November 28, 2006
Seven vs. Eight Figures
The difference between getting seven and eight figures a year for pitchers appears to be whether you were injured in 2006.
Free agent pitcher Adam Eaton has reached preliminary agreement on a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies worth more than $24 million, a baseball source told ESPN.com.
The contract includes a mutual option for a fourth year that could bring the overall package to more than $33 million, the source said. The agreement is contingent on Eaton passing a physical exam, and is expected to be announced by the club later this week.
In his seven seasons as a starter, Eaton only qualified for the ERA title twice. His weakness is the long ball, something that may be exacerbated by the Phillies home park. This seems like a lot of money for an iffy pitcher. I like the Dodgers deal for Wolf a lot better, since they're not committed long term if he doesn't work out.
Yeah, the Wolf deal was better, but it's worth noting that the only reason they got him for such short money is that he wanted to pitch in Southern California. So I'm not really sure it's fair to compare that one to many other FA signings.
I'm not sure that the only reason the Wolf deal was for less was because of Wolf's desire to be in So. Cal. There may also have been the calculation by wolf and agent that if he improves this year, as is a good bet off his injury (and pitching in Dodger Stadium) then his next contract will be for more than he could get now. So he may not have wanted the 3 year contracts being offered by other teams.
P.S. -- the LA Times reports that it isn't really one year. The club has an option for a second year, and Wolf will too if he pitches 180 innings.
