On msn.com today, I saw an article on the 25 highest paid players in MLB. Reading this article, I realized something: Baseball player’s agents must be great negotiators because I am not sure if these guys are worth this kind of money. Here is what I mean:
25. Lance Berkman, Astros, $14,500,000 -Ok, the #25 guy on the list might actually be a guy who deserves his pay (although DESERVING 14.5 mil is a reach). A lifetime .302 hitter, he is a consistent player, always around .300 and at 33 years, still has a few good years of baseball.
24. Miguel Tejada, Astros, $14,811,415 -How old is this guy? In an interview, he gets busted! He has also been busted for steroids. At 34 years old and a lifetime .285 hitter, paying him 14.8 mil is a little far fetched.
23. Mariano Rivera, Yankees, $15,000,000 (tie) Fact-Rivera is a great closer. Fact-Rivera is close to 40 years old. Fact-Rivera’s stats have been falling consistently every year. Fact-Rivera is NOT worth 15 mil a year.
22. Derek Lowe, Braves, $15,000,000 (tie)-Ok, D. Lowe is turning 36 this year, but his stats are OK. 3.74 career ERA. He isn’t a bad player, but Atlanta, 4 years for 15 mil each year @ 36? Really?
21. Ryan Howard, Phillies, $15,000,000 (tie) One of the few guys on this list that maybe worth the money. This guy is a workhorse and a threat every time he steps up to the plate. My only concern is he has a high strikeout count. Not a bad pay raise every year though ($355,000 is 2006, $900,000 in 2007, $10 Million in 2008, $15 million in 2009)
20. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels, $15,000,000 -At 34 years old, injuries are going to start plaguing him (started 2009 off with a sore right shoulder). But a great player with a .323 lifetime avg with a decent OBP and a great Slg percentage.
19. Jason Schmidt, Dodgers, $15,217,401 -Really? Seriously? A 36 year old pitcher who has a lengthy resume of injuries, including season ending surgery in 2007, And LA-you are paying him over 15 million dollars-HE IS NOT EVEN PLAYING RIGHT NOW!
18. CC Sabathia, Yankees, $15,285,714 Sabathia is probably one of the strongest pitchers in the bigs. He is a big guy (6 foot 7, 290 Lbs) that throws a ton of innings every year and gets a ton of strike outs every year. Worth the money? Eh. He is a streaky pitcher that has issues locating fastball sometimes (See opening day start 2009)
17. Tim Hudson, Braves, $15,500,000 -Here is another guy that MAY be worth the money if he stays healthy. Great, explosive stuff and a long game guy.
16. A.J. Burnett, Yankees, $16,500,000 -One of the Yankees inflated salaries. Burnett is on a contract year and is a streaky pitcher. He has fits where he is Cy Young material, then he has fits where he flames out. Not worth the 16.5 mil NY has been feeding him.
15. Todd Helton, Rockies, $16,600,000 This guy is ALMOST worth his money. But at 35 years old and coming off a back surgery, who knows how productive he will be. But anyone with a career .328 average, .428 On base percentage and a .573 slugging percentage is a threat.
14. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs, $16,900,000 Wait-Who? Going through this list, I had no idea who this guy was. Even after googling him, still had NO IDEA about this guy. Apparently he is a big thing in Chi town. It is hard for me to say whether he is worth the money because I don’t know about him. ESPN likes the kid. He is young. SO maybe. I will be watching him this year, so check for the update soon.
13. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs, $17,000,000 – Another guy that MAYBE worth his money. Hits for power, hits for avg, has speed, great defense. But he may have hit his peak (no more 30/30 years) and be gradually slowing down. But still a huge threat in Chicago.
12. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, $18,000,000 (tie) -Here is another guy worth the money. As long as his legs can stay healthy, he will hit for a high average, get on base, steal a base, and score runs. What any good offense needs.
11. Torii Hunter, Angels, $18,000,000 What makes Torii Hunter a good player is his defense. He is getting older so his offense is slipping a bit. But paying a guy close to 20 mil for defense is outrageous!
10. Barry Zito, Giants, $18,500,000 -NOT WORTH THE MONEY! This guy is all hype. His ERA for his career is high 3′s, he was throwing an 84 MPH fastball last year, and doesn’t look to be improving. It’s like paying a high school pitcher 18 mil to pitch in the bigs. WHY?!
9. Carlos Zambrano, Cubs, $18,750,000 – A streaky pitcher at best, Zambrano has the potential to be worth his money. But his temper and lack of consistent starts (No hitter one game, 7 runs the next?) keeps him from truly being worth his salary. But at 27, if he gets his stuff together, watch out.
8. Johan Santana, Mets, $18,876,139 -Is Johan Santana one of the top pitchers year in and year out? Yes. Is his stuff worth 18.8 million? I am not sure on this one. He is one of the strongest pitchers in the majors, as well as is consistent through the entire year. But 19 mil?? Hmm…Tough One.
7. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers, $18,971,596 -If you can’t tell by know, I am not a fan of teams paying people whose best years are behind them a ton of money. Ordonez is 35 and his power numbers are dropping. But he still is a consistent player, but not 18.9 million consistent.
6. Carlos Lee, Astros, $19,000,000 -Here is another tough one: Is a player’s salary about defense, or offense? Lee’s defense is sub par. He has no range, no arm, and high number of errors a year. But, a career avg of 150 games, .290 batting average, 29 home runs, 102 RBIs, 90 runs scored is nothing to shake a stick at. He is not worth 19 million, but he is worth a good chunk.
5. Carlos Beltran, Mets, $19,243,683 -An underrated player if you ask me. Consistent player, plays everyday, hits for power, runs the bases, great all around player. Worth the 19.2 million? Maybe. We will have to see if he lives up in 2009.
Now we get into the big dogs. The 20 mil guys.
4. Mark Teixeira, Yankees, $20,625,000 -This kid is worth it. He is young, strong, fast and healthy. Offense, defense. He will blow up in the next few years. This was a great grab by the Yankee’s. Finally spending money on decent players. Unlike the next guy..
3. Derek Jeter, Yankees, $21,600,000 -NOT WORTH THE MONEY! He is a pop star. He is the David Beckham of MLB. No game, all sales. True, he puts butts in the seats in New York. But his speed: Gone. His 100+ RBI: GONE. His .350 avg: GONE! He is 34 years old! And with SS like Ramirez, Reyes and Rollins, his skills now are sub par. But he sells tickets. So for that, I guess he is a good investment for New York?
2. Manny Ramirez, Dodgers, $23,854,494 -I have a tough time with Manny. On one side, he is still at power threat at 36. When he gets locked in, you can’t pitch him anywhere. He has a great eye and killer bat speed. That is, when he gets locked in. There is always that Manny Being Manny deal. But, I think his threat at the plate, just his threat, is enough to make pitchers wary. So good investment in my opinion.
1. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, $33,000,000 -Ah. Good old Mr. Rodriguez. This is the easiest for me. There is NO WAY he is worth this kind of money. He is going into Jeter status with his star power. Is he still threat at the plate? Yes. Is that a 33 million dollar threat? Absolutely not! He has no defense (he might break a nail). I am baffled that NY pays this guy this much money!
There you have it. That is what I think about the top 25 players in the bigs in 2009. Feel free to let me know what you think-Who I got wrong, who I got right-I know you Yankee fans are going to grill me for Jeter and Rodriguez, but I love to hear. Let me have it!
And now he gets paid like one.