Still Hope

Here are a few numbers to contemplate: $119 million and .267. In fairness to Carlos Beltran, baseball’s happiest camper, his lifetime average is a more decent .285. A few more figures to consider: 7 and 162. Carlos Beltran will receive his $119 for seven years of service, though undoubtedly his contract is structured to be paid out over a much longer period of time. Nevertheless, that works out to $104, 938.27 per game or roughly $26,234.57 per at-bat (based on four a game). Let’s hope he doesn’t swing at the first pitch too often; management might feel cheated.

Beltran was already being touted as this off-season’s free agent supreme well in advance of his astonishing post-season performance, but one cannot help feeling yet again his super agent, Steve Boras, succeeded in manipulating the market and in the process not only made Mr. and Mrs. Beltran wealthy beyond their imaginations, but also made baseball’s wealthiest owners look like the fools they are.

To repeat a mantra well-known to readers of this blog, Beltran is now with his third team in two years. Unlike many other free agents, his contract probably precludes his jumping to another one any time soon. But Carlos is only 27 years old, so the possibility remains that the other team in NY might sign him some day.