Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
October 15, 2005
Theo Negotiates

There was a report in the Boston Globe that the Red Sox and Theo Epstein are far apart in money and years as they work out a new contract.

So?

I'm always amazed that reporters don't understand contract negotiations. The article spends time speculating on what Theo might be asking for, what the ownership might be offering, and what other GMs make. My guess is that Theo asked for a salary near the top of the range of GMs ($2 million). The Red Sox low balled him with Chuck LaMarr ($750,000). Now, LaMar was payed that much, not because he was good, but because he was in the job a long time. Theo knows the Red Sox finances well. The Red Sox know what kind of job Theo is capable of doing. On Oct. 31st they'll split the difference and Theo will get around 1.4 million. There's no reason to sign before the deadline for either side. They'll each see who blinks first.

By the way, I like this paragraph:

Public information on GM salaries is sketchy. The Sox were prepared to make Beane the highest-paid GM in baseball history, though the cerebral Beane, working under far greater payroll constraints in Oakland than Epstein, has yet to win a World Series. His team fell short of a playoff berth for the second straight season this year after four straight seasons in which the Athletics averaged 98 wins and won three division titles and a wild-card berth.

(Emphasis added.) I don't think of Beane as cerebral. Beane's a great salesman who knows the value of the goods he's trading. He's a smart guy, but he pays people around him to be cerebral.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:33 AM | Management | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Is it that reporters don't understand negotiations, or, they write headlines and stories like that to sell papers? Maybe a bit of both?

Posted by: Tom G at October 15, 2005 09:45 AM

i guess i don't really understand the point of all this negotiation stuff. why not just pay the guy what he worth? they KNOW he bettern chuck lamar so why insult him by offering him that money? it's not like they think he gonna say sure or something.

i'm glad it's something i don't hafta do

Posted by: lisa gray at October 15, 2005 12:50 PM

Although media seems to put extra emphasis on it, where negotiations start is important. If its too far apart at the start it can get sticky. Remember how far apart hockey owners and players were?

As far as what someone is "worth", that's the whole point of negotiating. Its not really a "so?" question.

Posted by: adwred at October 15, 2005 02:33 PM
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