Jeez, and I thought that Bobby Jenks ($7.5 million) was too expensive...

EDIT: And I read somewhere that the Cubs haven't had an arbitration hearing since 1993 (Mark Grace). Top that, Theo!

And the Giants have filed an arb figure of $8 million for Lincecum. Something tells me they'll be losing.

Jeez, and I thought that Bobby Jenks ($7.5 million) was too expensive...

Papelbon is certainly worth 2 million more than Jenks, no? Or are you just stating that closers in general are overpaid?

Or are you just stating that closers in general are overpaid?

This. I wouldn't pay any reliever more than $4 million, except for Mariano Rivera in his prime.

I wouldn't pay any reliever more than $4 million,

This totally works in OOTP.

This. I wouldn't pay any reliever more than $4 million, except for Mariano Rivera in his prime.

Not even Rollie Fingers in his prime? I'd pay big bucks to have a guy in the bullpen I could count on for 110-140 excellent innings every year.

This. I wouldn't pay any reliever more than $4 million, except for Mariano Rivera in his prime.

Dewey also won't pay more than $5 to see a movie, and hasn't seen a movie since 1996.

Not even Rollie Fingers in his prime? I'd pay big bucks to have a guy in the bullpen I could count on for 110-140 excellent innings every year.

Um .... yeah, that's why I'd sign him too.

(Cough .... http://callitmilehigh.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/rolliefingers2.jpg ....)

Um .... yeah, that's why I'd sign him too.

(Cough .... http://callitmilehigh.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/rolliefingers2.jpg ....)

On a related note, I was walking downtown in Fort Collins last year and saw a man with a magnificent, Fingers-grade handlebar moustache walking towards me. I was in such awe that I actually stopped the man to compliment him on it, and then asked something that had never occurred to me before that moment - where does someone get moustache wax in 2009?

The answer? Wal-Mart. That place really does have everthing.

Well, except for that pesky health care stuff.

This. I wouldn't pay any reliever more than $4 million, except for Mariano Rivera in his prime.

Rockies just spent some bucks. Street on a 3 yr $22.5M deal, Betancourt on a 2 yr $7.55M deal.

Eh, Wal Mart is a lot better than it used to be. Not the greatest, or anything, but better health care coverage than plenty of companies.

WalMart also has low cost clinics in many of its stores where you can get routine primary care for like $65 without insurance.

I think the era of horrible publicity for walmart really resulted in some positive changes. I'm a flaming liberal and I have basically zero problems with the company. Its good points (lots and lots of jobs, low cost inventory for consumers) seem to now outweigh its bad ones.

I live in a place where a job at WalMart is sort of middle class. The employees there seem generally happier than the ones at McDonalds, in any case.

i don't drink the walmart hateorade either. some of my friends feel like target is the liberal alternative, which i get a kick out of.

some of my friends feel like target is the liberal alternative, which i get a kick out of.

Yeah, that's funny. A lot of people seem to feel like that for whatever reason. I personally don't shop at Wal-Mart because of a traumatic experience I had there the first time I ever was in one back when I was a kid (they had a pet department and the gerbils were cannibalizing each other) but I have no illusions about Target's virtue. They'd love to be in Wal-Mart's spot.

I could see praising a Costco (much higher starting hourly wage) over Walmart, but I don't get the Target love at all.

When almost every team (including a lot of "smart" teams) sign relievers for more than what us in the internet crowd think they are worth, it's probably a sign that we are underrating the value of relievers. Yeah there have been times in the past where that hasn't been true, but the teams are employing smart people too.