Marlin's president will absolutely, without a doubt, make no mistake about it, spend money

by Dex on Jul 12, 2007 7:30 AM PDT in News Comment 13 comments

Apparently, if the rumors are true, Ichiro will be making something around $20 million a year and Marlin's president, David Sampson, is offended... nay, disgusted... nay f_cking incensed that anybody would even think of paying a baseball player that much. From FishStripes:

The way Sampson is so livid about it, you'd think that somebody offered him that much money to eat a litter of puppies.

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Some GMs are morons

Apparently this David Sampson fellow doesn't understand that players have a value off the field as well as on it. Ichiro's numbers are hard to argue with, he must be considered in any "best player today" discussion (although I don't think he's precisely # 1), but the guy's also a huge draw. His baseball is exciting and simply having him on your team draws a LOT of overseas fans to your club.

For example, what would have happened if the Padres drafted Tony Gwynn Jr.? Would he have done as well over here as he has in his appearances with the Brewers? No idea.

But how many shirts will the guy sell? Hell, I know I'd buy one. What Padres fan wouldn't want to own the first and second generations of a name on a jersey?

Ichiro's performances alone may not necessarily be worth $10M a year, let alone $20M, but the whole package, on the field and off could be worth that sum.

And apparently, the Seattle GM thinks so and the Florida GM doesn't. Maybe if the latter didn't have to fire sell his team after every title they won...

by I8EtoDunbar on Jul 12, 2007 8:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Hell, I'd give him $30 Mil. That way he's making more than A-Rod. Best Player in Baseball should be making the most!

by Jonny Dub on Jul 12, 2007 8:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That GM

is going to crap when he finds out how confident Boras is that ARod will be making $30mil pretty soon.

by osbug on Jul 12, 2007 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

if you think that's bad

Wait until he finds out how much George Steinbrenner makes!

"Winfield's head hits the wall! It's rolling toward second base!" - Jerry Coleman

by metalsupplier on Jul 12, 2007 10:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

$30 mil for A-Rod

See, now I think that's ridiculous. It's not just about who the better player is, it's about how that player can return the investment. With Ichiro, it's basically a key to the entire country of Japan. A-Rod doesn't have a country in his back pocket to warrant that kind of raise.

by Dex on Jul 12, 2007 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That reminds me

Can we please trade for Tony Gwynn Jr.?

"Winfield's head hits the wall! It's rolling toward second base!" - Jerry Coleman

by metalsupplier on Jul 12, 2007 10:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As much as I'd love that and have dreamed of it

I bet that would be his biggest nightmare. He'd never be anything other than Tony's son regardless of anything he achieved, good or bad. Not saying that Milwaukee fans aren't cognisant of who his father is but at the end of the day they couldn't give a toss less about that and just judge him on his personal merit as a ballplayer. I can only imagine that the shadow his dad casts in San Diego would be more a curse than a blessing; you'd have the one side who'd believe he can do no wrong even if he's putting up Sledge-like numbers and the other side that would be pissed off at him for never measuring up to the bar #19 set ridiculously high even if he (Jr.) were to hit .320.

"I try not to get overly excited... But I am pleased with it..."

by TheThirdGonzalez on Jul 12, 2007 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What the hell

qualifies anybody employed by the Florida Marlins to comment on how to spend money?

"I try not to get overly excited... But I am pleased with it..."

by TheThirdGonzalez on Jul 12, 2007 9:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree with him

That contract is nuts, BUT I'd rather have Ichiro with that contract than Zito in his contract. I don't think it is breaking new grounds of insanity. Actually the posting fee for Matsuzaka when added to his contract makes him the most insanely expensive player in baseball. The line has already been crossed Mr Sampson.

And I agree he isn't taking into account Merchandising and attendance. I think Ichiro is a very UNIQUE but not ELITE player in the game, certainly not as valuable on the field as Pujols, A-Rod, Santana, Vlad Guererro to name a few. He's at the next tier. And he isnt exactly young, and I would be shocked if he remained at this level for even 3 of the 5 years of the contract. And then you have basically Ryan Freel for 20 mill a year.

I think the ONLY team he is worth that much to is Seattle because the Mariners brand is huge in Japan and they have a pretty big park, where someone like him can flourish.

by TheDude on Jul 12, 2007 10:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Superstar players

I think Ichiro actually is at that superstar level. Think of it this way... If he had played in the MLB since his rookie season, he would've been closing in on 4,000 hits and without resorting to player-managing to do it. The only reason he doesn't approach similar RBI numbers is because he bats leadoff, but essentially, he gets on base and he scores.

If anything goes with age, I'm guessing it's speed and he won't be able to pull off the straight slap and steal move that he does. Instead, he'll have to stand in and bat third and drive the ball for doubles and home runs, which I think he's totally capable of.

by Dex on Jul 12, 2007 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

You really can't underestimate how much money he brings in from the Asian market, especially in a city with such a large Asian population. I don't know how much that's worth to the Mariners, but I bet it's a big chunk of that $20 mil per year. Beyond that, it provides the Mariners with great precedence for when they go after the next great Japanese player. That's why the Sox paid all that cash for Dice-K, and subsequently established Seibu as an information-sharing partner team.

And if this means that he goes into the Hall of Fame as a Mariner instead of a Yankee or Red Sock, I think that's pretty good for the Mariners as well. How much less would his legacy be worth to the Mariners if he only spends half of his MLB career there?

"Winfield's head hits the wall! It's rolling toward second base!" - Jerry Coleman

by metalsupplier on Jul 12, 2007 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chargers got Oliver in the Supp. Draft (Rd 4)

In A.J. We Trust
E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Jul 12, 2007 12:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Samson and Puppies

Having heard my share of Samson rants, I'm fairly certain that he would eat a litter of puppies for a much lower price.

I'm thinking something more in the range of $9 or $10 -- and not $90 or $100 million -- would be his price.

... seriously though, go to www.790theticket.com and listen to the full audio of the interview. Samson, a self-professed movie expert, usually rants about everyone else's poor choice in movies. In the Ichiro interview he also admitted that he's never seen an episode of The Simpsons. I don't trust anyone who has never seen an episode of The Simpsons.

by mike42 on Jul 16, 2007 1:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs