QQ moar: Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant publicly whines about how free agents are not getting signed as Spring Training gets closer and closer
First off, shut the fuck up, Kris Bryant. You’re not even a free agent yet. I understand why he’s complaining now, because he’s going to be a free agent in a year or two, I don’t care enough to check to see how many years of arbitration he has left, and he wants to make sure that when he hits the market, things won’t be like they are today, where free agents are absolutely getting taken to the toolshed for the second year in a row, and are not getting the absurd and ridiculous multi-million dollar contracts that nerds on the internet once said that they were all entitled to getting for their past performances.
But the thing is, Bryant is airing out his grievances under the guise of pretending like he cares about his fellow baseball players, namely the notable free agents whom are pretty much all still unsigned and have no definitive future currently, despite the fact that they’re absolutely going to get signed by someone, because their talents are inevitably going to be coveted by someone out there. They might not get the $400 million people think some of them are worth in a contract, but I’m fairly confident nobody is going to shed any tears for them when they’re still going to sign for like $250 million.
Dollars. Hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s what some of these baseball players are going to sign for, all for being really good at playing a children’s game. You’ll have to excuse me, and anyone else with a brain for not feeling sorry for baseball players who aren’t going to get $300 million, but are still going to make $175 million dollars for being good at swinging a bat or throwing a baseball.
As I always say, I love baseball, more than any other sport, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand that the salaries in baseball, as well as any other professional sport, are pretty out of hand these days, and I refuse to feel sorry or have any empathy for any professional athlete for not getting many-many millions of dollars, but are still getting many millions of dollars.
Frankly, I still think that there are far more occupations in the world that are just a little bit more important than professional athletes, like doctors and teachers, people who actually have the power to make differences in the world, as opposed to people who play kids games at high levels and provide a few hours of spectator entertainment occasionally.
The Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sweepstakes are absurd, with each player having been expected to net anywhere from $300-400 million dollar contracts, all because they’re young and good at baseball. I’m relishing in the fact that the trend from last year, where free agents were shunned and had their prices driven into the ground before tucking their tails between their legs and signing for “under” market predictions, but actually getting worse, or better, depending on how you’re looking at it.
Last year, Eric Hosmer and J.D. Martinez were still signed for some pretty bloated numbers, at reasonable time tables, because they were still widely the best available talents at the time. But the fact that the aforementioned Harper and Machado are still unsigned, and they’re both way more valuable than Hosmer or Martinez, goes to show that the teams are holding a little more steadfast, and regaining a little bit of power and self-respect in the game of free agency, and letting free agents know who really holds the cards.
I hope Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado get contracts for at least half the value in which they were hoping to get; because signing for $200 million instead of $400 million means that they’re still going to be filthy stinking rich, but at least the teams that sign them won’t have to raise ticket prices or cost of concessions and further alienate fans and further contribute to the narrative that baseball is falling in popularity year after year.
As for Kris Bryant, I hope this trend continues for 1-2 more years, and by the time he becomes a free agent, the free agency bubble will have long burst, and instead of getting some ridiculous 8-year, $300 million contract, he’ll have to settle for like a 3-year, $99 million deal, where he’ll actually have to work hard to maintain his value, so that he can enter free agency again as a commodity, instead of a potential liability, like so many players who coast on long-term deals tend to do.
Nobody should feel sorry for rich for not getting even more ridiculously rich, especially in a time where the government is shut down, and people who are actually essential in the country aren’t getting paid at all. Great timing Kris; like your swings against Greg Maddux. That seems like a better idea too, making funny videos on the internet, instead of crying poor.
