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March 1, 2010
While the Indians aren’t going to contend this year, they are building towards the 2011-2012 with young players who remain under their control thanks to the MLB service time rules. In other words, guys like Asdrubal Cabrera, Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, and Chris Perez will be with the Indians until they hit certain service time benchmarks. They do go through the arbitration process in the latter years before they hit free agency.
The other option for young talented players, which the Indians have mastered since the John Hart era began in the early 90’s, is to give up some of your arbitration years for immediate financial security. It started with guys like Carlos Baerga and Sandy Alomar. To the present, Grady Sizemore did it, so did Jhonny Peralta and Fausto Carmona. The GM duo of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti would love to do the same thing with the fast-rising Shin-Soo Choo.
The fly in the Choo ointment always was thought to be the impending South Korean military service which has been hovering for the last three years. According to the laws of his homeland, Choo must do a two year stint in the South Korean Army by the time he is 30 (he turns 28 on July 27th). However, if his team wins the Gold Medal in November’s Asian Games, he and his team would receive military exemptions.
New Tribe manager Manny Acta also let it slip that Choo was studying to become an American citizen, something that has still yet to be confirmed. If this were to be true and the OF did go this route, he would be unable to return to his homeland.
One way or another, I think this situation will work itself out. The same can’t be said for Choo signing a long-term deal with the Indians, the way Sizemore did. It was thought that the Tribe could get something done with their #3 hitter, but they were thrown for a major loop yesterday. Choo decided to replace his agent Alan Nero, with the most polarizing figure in the history of sports agents – the one and only Scott Boras.
That, my friends, is not good news.
Boras is best known for steering his clients where he wants them to go, regardless of the fit, to chase the most money. “Giving up arbitration years for financial security” is a sentence that has never been uttered by Boras. Choo becomes arbitration eligible after the 2010 season but remains under the Indians control through 2013. The problem is that if Choo continues down the same improving path (.300/20 HR/86 RBI/.886 OPS), he will become too pricey for the Dolan blood in these arbitration years, therefore he could be the next one shipped out for prospects.
Not saying that is a certainty and 2013 is still a ways away, but the shift to Boras does not help the Indians position with their stud right-fielder.
21 Comments
I know that alot of people may post long comments about this, but it all really boils down to the point of:
Scott Boras is what is wrong with baseball.
Yeah, but Boras could probably haggle with the Korean governement enough to get the military thing dropped.
haha 5KMD, I thought the same thing too once I read the title of this post.
With the Dolans, all it means is that we’ll just him a couple years earlier than scheduled.
Boras typically doesn’t let teams buy out his clients’ arbitration years, preferring instead to go through the arbitration process to get a player to free agency quicker. Choo’s first arbitration will be after this season. Then two more years after that. That means we’ll have him under club control for 4 more season at a price determined by the arbitration process (not by Boras). So four more years of Choo at arbitration prices would put him eligible for free agency at the end of 2013, at which point he’d go into free agency. Would we want to sign a 32 year old RF/DH at that point? After what happened with Hafner? Dunno. But at this point, I don’t see this as bad news at all, and since it means we’ll probably go to arbitration with him, it might even be good news (less guaranteed risk if he gets hurt).
With the Dolans, all it means is that we’ll just TRADE him a couple years earlier than scheduled.
(Must remember the verb)
Well this seals the deal for the Indians, this is actually quite fitting and in case you can’t tell I’m laughing. I mean if South Korea doesn’t JOB the Indians I’m sure Scott Boras will!
Shapiro, Antonetti whoever just save time and trade Choo-Choo now. 😉
I hear that Boras is negotiating to have Choo inducted into the ROKs as a full-bird colonel for 872.4 trillion won per year. Other demands include 180 days of annual leave, unlimited recreational use of a fleet of F-22 Raptors, and, of course, a uniform allowance.
@6
Worldwide Harv,
Verbs overrated.
South Korea doesn’t get Raptors! You clearly meant the F-35 Lightning II.
We assume your mistake was due to Monday morning beers and forgive you in advance.
Good good, more prospects coming this way. This club obviously isn’t worried about winning anyways, might as well get rid of Choo and Sizemore while were at it.
Well there goes our streak of not going to arbitration since forever ago.
You guys beat me to the punch about trading him anyway in a few years!
You guys beat me to the punch about trading him anyway in a few years!
@10
Eli,
Aha! That’s what Boras WANTS us to think!
BTW, Conway’s Irish Ale is an outstanding breakfast brew!
@Joe Steiner: The way arbitration works is that the Indians go into the meeting with a number and Boras goes into the meeting with a number. What ever number the arbitrator decides is more fair is what gets paid. It’s up to the Indians to prove why they should pay less and Boras to prove why they should pay more.
Based on Choo’s performance thus far, they’ll be paying more. If it even gets that far though. I can see him traded. Although, if they can re-sign Grady and then get Choo with Brantley/LaPorta our OF can be one of the best in baseball along with our lineup. That’s a good way to bring fans to the ballpark.
As I hit submit comment and was thinking about my second paragraph I almost forgot who our owners were.
S-Dub: You’re right on how arbitration works. Boras’ clients are successful about 59% of the time (right around league average). It’s not as though Boras gets to pick whatever number he wants when a player goes to arbitration. If he presents with a ridiculous number, then the Indians will win the case and pay Choo what the want to. Either way, we’ll be paying Choo for 3 one-year contracts valued (at most) at what he is worth, but limiting our long-term risk (see: Carmona, Fausto & Hafner, Travis). I still think this could be a good thing, given Choo’s age.
Why would he be unable to return to Korea if he becomes an American citizen? That’s exactly the route he should go. There is no law in Korea that says he cannot return to the country if he becomes a US citizen.
[…] were worth closer to $23 million. Understandably, Choo went out and latched himself to one of baseball’s biggest player representatives in Scott Boras. Alas, the two sides are now at a […]
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