Earlier this evening, we heard from union chief Tony Clark on a variety of topics. Clark is also closely monitoring revenue sharing, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune. The MLBPA head was vague about any specific clubs they’re monitoring, saying things like “there may be teams that are of interest early that may not be late because of considerations that are being made.” The Pirates were once on the player union’s radar for not spending shared funds, but their recent on-field success probably has them in the clear – for now.
Here’s more from Pittsburgh:
- Pirates ace Gerrit Cole is upset after the club renewed his salary for $541K, writes Biertempfel. Because Cole has fewer than three seasons of major league service, the Pirates can renew his contract at any rate – typically near the major league minimum. He played for $531K last season and received a $10K bonus for reaching the All Star Game. The team’s initial offer this year was for $538K, and they threatened a pay cut to the $507K league minimum when Cole expressed a desire for a raise. As Cole put it, “When you perform at a level that draws the praise of management, teammates, coaches and fans, you expect appropriate compensation. I understand the business of this game, but it is hard to accept that a year of performance success does not warrant an increase in pay.” The initial $538K offer was due to a team policy that caps raises at $7K for any player with fewer than three seasons of major league service. Cole does not want the situation to become a distraction for the team.
- The Pirates have much to weigh when considering an extension to franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune. The club can ill afford to make a costly mistake with a mega-extension. McCutchen is under contract for $48.5MM over three more seasons including a club option for 2018 ($1MM buyout). A seven-year extension would keep him in Pittsburgh through his age 38 season. The history of similar extensions is off putting. Sawchik finds a list of 16 players who signed nine-figure contracts under similar circumstances. Consider the names of David Wright, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, Ken Griffey Jr., Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and Matt Kemp. Others like Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki, and Evan Longoria could look just as bad in the near future. As former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd explains, any massive extension has to be about more than just performance. If ticket and merchandise sales won’t cover an ugly back end of the deal, then the club may be best served to move on from McCutchen.
Couple ways to look at the Cole situation…
1st way.. Cole/Boras are not going to cut them any slack come next year when he’s eligible for arbitration, nor would they have given them any credit for goodwill had the Pirates FO have shown goodwill and given him another 100k this year.. Boras isn’t like that with his people, he takes every dime he can get and then will try to steal whatever crumbs are in your other pocket also if he thinks can get away with it.
Other way? Pittsburgh is a franchise on the dole from so-called “big money” owners.. I imagine those owners think they should be able to spend some of that welfare money they pay the franchise on player salaries.. What it’s supposed to be for anyway… Who else is a better representation than one of the better starting pitchers in the game than some kid that the Pirates just want to pay 500k to and THEN only give a 7k raise? Preposterous!
Well said. I fall on argument #1 and what on Sigurd said below about paying dues and not brooks about making 10x what the average bear makes. If the Pirates gave him more money, Boras still would have moved him elsewhere unless the Pirates paid max money, which hurts their ability to fund the other 24 positions on the roster.
McCutchen deserves a long term contract at a reasonable yearly amount. He comes across as an upstanding Pittsburgh team player. Rewarding him fairly is the least the owners can do.
Regarding Cole, a minimum salary for 19 wins can only anger a player. We are counting on him! An acknowledgement of his worth is really needed.
Since teams are devaluing older players (29 now is considered old) , while keeping them in the minors longer to get the best of their cost controlled service time, MLBPA should push to eliminate the number of years a player is paid the minimum, and allow players to become free agents after their age 28 season no matter how much service time they have. With minor league salaries at a 40 year low adjusted for inflation, a ridiculous 3100-7500 per year, and bonuses restricted, and coaches and scouts not doing much better, their argument that development costs justify the amount of surplus value they get from young players does not hold water
You can’t because it’s cyclical. Not all of the young talent will pan out. I don’t think it’s so much of age. It’s more of baseball trending to self correct itself as the disastrous contracts for middle players won’t be handed out. The major players are going to still get paid. They may not get the length of contracts, but can you blame teams for wanting to shell out 20-30 plus for a 37-40 year old guy come back end of contract. The QO system will be fixed and free agency will commence. You can’t overreact. 6 years works because of arb. Now a pay scale raise that takes into account the overall production within two the first years could stop teams from trying to exploit the super two status. The mlpa needs to look more into the spending habits of revenue sharing. When teams receive revenue sharing there needs to be a floor to ensure that money is being used to assist the major league club. To put an arbitrary number on age means a diminished product as teams may rush players to get 6 years out of them. It would also mean jr/sr college players would be less desirable. At 21-22 teams would most likely not get 6 years of service. Leading to an even younger game squeezing out the NCAA and NAIA guys. I don’t see it working.
We don’t have meaningful enough revenue sharing right now to really even start talking about a floor. It’s not like the revenue sharing gives the basement teams have a half a shot of buying high-end talent to cover holes like the top handful of teams in terms of payroll can do. When we actually have meaningful revenue sharing so almost any team can be in on almost any player, and we cease being the last major American sport with no salary controls so free agency isn’t a rigged auction, we can (and should) have a floor.
That would take care of any concerns about “tanking” as well. Teams would have to keep some semblance of a major league team on the field.
That only hurts small market teams as they are the teams trying to eek all of the value from young players. It would kill a team like the rays to only get 1 year at the minimum when they already look to move players before their final arb year.
Your proposal, Pete, might have the effect of teams calling up talented players too early, before they have developed. Instead of being superstars, they would just be average players, getting paid accordingly. Why leave Cole in the minors to work on his control, or a third offering, if his fastball is major league ready? Better to stick him in the bullpen then waste time in the minors, because the clock is ticking. Which is better; 5 years of a reliever, or 3 years of a top starter?
Better talk to Tony Clark, Gerrit. The MLBPA negotiated away your earning potential on your behalf, before they even represented you.
^^^^THIS. Absolutely on point.
I’m mixed on the Cole situation. It sort of reminds me of the Mike Trout situation where he was getting paid near league minimum. On the one hand, yes it is crazy Cole didn’t get a bigger raise. On the other hand, everyone has to pay their dues and it sets a bad precedent to make certain players “special” in inordinately elevating their pay prior to arbitration.
I don’t know. Tough call for me.
The angels gave trout a mil when they only had to pay 500k. They did it for goodwill for a later date.
Let’s see how that works out.
Poor guy. He’s stuck making 10x the US median household income.
Mr. Cole should take solace in the fact that his $10k raise is more than what this planet’s average family makes in a year.
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for pro athletes when they complain about money. They have an entire career to be ridiculously overpaid. It’s fine to be underpaid for three years, and still make $1.5MM in that time. And Cole already has $8MM to his name just for signing his name on a piece of paper after he was drafted.
If you made your company millions of dollars (If not tens of millions) and they gave you zero to a marginally statistic raise you would probably be fairly annoyed.
It has nothing to do with median US household incomes or world incomes. It’s about not being properly compensated according to relative worth in your industry.
While i agree he is worth more. So are a lot of guys pre arb. There is a system in place that has been for years, if you want an immediate raise you have to talk extension which he is unwilling to do. No give no extra take home. It is unfair to demand preferarential treatment relative to your peers.
The Pirates have NOT approached Cole about a multi-year extention this or any previous year.
His agent is Scott Boras, it wouldn’t matter if they approached him, he’s still hitting the market ASAP.
He is getting paid according to what he is worth in the industry. His worth, at this point, is based on him being a player who does not qualify for arbitration. His performance becomes a factor when he does qualify. He, like most others, will not be accepting a long term deal with the Pirates. An unnecessary increase at this point only makes his arbitration years get more costly, as current salary is one of the variables when giving out raises. The money they save on his salary, goes to improving the cast he gets to play with.
sounds like most of American workers
I hate hearing about these players complain about their pay. Cole, you’re gonna get paid. The system will get you paid. You just have to be patient. Besides 500 k ain’t shabby
That is true, but Pirates fans cannot be upset when he leaves for free agency and offers no hometown discount. They get paid a lot, but if the team is only going to pay the minimum then there is no argument against the player going for the biggest free agent deal. This could also interfere with any extension talk. The Pirate franchise does have a bad history concerning salaries, so if I were him I would assume the worst. Giving him an increase in salary, one in which he unarguably deserves, would have been a good gesture. So any Pirates fan who might potentially complain about Cole leaving for the highest salary, as all players should, bookmark this page. .
If Cole doesn’t want his complaint to become a distraction, why did he raise the issue?
Should have picked the Yankees Cole, should have picked the Yankees.
Yup. Karma is a bit….
Well said VWNUT13….When the Yankees called he opted to go back to college waiting for a better offer.
Well you wanted a team like the Pirates….now you got I man.
Their success may have changed for the better, but its sill Pittsburg buddy and they aren’t exactly known for spending on ballplayers.
Because being taken #1 overall with a 8 million signing bonus isnt a better offer than 28th overall and 2-3 million? There’s no way Pittsburgh can afford an extension to keep him past his arb years (which are going to be expensive anyway) so why would they give him a huge raise now when trying to build a championship team and need every dollar to fill the bench, bullpen and AAA depth?
He might have signed for a smaller bonus, but he also very easily could have another 1-2 years of service time if he didn’t spend those 3 years in college. He could be looking at entering his second arb year now and a big payday right around the corner.
Of course he’s upset, his agent is Scott Boras.
Cole is being treated this way, because that’s what the CBA allows. The union can try to negotiate something better this next round, but we should never expect the owners to do more than they are legally required to do. Personally, I think there are bigger issues to address, including the awful treatment of minor league players, service time manipulation, DFA limbo, and, if possible, tanking. Cole will have his chance to make a fortune,
$193/week raise!
On the one hand, as the first pick of the draft Cole did get a hefty signing bonus ($8m if memory serves me correctly) so it’s not like he’s been completely taken advantage here. I feel more sympathy for the mid to late round guys that take longer to get through the minors and don’t reach arbitration of FA until they’re past their prime.
But having said that, it seems pretty ridiculous for the Pirates to take such an antagonistic approach towards a player as valuable as Cole. Perhaps they’re just resigned to the fact that as a Boras client he is going to test free agency and they have no shot to resign him anyway… But other players within the organization and other potential free agents and of course agents take note of this kind of thing.
Cole is upset.
Cole expresses [TO THE MEDIA] a desire for a raise.
Cole does not want the situation to become a distraction for the team.
Not that a Gerrit Cole extension ever seemed like a real possibility (no discussions ever, Boras client, etc.) but I find it funny he stated that the Pirates’ told him they have a policy of a 7000 cap for pre-arb raises when he got almost a 20,000 raise just last year.
So Cole had on really good season and thinks he should be making bank? Maybe first he should prove he can do it consistently. But no, he’ll probably whine for the next two seasons and then have a monster FA year.
Andrew Mccutcheon’s contract is one of the steals of the century…
Young players of today need to talk to some of the former great players that are walking around their spring training camps as Guest Instructors before airing their dirty laundry to the media. Ask those former players that played before free agency and collective bargaining how they were treated by ownership back in the day and this article would have never been written.
This is the teams time to save money on production from players. Once a player hits free agency, the player gets the advantage. This is especially important for teams like the Pirates that are mid and small market teams.
I wonder if Cole intended to give the Pirates a home town discount when it came time for extension talks? Considering Boras is his agent, it seems to me he wants as much money as possible. So obviously the Pirates want to SAVE as much money as possible.
I can’t wait until some of the other young pictures come up and have success Then maybe Garrett Cole will realize he’s part of the team he isn’t the team. Play by play guys call him intense. I think he acts like a punk. Carlos Gomez should have whipped his butt
Yeah i don’t remember hearing Cole complaining after he got a (then) record $8 million signing bonus before pitching an inning of pro ball.