January 16, 2006
Dontrelle Gets a Raise
Dontrelle Willis signed a one-year deal today, avoiding salary arbitration:
The Marlins and pitcher Dontrelle Willis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract that will pay the left-hander $4.35 million in 2006.
Willis, who went 22-10 last season and finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting to the St. Louis Cardinals' Chris Carpenter, will receive the largest one-year contract ever for a first-year arbitration pitcher -- about $500,000 more than Roy Halladay and Andy Pettitte received in their first year of arbitration.
It's a victory for agent Matt Sosnick, the subject of License to Deal. His players tend to leave when it's time to negotiate a big contract.
It's disappointing that the Marlins only gave Willis a one-year deal. It's my opinion that Florida fans would feel better about the fire sale if they knew the Marlins were committed to Dontrelle and Cabrera for a few years.
The Fish should have given him $55/5.
It looks like the Marlins are rebuilding around the young stars who haven't shown susceptability to injury. Pretty smart if you ask me.
so thats where all the payroll they slashed went.