[Justice-Chron] Squeeze play catches Bags in the middle

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/3579305.html

Trouble in paradise. Sounds like the Astros brass shares many of the doubts about Bagwell on this board. Oh well, at least spring training should be interesting...

Squeeze play catches Bags in the middle

By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Jeff Bagwell was back at work Tuesday morning. Running. Lifting weights. Swinging a bat.

"Nothing is going to keep me from attempting to play baseball next season," he said.

He let that thought hang in the air. He seemed defiant.

"Nothing," he said again.

Can he still be productive? Can he still be Jeff Bagwell?

"There's no question in my mind I can hit," he said. "It's whether or not I can throw for a full season. Everything has gone exactly the way I thought it should. I'm getting stronger. Am I able to throw 120 feet? No. Am I making progress? Very much so.

"I'm going to try and play baseball at spring training. There's no getting around that. Unless something major happens, I'll be there."

If you think this is what the Astros were hoping to hear, guess again. They apparently would prefer he went away.

Astros eye insurance claim

According to Bagwell and his agent, Barry Axelrod, the Astros want him to announce he can no longer play, that his right shoulder is forcing him to give up this comeback attempt.

Then and only then can the Astros collect on an insurance policy that will pay about $15.6 million of the approximately $17 million Bagwell is owed for the 2006 season.

The Astros apparently have been pushing him in this direction since the end of last season. With the Jan. 31 deadline for filing the insurance claim approaching, they've begun to push harder.

Astros general manager Tim Purpura said the issue is more complicated.

"We're trying to get some objective information," he said. "A healthy Jeff Bagwell is what we want. If he can't be a full-time player, we have to figure out if we can collect on the insurance or not."

If Bagwell steps onto the field at spring training, the Astros may not be able to collect on the policy.

Road trip not icon's idea

Bagwell will see renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. That trip had been uncertain after Andrews suffered a heart attack over the weekend. It was finalized Tuesday afternoon. Bagwell is going because the Astros insist.

Purpura said it's to get an evaluation of the bum shoulder. Bagwell, 37, believes it could be to build a case that he no longer can be an everyday player.

Either way, he sees the whole thing as a waste of time.

"I don't know Dr. Andrews," Bagwell said, "but I'm pretty sure he's going to say, 'You have a bad shoulder, sir.' I already know that. That doesn't mean I can't play. No matter what he says, I'm still going to go to spring training to play baseball."

To Astros owner Drayton McLane, the issue is simple. He apparently doesn't believe Bagwell will be a $17 million player in 2006. He's not sentimental with so much money on the line.

McLane was out of the country and unavailable for comment Tuesday.

"I don't blame them," Axelrod said. "But the fact is, Jeff has a contract. Whether the Astros are happy about it is not the point."

The point is simple. Bagwell wants to play. He believes he can play. He has earned the right to try. After 15 seasons, 449 home runs, 1,529 RBIs and 2,150 games, he doesn't believe he's done.

Before McLane presses him to quit, he might want to remind himself that Bagwell — and Craig Biggio — have set the tone for this decade of success.

They're the ones who policed the clubhouse, produced on the field, deflected credit to others in the good times and accepted blame in the bad times.

They're the foundation for everything this franchise has accomplished. They're huge reasons the Astros have won and revenues have skyrocketed.

Bagwell was underpaid at least four years before he was overpaid. He signed a long-term deal that prevented him from going on the open market.

Then he got hurt. Such is the risk of guaranteed money.

Few franchises have had two players as good as Bagwell and Biggio. Stat guru Bill James rates both of them among the 50 best players of all-time. Both should have some say in how they leave.

If McLane wants to pay Bagwell less money, if he wants to reconfigure the deal, he should say so. He also should remember Bagwell has deferred millions over the years to give McLane the flexibility to add players.

Now what Bagwell wants is the chance to try one last time. He might never hit 47 home runs again, but he's confident he has plenty left in the tank.

"I think they're trying to make me decide today," he said. "I can't do that. I'm not so sure that makes them happy. But that's just the way it is."

His salary also needs to be seen in context. He signed a five-year, $85 million deal in December 2000. That was the month Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Mike Hampton got insane contracts.

Those contracts look ridiculous even by today's ridiculous standards. And because Bagwell agreed to defer large portions during the early years, the salaries are going to be inflated in the later years.

Before this gets ugly — and it could get ugly as each side presses its case — the signing of veteran outfielder Preston Wilson indicates where the Astros believe this is headed.

If the Astros thought Bagwell would be in uniform, Wilson wouldn't have been signed.

Axelrod casually mentioned the possibility of trading Bagwell to an American League team. The Astros would have to pick up a huge portion of the remainder of the contract and then get Bagwell's permission. Other teams likely would see him as a risk. For now, the Astros seem committed to pursuing the insurance option.

Bagwell, typically stoic, always has understood there was a business side to the game. He understands the business side has been good to him.

He's somewhere between hurt and angry at how it has played out.

"I didn't go back to them in '97 or '98 or '99 and say, 'I want to change my contract. I'm not getting paid enough,' " he said.

Purpura understands Bagwell's frustration.

"It's a tough situation," Purpura said. "You're torn in both directions. You understand the baseball side. We all know what he has meant to this franchise. There's also a business side. Our payroll is right around $90 million. That's a legitimate issue as well. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out."

Bagwell told Purpura last year that he wasn't sure how much his shoulder would allow him to do. He promised he never would do anything to embarrass either himself or the franchise. I'd trust him to keep his word.

richard.justice@chron.com

 

You'd have to look at the terms of his contract, but I doubt that there's anything in there that would force him to retire based upon the opinion of one doctor.

 

I think it will all work out. If Jeff can't consistently throw from 1st to 3rd by the time spring training is over, I think he'll voluntarily retire and save the team money that way. He may stick around a little longer through extended spring, but if he just can't throw, he's not going to go on the IL all season and have the club pay him - I think he's a better man than that.

The real problem would be what if he could both throw and hit, but did both below average? Will he be objective enough to see that Mike Lamb is the better player now and that he's holding the club back? I hope so. I want Jeff to stay in the organization for a long time, but that kind of friction wouldn't help.

Of course, if he can throw okay and hit about .270 with 80 RBIs, that would solve all of these problems. But I'm not betting on that.

 

I don't think he would get paid if he retired. I'm sure he got some signing bonus up-front that he's still collecting in installments, which is all good. But if he just said, "I can't play anymore", the club wouldn't have to pay him his regular salary (which is a lot). I might be wrong, but I think that's how it works.

Anyway, Drayton's money is always my last concern - he's got plenty. My concern is about Bag's ability to make a consistent and positive contribution to this club this year (in statistical terms, not intangibles or whatever). If he can't do that, but doesn't retire, you risk the season and you might damage Bagwell's relationship with both the club and the fans. In terms of what's best for the franchise and the fans, he might be worth more retired than in the lineup at this point.