Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
June 12, 2006
Get the Fava Beans and Chianti

The Arizona Diamondbacks are considering eating Russ Ortiz's contract after his dreadful performance yesterday (and for the year):

But things have gotten so bad so quick, that ownership has an itchy trigger finger and after deciding to go to war with Grimsley, they aren't particularly worried about hurting Ortiz's feelings.

The problem is, he is under contract for two more years after signing a four-year, $33 million deal in 2005. He's getting paid $7.4 million this season and they still owe him about $20 million. Eating that much salary would be precedent-setting by a major league club.

But the Diamondbacks are considering it. And that should tell you something. Trading him would be ideal, but it is unrealistic. They could move him to the bullpen, but spots are precious there, and what proof does the team have he will pitch any better in relief?

In addition, they're trying to get out of paying Grimsley on a technicality:

As for Grimsley, the target of a federal probe into the use and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs, the relief pitcher is to have his contract terminated today by the Diamondbacks. Arizona contends it shouldn't have to pay him any portion of the remainder of his $825,000 salary, using a clause in the collective bargaining agreement to assert he was unfit to compete.

I assume, they mean, without drugs. I would have thought they would have gone along the lines of what the Orioles did to let Ponson go last year, a violation of the morals clause:

Every player on the 40-man roster signs a standard contract that includes a morals clause, paragraph 3(a), that reads: "The Player agrees to perform his services hereunder diligently and faithfully, to keep himself in first-class physical condition and to obey the Club's training rules, and pledges himself to the American public and to the Club to conform to high standards of personal conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship."

I suppose Grimsley can argue that taking HGH was keeping himself in first-class physical condition.


Posted by David Pinto at 09:08 AM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Just from this, I assume the argument is that he was unfit to compete because he was using drugs that would make him ineligible to compete.

Posted by: Capybara at June 12, 2006 12:55 PM

Atlanta got rid of Ortiz after he couldn't stop giving up the long ball. It seemed he was giving up at least 2 home runs a start. I was really surprised when Arizona signed him to such a large deal.

Posted by: dave at June 12, 2006 05:10 PM
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