Show Me The Money?

  三月初除了春訓如火如荼的進行外，也是沒有薪資仲裁資格的新秀球員換新約的時候。也許由於這幾年球員平均薪資節節高攀，還有今年Ryan Howard第一次仲裁就拿到一千萬美金的影響，很多比較大咖的新秀像是Prince Fielder, Ryan Bruan, Cole Hamels, Jeff Francoeur, Joba Chamberlain都選擇不接受球隊提出的新合約，直接renew contract拿幾乎或是聯盟最低薪資。John Smoltz還特別對Hamels的情況對他提出建議，1991年的Smoltz也是因為換約弄的自己很不爽，結果開季投出2-11的成績。他自己也學到了教訓，所以希望Hamels不管合約談得怎樣，都該把重心放在投球上面。

  我們的Closer Jonathan Papelbon和球隊談判也陷入谷底，雙方都表示三月十一日的截止日前要達成複年的延長合約是不可能的。Papelbon想要的是類似去年Ryan Howard拿的九十萬合約，紅襪方面則是提出Bobby Jenks剛簽下的五十五萬美金，發言總是直來直往的Papelbon也把他的不爽給說出來:

"That situation, man, it's a tough situation for me right now because basically I'm at a point to where I feel like the position I'm in, there's a certain standard that needs to be put in place here. I feel like with me being at the top of my position I feel like that standard needs to be set and I'm the one to set that standard. And I don't think that the Red Sox are really necessarily seeing eye-to-eye with me on that subject right now. Hopefully we can get somewhere. 

"We're chugging away at this thing and we want to get it done, believe me, and we can move on. At the same time, I feel a certain obligation to not only to myself and my family to make the money that I deserve, but for the game of baseball. Mariano Rivera has been doing it for the past 10 years. With me coming up behind him, I feel a certain obligation to do the same."

  他發言裡面幾個重點是他認為自己是聯盟Closer裡面最頂尖的球員，而他需要為同行設個合約標準，過去十年Rivera一直是這樣的代表人物，而現在輪到他了，所以他有責任做同樣的事情，而且他也覺得他應該拿到他屬於的薪水。

  Papelbon到底值不值九十萬？這是毫無疑問的！只要他今年再投出個35次saves，明年薪資仲裁他也很有可能拿到救援投手破天價的合約，不過目前他在合約談判中沒有任何籌碼，只能被紅襪吃的死死的。以紅襪的財力來說多付那價差三十五萬美金應該是不痛不癢，不過球迷所怕的應該是如果少這三十五萬把Papelbon惹毛了，等FA身分到手就把身上的球衣換一換，說不定還學前隊友Johnny Damon直接換成條紋的。不過Theo方面當然有他們的堅持，如果就這樣答應開價，那以後Pedroia、Buchholz、Ellsbury該從哪裡開始談呢？Papelbon的複年延長合約在接下來一個禮拜應該是不用期待，不過希望他和紅襪可以在五十五和九十中間找到中間點。