^^ on appreciation now. People are always shaped by their experiences.. I'm sure he enjoyed his time w/Biggio, but really gained appreciation for it during his time in NY as he had good and bad teammates, and then as he started mentoring others
I mean, the fact that we wouldn't give him a NTC is huge. Carlos was committed to Houston and our FO did not reciprocate that same feeling. I was pissed at Beltran at the time, but I now understand. That doesn't make the heart break in 04 any easier, but he wasn't the bad guy we all wanted him to be. The market has dictated that a certain caliber of player can bargain for and receive a NTC. There are a ton of benefits to a NTC from a player standpoint. I know I personally would not want to be moved on a whim at any point, without my say. I don't fault him for choosing NYM. They wanted him more. They were more committed to Carlos Beltran than was HOU.
As I remember it, they were willing to give him a limited non-trade clause where he could almost essentially pick the teams he could be traded to. While he may not have been the "bad guy", Houston was just a tool used by Boras to get more money from the Mets.
If what we were offering was basically the same as a no-trade clause, then we'd have just given him a real no trade clause. There was clearly a qualitative difference between the two. When you're a free agent, I think it's completely understandable to want full control of where you'll be for the next 7 years of your life. We don't know if the NT clause was the only reason, but even the Astros acknowledged it was one major point of contention: http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1963185
As I remember it, at the time rumors were flying everywhere that Mets GM Omar Minaya was whispering in every significant latin FAs ear about forming a Latin Super Team in NY Much like everyone knew Randy was only a rental before he left for Arizona to be close to family, everyone also knew Carlos to NY was just a FA formality with Boras on board Only difference is we bid on Carlos and his half-season resulted in our first real playoff success ... thus the sting of him leaving This article seems to confirm my memory http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/sports/features/11260/index4.html
I wish arbitration made more sense. They have all been easily worth more than they ask for, but somehow that isn't how it works.
Not that I am aware. Saw those a while back as what actually is paid in arbitration....granted home run hitters and closers will get more than that and good defensive players get hosed based on limited stats being allowed in process.
Love McHugh: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/astros...on-civil-right-icon-john-lewis-053419644.html Spoiler
It's al about service time and cost control. Production comes next if you are good. Veteran players have consistently through the CBA decided to **** over all of the youngsters and the minor leaguers.
