Perhaps you have seen this story today concerning Odalis Perez? It appears that Perez signed a minor league contract with the Nationals, the team he pitched for last year. It then appears that he decided he didn't like that deal and wanted to renegotiate. Umm, Odalis, it doesn't work like that. To make his point, Perez decided not to report to the Nationals. The Nationals said, "Yeah, whatever," and released him.
Perez has made $32 million in his career for basically one good year out of ten. And all he had to do was show up in camp and make the team and he was good for $870,000 for 2008. That isn't chump change to those of us struggling in this economy. And he would have made the team because he is a lefty and lefties have to be just about dead not to be wanted in major league baseball.
How else would you explain him hanging on this long despite these glorious ERAs the past three years: 6.20, 5.57 and 4.34? He has given up 680 base runners in his last 423 innings of work. In the ERA+ statistic, where 100 is average, he has a career number of 95. Only three times in his career was he over 100 and one of them was last year when the number was 101. So he was a league average pitcher last year.
And with that wonderful track record, he's going to try to call the shots? The Nationals certainly haven't had a lot of fun the last few weeks. First you have a supposed phenom who duped the team about his age and name. Then you have Bowden under investigation for the South American problem which is finally coming to light again. And now this.
No matter their recent troubles, the Nationals did the right thing in letting Perez go. If he wants to throw away that kind of money, let him. He wasn't very good anyway. Perez will be lucky if he hasn't thrown away the rest of his career.
1 comment:
Nothing worse than greedy athletes.
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