Furcal thinks he is worth $10 mil per? No way

[Admin]

a team would have to be insane to pay him that amount of money. He is a good player, but 10 mil per is great player money. I expect to get a Miguel Tejada or Vlad Guerrero type of player for that kind of money.

Do you Braves fans think he will get that much over 4-6 years? Do you think he is worth it?

[pathway23]

I think the Yankees or Mets will pay him that much, I don't think the Braves should with their budget constraints. Nomar could be had pretty cheap, or Julio Lugo, etc. We'll have to find a leadoff man though.

[Admin]

If the Yankees needed a SS, you might be right. On ESPN they are saying that the Red Sox might go after him and they would move Renteria to another position. They would probably be willing to give him what he wants ... although I still dont think he is worth that much money.

[DominiqueWilkins]

Far cry from being worth that type of money.

[CBAreject]

He is out to get everything he can, and he doesn't give a damn about anything else. He has said EXPLICITLY that he WILL NOT TAKE A DIME LESS TO PLAY FOR ATLANTA. HE WANTS EVERY LAST PENNY THAT IS COMING TO HIM JUST LIKE GARY SHEFFIELD DID. BTW, Gary was offered 30 mil over 3 from Atlanta (a team he said he'd wanted to play for since he'd been in the bigs and a team that was close to his family in Tampa) to sign for 33 over 3 with NY. Furcal will take a very similar route.

I think all this crap about how we need him as a lead-off man is bull hockey. He posts a miserable OBP every year. Granted he is one of the best base-stealers in the bigs. He is one of the best defensive SS. However, he is NOT a franchise guy, and we cannot afford to have a weak, streaky offensive player who doesn't get on base enough tying up that percentage of our payroll.

LET HIM do something he can't manage to do as a lead-off man.....WALK. LET HIM WALK.

Use the money on a player who can make the kind of difference we need....a starting pitcher.

[DJ_Money]

If Furcal is all those things you mentioned, then so is essentially every other player in professional sports. Furcal has said many times, that all things (i.e. $$$) being equal, he'd like to stay in Atlanta. If he can get someone to pay him what he wants, he's got no reason not to take the deal.

With Betemit waiting on his shot, you're right about the money being better spent elsewhere, but I think it's rather obvious where our biggest weakness is. Giving that $8-$10 mil. to Billy Wagner might not be such a horrible idea. If we could convince Brian Giles to give us a discount to play with his brother, he'd be a nice addition.

It wouldn't shock me to see us make another big deal for a starting pitcher. We've got an excess of pitchers, but we're not sure who is going to be in the rotation. Sosa was lights out as a starter, but I'm still not convinced he can do that again. Pair him with a prospect or two, and you could get another pitcher in the Tim Hudson mold, although it's not clear if any of them will be on the block.

[Plainview1981]

Raffy is also a drunk??? How many DUI's does he have?

[CBAreject]

That is not true. Some players take less to play for certain teams. Maddux took less than the Yanks offered to play for Atl. Cal Ripken stayed with the Orioles for less than he was offered elsewhere. Tony Gwynn did the same.

Most players are those things, but thst doesn't make it OK. It's not so simple as 'If Furcal can get the money he wants, he should take it.' Having 50 million instead of 45 does not make a human being any happier. You can't really spend either amount without being miserable, so it's just a matter of greed and pride. Some players have found misery in taking the highest offer. Carlos Beltran could've stayed with the 'Stros for a few bucks left than he got with NY. He would've made a playoff run and had less pressure on him. Perhaps he might've had a decent season.

I can understand if Mazzone left for money. The difference between 250 and 500 thousand is enormous. However, the difference between 45 and 50 million is not detectable.

[Admin]

He said he would have taken a good bit less from the Astros, but the Astros werent willing to give him a no-trade clause which was a deal breaker to him. I remember how pissed most Astros fans were at Beltran for taking that huge Mets offer, then we found out it was because of the no-trade clause that the Astros say they are fundamentally against and it was a pretty rough few weeks around here after that.

I do agree that 5 million over a 5 year contract doesnt seem like a big difference and if he is smart with his money it shouldnt be a deal maker/breaker, but its not like he is a hometown hero that will forever be known as being a Brave even if he plays for someone else like it would have been for Cal or Tony to play someplace else ... so with that, I dont see why he would give the Braves a hometown discount. I say that he should try and get as much money as he can from the team he feels can most help his career. I know that I do that in my world so why should it be any different for a ball player?

[DJ_Money]

Yeah...you really can't compare Furcal's situation to Maddux or Gwynn. Hell, Andruw took less money than he was worth to stay in Atlanta, but he was a guy who was already a legend before his debut in 1996 and was loved by the city. Furcal doesn't have the same reputation.

I don't even think we're talking about a $5 million gap here. I'm not sure what might have been offered in negotiations so far, but if Atlanta has gone much higher than the 3 years/$25 million they offered last winter, I'd be shocked.

Speaking of no-trade clauses...A-Rod would more than likely be in Atlanta today if it wasn't for Atlanta's policy against them. He wanted to play here, and it looked like he was going to sign Atlanta's $150 mil. offer (even w/o the clause) until Texas came in with their ungodly offer...and we know where things have gone from there Oh well...

[CBAreject]

The amount of money you get as a graphic designer is a bit different, Dolf. That's why I included the Mazzone example, which you ignored, so I have to repeat. If you make 5000 more per year, it's a big deal. However, an individual who is already filthy rich doesn't have the same considerations.

You talk about what's best for his career...well, he doesn't really care about that. He cares about getting all the money he can. Whichever team gives him the most will be the place where he feels he can become the best player. There is nothing else that matters to Furcal, as far as I know.

All this about 'I won't give Atlanta a hometown discount' is all a pride thing. You know he doesn't want to play for the Mets. Not many players really do, but they sure do respond to the GREEN. A lot of players have gone there and self-destructed. Think Pedro really wanted to leave Boston where he was idolized?

Atlanta offered Tom Glavine 3 yrs and 27, but he opted for 4 years of losing in NY for 1 mil extra per year. There was more to it than that (a 4th year option), and it's tough to blame Glave for wanting to ensure himself of being under contract at 40 and being slightly more filthy rich than he already was. However, Glavine really regrets leaving Atlanta, though if you ask him, he'll say he had to. Funny how a wealthy, autonomous individual chooses to be less happy and then complains that he was forced into it by the establishment.

We live in a society built on mass consumerism. Industry is among the greatest virtues, and we admire self-made individuals who've managed to acquire the biggest slice of the pie. Because of that, we sympathize with greedy athletes and say 'that's right! you get all you can!' Why? Because most of us would do EXACTLY the same thing.

[DJ_Money]

Glavine wanted to stay in Atlanta, but as head of the Union, he couldn't turn down the money out of principle.

[Admin]

which is that with all things being equal, I think Furcal will go to the team that can further his career the most and help him get to the next big payday. If he has a choice between the Brewers and the Mets and the money is equal, who in their right mind would turn down playing in a big market like NY? Thats all I am saying. We can speculate all day long that an extra million per isnt a big deal to someone who is filthy rich, but I would say that on a percentage base of their income its probably a bigger deal than it is to us. I would love an extra 5K per year but I wouldnt leave my company over it ... but if I had a choice to go someplace else that could help my career more and I felt comfortable there, I would take that extra money and run with it.

I think thats the same thing Leo did. He got paid well, but probably took less than the Yankees would offer, for the chance to pitch someplace where he would be comfortable, in addition to the opportunity to really make himself a legend by turning around the pitching staff of another organization. Kinda like Phil Jackson going to the Lakers I suppose.

[CBAreject]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2227833