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Monday, September 06, 2010

Crashburn Alley: Baer: The End to the Jayson Werth Era

Werth®: Find a Wealth Advisor or Attorney.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, via Twitter, reported that Jayson Werth broke up with agent Jeff Borris of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, thus putting the right fielder in the market for new representation. On its face, it seems like boring news as players switch agents and it never really makes a difference. However, Werth is expected to be one of the premier players on the market after the 2010 season ends along with Carl Crawford currently with the Tampa Bay Rays.

...The only logical conclusion here is that Werth’s time in Philadelphia is running out. The front office knows this. Werth is likely very aware of this and it is very likely the reason why he decided to seek new representation in early September. Would a player intent on staying put do that? Consider that he was the subject of a baseless salacious rumor involving extra-marital affairs and baseless character assassination by some in the Philadelphia sports media. He also bore the brunt of a newfound reputation as an unclutch player and an irritable shut-in.

No, we don’t know for sure that Werth’s days as a Phillie are ending soon. We are not privy to the discussions between Werth and the Phillies’ front office. Very little has been reported about this matter outside of Werth’s new search for representation. However, looking at all of the little contextual clues, we can conclude rather confidently that he’s not coming back after the season regardless of how much success the team enjoys in October.

Repoz Posted: September 06, 2010 at 10:47 AM | 27 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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   1. JRVJ (formerly Delta Socrates) Posted: September 06, 2010 at 02:12 PM (#3634311)
To each his own, but I really don't think this blog post was necessary, because Baer took 1,031 words to say something that I'm pretty sure every regular reader of his blog already knows about.

Heck, Baer wrote this on April 26th as part of his reaction to Ryan Howard's extension:

"Thinking more short-term, Howard’s $20 million salary from 2011-13 may prevent the Phillies from having the financial flexibility to sign right fielder Jayson Werth to an extension, which means that he will most likely become a free agent after this season".
   2. Masterson and Manson Posted: September 06, 2010 at 02:21 PM (#3634325)
Is Jayson Werth the early favorite in the "Worst Free Agent Contract" contest? You know--the same way it was obvious that Jason Bay would get the worst contract last year?
   3. Nasty Nate Posted: September 06, 2010 at 02:29 PM (#3634332)
How does this guy know that the rumors were baseless?

Why does changing an agent point to signing elsewhere?
   4. TVerik, AKA Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dog Posted: September 06, 2010 at 03:47 PM (#3634393)
Would a player intent on staying put do that?


I was going to ask the same thing, Nate. Does A-Rod splitting with Boras mean that he's after a new contract? If so, that's the worst sell high/buy low strategy I've seen since, well, the Pirates about five years ago.
   5. tshipman Posted: September 06, 2010 at 04:02 PM (#3634400)
Is Jayson Werth the early favorite in the "Worst Free Agent Contract" contest? You know--the same way it was obvious that Jason Bay would get the worst contract last year?


Chone, John Lackey and Mike Gonzalez are giving him a run for his money. I think I'd rather have Jason Bay than Chone Figgins.

Other potential candidates for being overpaid:

Aubrey Huff (34)--career year or close to it at 33.
Lance Berkman (35)--not sure how much money he'll get, probably a better candidate to get underpaid rather than over.
Jose Reyes (28)--???
Adrian Beltre (32)
Scott Podsednik

I'd say Huff is my top target for someone getting overpaid. And it'll probably be the Giants :(
   6. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 06, 2010 at 06:41 PM (#3634548)
How does this guy know that the rumors were baseless?


Because nothing followed through. Even the gossipy websites (TheDirty.com, I believe) wouldn't run with it for more than five minutes.

Why does changing an agent point to signing elsewhere?


Most of the time it doesn't mean anything. In this instance, I think it's a pretty big indicator.
   7. Justin T contains indigenous nudity Posted: September 06, 2010 at 07:18 PM (#3634591)
Because nothing followed through. Even the gossipy websites (TheDirty.com, I believe) wouldn't run with it for more than five minutes.

Or maybe those sites weren't willing to spend more than five minutes on the indiscretions of Jayson Werth.
   8. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 06, 2010 at 07:22 PM (#3634592)
I don't follow gossip sites, but I know TheDirty.com had a post up about Werth and then took it down very quickly.

http://www.crossingbroad.com/2010/07/jayson-werth-is-not-sleeping-with-chase-utleys-wife.html
   9. DCW3 Posted: September 06, 2010 at 07:46 PM (#3634609)
Is Jayson Werth the early favorite in the "Worst Free Agent Contract" contest?

I think Carl Crawford will end up "winning" this easily.
   10. Harold Posted: September 06, 2010 at 07:49 PM (#3634611)
was going to ask the same thing, Nate. Does A-Rod splitting with Boras mean that he's after a new contract? If so, that's the worst sell high/buy low strategy I've seen since, well, the Pirates about five years ago.

Changing agents doesn't necessarily mean a player is looking at leaving, but it is a good indicator that his priorities are changing. In Werth's case, this is the one big free agent payday of his career, and it makes sense to shop around for the best agent for that job now. (Which doesn't necessarily mean he's leaving, but that he'll at least be looking.)

In ARod's case, his priorities likely changed in the other direction. He doesn't need Boras to negotiation a contract, as he's got plenty of years left; he needs financial/tax planning more.
   11. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 06, 2010 at 07:57 PM (#3634616)
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/top-posts/jayson-werth-may-soon-sign-with-scott-boras.php

Calcaterra:

[...]Crasnick's source says Werth is "shopping" for new representation. I'm hearing the same thing.

What else I'm hearing: the front runner is Scott Boras, with whom Werth is "way down the road," according to my sources, and it's looking like he will sign with him.
   12. ...even Chuck Norris was afraid of Jim Rice Posted: September 06, 2010 at 08:30 PM (#3634627)
Is Jayson Werth the early favorite in the "Worst Free Agent Contract" contest? You know--the same way it was obvious that Jason Bay would get the worst contract last year?

To me, the telltale advanced sign of a bad signing is when you give a player money that would have been absolutely inconceivable only a short time ago. That is, paying a premium for an unexpected performance bump, which is more than likely unsustainable. The mistake is compounded when said player is over-30. Gary Matthews Jr. and Aaron Rowand come to mind as recent examples.

On this theory, I think Adrian Beltre is going to get ridiculously overpaid- and likely by the Red Sox, I'm afraid. I've seen several people predict that Beltre could get more money than his previous big deal (5/$64). Even accounting for inflation, there is no way his age 32-36 seasons should be valued anywhere near his age 26-30 seasons. Yes, he's been fantastic this year, but for a player who doesn't walk, he could become a really terrible offensive player if he loses the slightest bit of bat speed. He also plays a demanding defensive position, where it will be increasingly difficult to be an asset as he ages.

This is all irrelevant if people are way off base in predicting Beltre's market value (and he signs for something like 3/$30), but Jayson Werth does enough things well (power, plate discipline, defense, speed, high-percentage base stealer) that I'm not completely frightened of what he will look like in 2014-15.
   13. Jim Wisinski Posted: September 06, 2010 at 09:04 PM (#3634641)
I think Carl Crawford will end up "winning" this easily.


That's silly. Crawford might get "overpaid" and maybe the tail end of his contract won't look particularly good if someone gives him a lot of years but he's a legitimately excellent player that should provide very good production for the next several years.
   14. TVerik, AKA Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dog Posted: September 06, 2010 at 09:22 PM (#3634646)
Jim, I caught a smackdown for expressing the same viewpoint as #9 in another thread. I mean, we'll have to wait and see what happens, but by no means is DCW3 alone in feeling that way.
   15. DCW3 Posted: September 06, 2010 at 09:26 PM (#3634649)
That's silly. Crawford might get "overpaid" and maybe the tail end of his contract won't look particularly good if someone gives him a lot of years but he's a legitimately excellent player that should provide very good production for the next several years.

Call it a hunch. It just seems to me that players like Crawford whose excellence is built on defense and baserunning tend to fall apart rapidly. (Remember Rob Neyer saying that Chone Figgins was a better player than Matt Holliday, or Fangraphs saying that Nyjer Morgan was better than Adam Dunn?) Crawford is a better player than either of those two, but he's not a superstar, and that's what he's going to get paid like, and I could see him taking a nose dive very soon. But, again, it's just a hunch.
   16. Dale Sams Posted: September 06, 2010 at 10:12 PM (#3634671)
Crawford is the second most valuable LFer in the AL, second only to Hamilton's MVP season. He has the second highest AL OPS (for LFers) so his value isn't strictly in the field.

As I've said elsewhere: The Steroid Era is over, all hail our new LF skill set.
   17. DCW3 Posted: September 07, 2010 at 01:26 AM (#3634765)
He has the second highest AL OPS (for LFers) so his value isn't strictly in the field.

That's a little misleading, though, since there's an odd dearth of good-hitting left fielders in the AL this year. Among all outfielders, he ranks sixth in the AL in OPS, and fifteenth in the majors. And that's in a career year for him with the bat.
   18. McCoy Posted: September 07, 2010 at 01:36 AM (#3634774)
Most of the time it doesn't mean anything. In this instance, I think it's a pretty big indicator

An indicator that Werth would like an agent that will get him the most money* possible. That could mean most money out of all potential bidders or most money out of the Phillies or some sort of combination of the two.

*money being a stand in for all of the things Werth wants out of his next contract.

or what #10 said
   19. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 07, 2010 at 02:14 AM (#3634795)
But Werth knows he's not going to get any money out of the Phillies for the reasons listed in my article. (Payroll, Dom Brown, etc.)
   20. Ziggy Posted: September 07, 2010 at 02:42 AM (#3634806)
You guys really think Huff stays with the Giants? I think Belt is about ready to take Huff's job.
   21. McCoy Posted: September 07, 2010 at 03:05 AM (#3634819)
If people went around doing things because they "know" something won't happen then a hell of a lot of stuff wouldn't get done.
   22. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 07, 2010 at 03:31 AM (#3634824)
Tell me, what factors out there point to Werth having any chance of re-signing with the Phillies?
   23. Tripon Posted: September 07, 2010 at 03:35 AM (#3634826)
Raul Ibanez proving that he should have retired last year?
   24. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 07, 2010 at 03:43 AM (#3634830)
If league-average offensive production = retire now, I must have missed that memo. Sure, he's having a down year, but if we made large financial decisions based on one season's worth of data, we'd have given up on a whole lot of perfectly useful players.

Additionally, the Phillies aren't about to drop an $11.5 million salary on the curb for nothing, and no team will knock on their door to absorb it.
   25. McCoy Posted: September 07, 2010 at 03:49 AM (#3634833)
Tell me, what factors out there point to Werth having any chance of re-signing with the Phillies?

He is good and the Phillies like getting to the playoffs.
   26. Tripon Posted: September 07, 2010 at 03:52 AM (#3634836)
Crashburn, he's an LF, you know that requires more than league average offense. He also having his worst defensive season according to Total Zone, and UZR has him well below average this year as well. Even taking account a 3 year sample, he still rates below average defensively. If he isn't hitting above league average, Raul Ibanez isn't worth ####.

And you're paying him $10 million next year that you could have have used to sign Werth to a long term deal. But that's neither here nor there.
   27. Crashburn Alley Posted: September 07, 2010 at 04:03 AM (#3634837)
Right, the Ibanez contract is one of the factors that is currently c0ck-blocking the Phillies from re-signing Werth if they had wanted to do so. But that's irrelevant since the Phillies can't simply wriggle themselves out of the contract.

Ibanez's production isn't relevant either. He's not going anywhere and he never was going anywhere. If he was going anywhere, he'd have been gone by now.
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