the (relatively) underpaid workhorses of baseball, it helps to remember how much $400,000 is. That said, there are some players that represent the antithesis of the bloated big league albatross.

For the purposes of this article, I’m not considering first-year players. Many incredible players make a huge splash in their freshman campaigns. Their low pay in the first year is misleading, as just about everyone makes somewhere around $400k their first year. I wanted to focus on a starting nine that has put some work in and still doesn’t take home a heaping pile. Without further ado…

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In the spirit of the massive multi-million dollar contracts MLB teams are handing out this offseason, let’s take a look at the 10 largest contract extensions in history.

Just a heads-up: the list includes a couple of enormous Yankee contracts. But above all else, the names are notable, the numbers are jaw-dropping and the extensions are legendary.

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As baseball continues to evolve and new players crop up, talent is becoming a premium.

Small market teams have to keep a different mentality than their large market counterparts. The Kansas City Royals will always operate differently than the New York Yankees; building a team through the draft and using their better players as trade chips rather than sign the big-name players available through free agency.

But while that fact will probably never change, there is a new, alarming trend in baseball which could prove damaging to the game itself.

More and more, teams are signing players to huge contracts that lock their payroll into a single player, thereby preventing them from growing in constructive ways.

There have always been teams like the Yankees (I hate to use them as the example, but they’re the best one), who swoop in a sign players to contracts no other team can match.

In 2008, the Yankees signed first baseman Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180 million contract. They basically came in at the last moment and bidding against themselves, over paid Teixeira by untold millions.

While it yielded them a World Series Championship, it’s hard to justify Tex’s contract. Most recently, free agent outfielder Jayson Werth signed a seven-year, $125 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

The signing raised eyebrows across the baseball world and many general managers have called the deal “irresponsible.”

Though the owner of the Nationals, Ted Lerner, is one of the richest team owners in baseball, the Naitonals are still a small market team.

Despite fielding a sub-.500 team every season, Nationals fans can look forward to No.1 draft picks every season (Bryce Harper and Stephen Strausberg for example), but having such a huge contract invested in Werth could make it impossible to sign these draft picks to acceptable contracts down the road.

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, already under contract through 2013, just signed a 10-year, $157 million contract. Tulo is coming off a huge season (.315/27/95), but the contract will take him through age 35 and he has had issues with injury in every season. Since his first full season in 2007, Tulowitzki hasn’t started more than 155 games, and missed 40 games with a broken wrist last season.

With ace Ubaldo Jimenez and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez needing new contracts soon, how much money will the Rockies have to pay them? If it costs them two players to pay Tulowitzki, it wasn’t worth it.

National’s GM Mike Rizzo justified the Werth contract by saying that, in order to lure the big name players to small market teams, sometimes it’s necessary to overpay. In other words, why would a player chose a team less likely to win consistently than a team that is always in contention if not for the money?

A fair point. But such contracts can only hurt in the long run by destroying payroll flexibility. What’s the point if Jayson Werth will be the best player on the team for his entire seven-year contract? Do the Nationals expect to win anything in the next seven years?

Yes, seven years is a very long time, but how many losing seasons have the Pittsburgh Pirates had to endure?

18 if you really don’t know.

People who disagree with me might point out Alex Rodriguez‘s contract (10-year, $275 million signed in 2007) as a long term deal which is beneficial to both sides. A-Rod gets his millions while the Yankees get one of the best offensive players into the middle of the lineup. All true. But can you really say A-Rod is not overpaid, no matter what kind of stats he puts up?

Angels fans are worried now that the Werth contract will price them out of the running for Carl Crawford. They’re worried that if a player like Werth can get seven years and $125 million, how much will a better overall player like Crawford want.

That is the perfect example of the consequences of these big deals. The Angles are the best fit for Crawford, but will they have to go to eight, even nine years and $130-150 million to sign him? Maybe.

Paying players huge, payroll eclipsing salaries isn’t anything new of course, but are we going to see more seven, eight, nine and ten year contracts from small market teams desperate to attract the big players?

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It has been a big week for the Colorado Rockies as they have extended Troy Tulowitzki through 2020 (for $157M, no less) and resigned free agent Jorge de la Rosa.  

It seems painfully obvious that staying in Denver is ideal for Tulo and not so much so for de la Rosa, but these are two players worth examining further heading into 2011.

Starting with Tulo, durability concerns are a big issue for the shortstop.  In four Major League seasons, Tulo has played over 150 games twice but fewer than 125 in the other two seasons. Torn quadriceps, lacerated palms and broken wrists have sidelined Tulo in his career. Whether that means he is injury prone or just unlucky—in that he has not had any recurring injuries—is debatable, but a concern for fantasy owners either way.  

However, shortstop is such a paper thin position that many will see Tulo as being worth the risk, and I am inclined to be one of those people.  With 162 game averages of .290 BA, 104 R, 99 RBI, 27 HR and 12 SB, you could certainly make the argument that if he remains healthy, Tulo could be the fantasy MVP in 2011 based on the woeful lack of depth at his position.

Tulo figures to be a borderline top 10 hitting option in next year’s fantasy drafts, so with Roy Halladay sure to fit somewhere into that mix it seems that Tulo will be an early second round, possibly late first round pick you can feel good about drafting.

As for de la Rosa….

Continue Reading>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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The Colorado Rockies didn’t want to have another young star slip through their fingers and end up being traded away like Matt Holliday. That is why the Rockies gave All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki a seven-year, $134 million contract extension.

Tulowitzki was still under contract with Colorado for three more years, but was rewarded for his loyalty and eagerness to remain with the Rockies instead of going to a bigger market. Now Tulowitzki’s mullet will be covered with a Colorado Rockies hat until 2020.

Tulowitzki won the National League Gold Glove at shortstop, was in contention for the batting title (.315 BA) and also won a National League Silver Slugger award despite missing 40 games in 2010, 33 of those games with a broken wrist.

After returning from the wrist injury, Tulo went on a Pujols-esque tear during the month of September, crushing 15 homeruns and 40 RBI while slugging .800 in the process.

The mega-deal only reinforces Tulowitzki’s expectations of the possibilities of the Rockies.

“We’re going to win here. We’re going to do it,” Tulowitzki said. “We’ve got a good team here. If we don’t win a World Series around here, then it’s a failure. I have high expectations, and we’re going to meet them.”

With the 26-year-old Tulowitzki under contract for another decade, the Rockies have a chance do something really special and have the face of the franchise to build around.

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Two Thumbs Up

The Colorado Rockies locked up Troy Tulowitzki through the 2020 season with the announcing of a seven-year, $134 million contract earlier today.

Basically, Tulowitzki is going to be a member of the Rockies for the majority of his playing career. He’ll be 36 when his current contract is up.

You can’t blame the Rockies for this one. The 25-year old shortstop is quickly developing into one of the best shortstops in the game, if he isn’t already.

He plays solid defense, runs well and swings a mighty bat.

The Rockies will end up with a huge bargain in the end and that’s what they are hoping for—but it doesn’t come without risk.

Tulowitzki has missed significant time in two seasons now. He sat out most of 2008 with a torn quad muscle. This past season, he suffered a broken wrist after being hit in the hand. The injury caused him to miss a month of the season.

Had he not suffered the injury, Tulowitzki would have been well on his way to another 30 homer, 100 RBI campaign.

I think we will see a 40-homer season from Tulowitzki at some point.

2011 Forecast: .299, 33 HR, 115 RBI, 15 SB, 105 R

Two Thumbs Down

In other news, the Dodgers are reportedly close to signing a three-year, $21 million deal with SS Juan Uribe.

Uribe hit .248 in 148 games with the Giants last season, while posting career highs in homeruns (24) and RBIs (85).

I don’t know why the Dodgers insist on paying Uribe that kind of money to play infield for them. He provides decent pop, but I doubt very seriously that he’ll reach 20 homeruns again.

His defense is average at best, and he produces a lot of outs (career .256 average, .300 OBP).

Uribe hit .280 with 13 homers and 34 RBIs in 261 ABs at AT&T Park last season. To extend upon that, he hit .346 in 182 ABs at AT&T Park with 9 homers and 32 RBI in 2009.

In contrast, Uribe hit a paltry .215 on the road in 2010 and .241 in 2009. Maybe the team that signs him should consider benching him on the road.

This will be another waste of money for the Dodgers organization.

2011 Forecast: 400 ABs, .250, 17 HR, 60 RBI, 45 R

Marlins Bolster Their Staff

Javier Vazquez also cashed in, signing a one-year deal worth $7 million.

Normally, I would say this is a good move, given his poor history pitching for the Yankees, but there are too many red flags here.

He isn’t getting any younger, for one, but he also lost velocity on his fastball last year.

Couple that with career worst ratios in HR/9 (1.8), BB/9 (3.7) and his worst K/9 since his last stint with the Yankees (6.9) and you’ve got yourself quite a risk.

Vazquez likes to use his fastball up in the zone after working his breaking pitches down in the dirt to produce strikeouts. It’s harder to do that when you don’t have your old velocity.

Don’t expect a miraculous recovery in velocity, either. That’s unlikely at his age.

He will really have to use his other pitches effectively if he wants to avoid another 2010 season.

The good news is that he is a different pitcher in the National League—for the better. Another positive, Vazquez only allowed hitters to hit .258 against him last year and 18 of his 32 homers allowed came at Yankee Stadium.

It’s a risky deal for Florida, made even worse by his no-trade clause. That will make dealing him at the break very difficult should he register any success with the Marlins.

2011 Forecast: 165 IP, 6-8, 4.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 140 Ks

More to Come

The Winter Meetings are upon us and there are still some very high-profile free agents on the market. It should make for an interesting conclusion to the offseason.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below. You can e-mail me suggestions or questions at jtmcadams@aol.com. Follow me on Twitter @JoeSportswriter.

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It would be interesting to know what Derek Jeter thinks of today’s news with Troy Tulowitzki.

The Colorado Rockies’ All-Star shortstop is reportedly set to sign a seven-year, $134 million extension through the 2020 season, according to the Denver Post.

Tulowitzki, 26, has already distinguished himself as one of the game’s bright young talents. He was second in the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year balloting, with a .291 average, 24 home runs and 99 RBI. Last season, he hit .315 in 122 games, and also won his first Gold Glove award.

He’s not even in the prime of his career, while Jeter is in the twilight, which begs the question: Will this extension help or hurt contract talks between Jeter and the New York Yankees?

Here are five reasons arguing both sides of whether this will be it for the Yankees captain:

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The Colorado Rockies watched the San Francisco Giants celebrate a World Series championship, then watched the Los Angeles Dodgers solidify their pitching staff and second base spot within the month since the season ended. Now, they are doing their own moving and shaking.

The Rockies, according to multiple reports, have agreed to a contract extension with shortstop Troy Tulowitzki through the 2020 season, and have also agreed to pay roughly $32 million over three years to retain the services of free-agent starting pitcher Jorge de la Rosa. Both men will return to a Rockies club that made a strong, desperate September run in the NL West and Wild Card races last year before falling just short.

If it seems at all insignificant next to the outside acquisitions (notably Jon Garland and Juan Uribe) that the Dodgers have made this winter, or if it seems insufficient to overtake the stellar pitching staff of the Giants, then this pair of moves at least clears the way for Colorado to get serious about adding a solid hitter for one of their corner outfield spots, and gives them enough certainty in the starting rotation to aggressively pursue the closer or other relief ace they badly need to compete.

Tulowitzki is perhaps the best shortstop in baseball, and certainly the most well-rounded. He has hit .305/.379/.560 over the past two seasons, averaging 30 homers, 94 RBI and 16 steals in those campaigns. More importantly, he is perhaps the best defensive shortstop in baseball, and certainly one of the top five in that respect. Hanley Ramirez is as good a hitter, but not in Tulowitzki’s league defensively.

De la Rosa figures to be a solid complement to Ubaldo Jimenez in Colorado’s rotation for the foreseeable future. Though he struggles with control at times and battled finger injuries in 2010, he strikes out about a batter per inning and is one of the league’s most prolific ground-ball pitchers. That has obvious and tremendous value in an environment like Colorado, and de la Rosa’s ability (as a left-handed hurler) to get both right-handed and left-handed batters out is a huge bonus.

The Rockies overpaid a bit for him in what is becoming a player’s market for pitching salaries, but if he can stay healthy, he will offer plenty of return on their investment.

The next step for the Rockies is to beef up their corner outfield and/or first base spots.

Carlos Gonzalez is a monster in left field, but may move to center eventually if the team feels it can do better than Dexter Fowler by adding a left fielder. Still, the team has taken big strides toward seriously contending in 2011 just by locking down its two big contributors. Here is a look at all five NL West teams, and who would reign supreme if the season began tomorrow:

1. San Francisco Giants

Yes, the Giants still sit atop the heap for now, although their lack of offense is becoming conspicuous and the rumor mills are not friendly to the team’s insistence that it will add a big bat like Carl Crawford. They need a shortstop better than Edgar Renteria to balance the loss of Uribe to the division-rival Dodgers, but there are ample options out there for them in that respect.

If they can add even one impact bat (and it need not be an elite bat, just a better one than Renteria’s or Mark DeRosa’s), the pitching staff that so dominated the playoffs will be able to carry the team to another division crown.

2. Colorado Rockies

They were almost as good as the Giants in the second half, and they have a pair of aces to match anyone but the Giants in this division. Tulowitzki and Gonzalez are not merely great hitters, but versatile contributors on both offense and defense, with speed, power and range. No offensive duo in the division can match them. In fact, only Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday are a better top tandem in the entire league.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

Hot on the trail of San Francisco and Colorado, the Dodgers still have holes to fill. Catcher and left field remain very much in limbo, and even if Ned Colletti swings a clever deal of James Loney to address one of those spots, they will need to open the wallets wide enough for first baseman like Adam Dunn.

All in all, though, the Dodgers have taken some huge steps forward by locking up their pitchers for 2011 and adding Juan Uribe for a bit more pop in a lineup that needed it badly.

4. San Diego Padres

The Padres have been conspicuously quiet this winter, and not moving at all is about the same as going backward in the current climate of the NL West. Adrian Gonzalez may now be a true goner, since GM Jed Hoyer’s staff seems highly pessimistic about the team’s ability to sign Gonzalez beyond this season and since the Padres (who lost Garland to Los Angeles) are a fistful of moves from viable contention in 2011.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

Kevin Towers is a great team-builder, but he has more than one winter’s worth of construction ahead of him. Even if Rome were built in a day, Towers would be at a loss. The organization he inherits looks more like Chicago circa 1800, a vast swamp with only the barest signs of potential. Trade rumors abound around this team, with Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton the hottest commodities.

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With the looming mega deal proposed by the Colorado Rockies to Troy Tulowitzki and a press conference scheduled for later in the day to make the formal announcement, it is interesting to consider the precedent this contract could set.

Will other franchises follow suit and lock up their young superstars to extended contracts lasting for as much as 10 seasons to ensure the player’s future with their team? Or will the financial and organizational risk be seen as too great?

Troy Tulowitzki has arguably been the backbone of the Colorado Rockies organization since his arrival in Denver in 2006, showing great leadership skill, outstanding range at shortstop and above-average skills at the plate.

At times, injuries have been a concern, shortening the young star’s 2009 and 2010 seasons, but not enough of a concern for the Rockies organization to prevent them from considering the seven-year, $134 million extension to be announced soon.

In all, Tulowitzki’s deal will total 10 years, locking him in as the franchise player for the Rockies through 2020. Are there other teams out there with young superstars who would consider making the same move to lock in their franchise player?

Would Minnesota consider the same type of deal for Joe Mauer? Would the Texas Rangers ensure they have a closer for years to come and extend a long-term deal to Neftali Feliz? Is Tim Lincecum worth big time money to stay in San Francisco for another decade?

These are all questions which will likely be answered when the trigger is pulled on the Tulowitzki deal and the hand of baseball owners is forced to protect their investments.

A precedent usually is only established when a risk pans out, however, so time will tell if the Tulowitzki deal goes down as the first in a line of mega deals or just an unwarranted risk which becomes a footnote.

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Over the last four weeks, Bleacher Report’s Featured Columnists have released the results of our mock vote for every significant MLB award, from Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers to Rookies of the Year and Cy Youngs.

Yesterday, we reached the apex of our American League awards with the announcement of Josh Hamilton as our AL MVP. Today, our series comes to a close with our choice for the National League Most Valuable Player.

This time, the top 10 vote-getters are featured here, with commentary from the writers who chose them. The full list of results—featuring 41 players who were picked on our ballots—is after the No. 1 pick.

Thank you to all the writers who voted and contributed commentary. I hope it’s been as fun for all of you to read these as it’s been for me to write them. If you missed one of the previous 15 slideshows, the full list with links is at the end.

So read on, see how we did, and be sure to tell us what we got wrong!

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