If .274/.286/.417 is the top of your game then you must really suck. Funny how Boras tries to pump up Pudge's value for free agency while simultaneously lobbying for the Tigers to pick up the option. If I-Rod was indeed at the top of his game then there's no way Boras would encourage the Tigers to pick up the option--he'd do everything to get him on the market.

Of course, if Lou Gehrig were his client he'd be telling everybody how the "I-Horse" is at the top of the game even though he's been playing in the Adipoceral League for the last few decades.

Best Regards

John

Pudge been retired for 10 years.

The real question - is he NOW?

I think Bora$ is OK with either scenario, really. If this is the beginning of the end for Rodriguez--and it probably is--than Bora$ can probably talk somebody into a 3/30 deal, maybe a tad less, which obviously gives Rodriguez a lot more money than the one-year option does. If the Tigers pick it up, great; or if Bora$ thinks Rodrigeuz still has something left, he'll get him on a one year contract, probably in the $8 million range, and bet on a big year that would set Rodriguez up for one more big contract.

I'm not usually a fan of "rewarding" players for past accomplishments, but Pudge is one of the few that I would do that for. The Tigers were a terrible, terrible team for years - Royals-bad. They sign this guy (along with others) and BOOM! They're an elite franchise. This after Rodriguez took the Marlins to the World Series in his only year there.

The Red Sox signed Varitek (partially, and probably) for non-production reasons. The Yankees held Bernie Williams one year too long. I think that if the word about Ivan is good around Detroit, they can justify an ill-advised baseball decision for the same type of reasoning.

I don't think you go all Bill Stoneman and re-sign every single player that helped you win games. But I think you do this for some rare players.

Is Pudge still at the top of his defensive game? I don't see the Tigers enough to have a clue, really, but if he is, you probably could do a lot worse than .274/.286/.417 and gold glove defense out of your catcher. $13M is pretty steep for that, but OTOH it costs them $3M to let him walk.

Pudge is throwing out about half as many runners as he did last year. He previously had a blip from 2003-2004 where he fell from the 40% range consistently down to 30%. He bounced back over 50% the last two years, but is down to 26% this year. Again, beginning of the end or bad year? He is a unique player and he has recovered before.

“He’s an All-Star catcher at the top of his game,”

No he's not, his offense is a shadow of what it once was, his throwing is off, and he's caught over 2000 games, the only worse risk you could sign to a multi-year deal would be a 35+ year old who's already cliff-dived to sub replacement level.

This after Rodriguez took the Marlins to the World Series in his only year there

And lest we forget, was the starting catcher on the only three Ranger playoff teams ever.

Ignoratio has a good point. $3M is gone either way, so it's only an extra $10M to have Pudge as your catcher next year: not a huge amount to pay a veteran starter anymore. Letting him walk would save some money, but I can tell you that if the alternative is going with the likes of Einar Diaz, you might want to spend the $10M.

How does any owner or GM take Boras seriously? The man lives off a mythical reputation.

How does any owner or GM take Boras seriously? The man lives off a mythical reputation.

If owners and GMs weren't impressed with mythical reputations, we wouldn't be constantly having threads about the ridiculous contracts they throw at declining veterans. And not just the ones that Boras represents, either.

While Pudge deserves much credit for the turnaround, I think there are two folks that are sometimes forgotten:

1. Carlos Guillen. He was the best player, IMHO, on the 2004 team and was a real surprise. Not watching a lot of Mariners fans, I thought Guillen was a so-so, injury-prone player. While the latter is more or less accurate, the sucker turned out to be able to hit and was easily worth a few years of Ramon Santiago. Pudge was expected to be great, but Guillen, for my money, was the real deal.

2. Fernando Vina. Okay, he wasn't great or even good or even okay with the Tigers. But it was perceived in the Detroit area as something interesting when Vina signed as he was thought to be a good ballplayer at the time. This led to a flurry of other signings, including Rondell White, Jason Johnson, and...Pudge Rodriguez. The Vina signing was at least an indication that Detroit was no longer to settle for the Craig Paquettes and Chris Trubys and Warren Morrises of the world.

Given the team the Tigers have right now, Pudge is worth the $10m. Regardless of what happens this year, they have the talent to be top contenders next year--and they could use Pudge in 2008.

Pudge been retired for 10 years.

16 years, actually. It's nice that he still demands so much attention, though.

Do the Tigers have a better player to replace him? Are there better options on the Free Agent market? If the answer to both is no (and I know the answer to the second one is, I wouldn't let Barret on my team if he paid me), then sign him.

Are there better options on the Free Agent market?

There's that Posada fellow. Maybe.

Are there better options on the Free Agent market?

technically Posada is an option, but I think its a fair assumption that the Yankees will resign him.

How does any owner or GM take Boras seriously? The man lives off a mythical reputation.

I don't think they do. It's like going to a car dealer. You know the guy is trying to rip you off, but what are you going to do, not drive?

They want to sign the player and so they try to hold on a tightly as possible to their money while still getting the guys they want.

Do the Tigers have a better player to replace him?

No. There best internal option if they let Rodriguez go is hoping Vance Wilson is healthy next year. Their second best option is Mike Rabelo. The only guy in the entire system who looks like he could conceivably grow up to be a major league catcher is James Skelton, who is hitting .312/.402/.439 with West Michigan. Aside from the usual questions about whether a 22-year old in Low A will keep hitting as he moves up, Skelton is listed at 5'11" and 165 lbs. Seems a bit on the scrawny side for the position.