FORT MYERS, Fla. – We can all agree that David Ortiz needs to turn the volume down a bit about his contract.
In this day and age when people are rubbing nickels together to pay bills, nobody wants to hear it on a weekly basis. But if Ortiz should be mad at anyone, it should be his agent, Fernando Cuza. How does a hitter with Ortiz’ credentials – and I don’t care how old he is – settle for a two-year, $30 million deal?
I know “settle” sticks out and anyone making that kind of money should be kissing the ground every day. But when you compare it to other hitters making so much more money, you can see Ortiz’s frustration.
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The Yankees’ Mark Teixeira, for instance, will earn $22.5 million this season. Jacoby Ellsbury, Ortiz’s long-time teammate, will make $21.1 million. Miguel Cabrera is in a league of his own, but he will earn $22 million. Albert Pujols will make $23 million. Prince Fielder’s paycheck is $24 million. Joe Mauer will make $23 million. Carl Crawford will draw a $20.2 million salary. Adrian Gonzalez will earn $21 million. Matt Kemp makes $21 million in 2014.
Vernon Wells is sitting home without a job and he’s earning $21 million.
Do you get the picture yet?
You can argue some of these contracts are bad, and/or don’t fit the production of some of these players. You can argue that Ortiz is a 38-year-old DH and not a positional player. You can argue that he’s older than some of these players who are in their prime.
But there’s one bottom line – the numbers don’t lie.
On this list, other than Cabrera, who’s a better hitter or a more productive player?
How many of them won the World Series MVP, or own a .455 average with a 1.372 OPS in winning three World Series? He’s one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time.
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It’s not the reporters telling him to tone it down that have caused his contractual issues.
Ortiz, you might say, has taken a few hometown discounts to stay in Boston and finish his career there. It’s up to his agent to get him the right deal.
That’s who should be taking his wrath right now.
Not the media, or the fans who are telling him he shouldn’t be so public about his contract.