Totally, agree and you can bet that Beltran's people are keeping this in mind. Keeping my fingers crossed as the 8th ticks closer...
i wonder if that is something the astros actively use to promote coming to texas for a 'cheaper' contract.
I'm sure they do. They probably don't say "Even though we are cheaper, you can sign with us" but I am sure they have their numbers people give a comparitive break down of salaries w/ no tax here and salaries with tax elsewhere.
Max... you're letting the print media and ESPN NY bias convince you of that... and that's just what Boras is trying to do to the Astros. I hope Drayton and co. have a better read on Scott/Carlos's true intentions... this meeting is only being set up now, rather than after Jan. 8th, because of the Astros' situation. This thing has such a stink of "flavor of the week"... one week, he's all but assured of coming back to Houston, next week, he's the Yankees to lose, then the Yankees are dropping out and he's Houston's again, now he's with the Mets... and Boras is the one manipulating all of that, like clockwork. Ah well... even if he goes to the Mets, money will be the only deciding factor... Carlos doesn't have to worry about not being able to be a "big star" in a small/mid market anymore thanks to all this exposure he's gotten... this has been the most overrated FA negotiations in the history of sports (but I still want him).
Hmmm... It wouldn't surprise me if somehow Boras leaked info today that says just the opposite of this, that the Mets had made/or were prepared to make a substantial offer.
I'll have to second this. It's too bad we couldn't have got Vlad last year at the REASONBABLE contract he signed. Then look what happened, he won the MVP. At what someones about to pay Beltran, I sure hope he's that good. Pugs
Our management must remove "emotion" from this and I believe they did. The day after we lost game 7, they should have started crunching numbers on what to offer Beltran. These numbers should have been based on the Guererro contract and solidified with the Beltre, Drew and other deals signed this offseason. Before Purpura and McLane ever sat down with Boras and Beltran, they knew what their opening offer would be, the 2nd offer and, most importantly, their bottom line. With inexact sciences like player evaluation, there's always a little fudge factor with the bottom line. But while you can move up the street, you absolutely cannot leave the neighborhood, much less the zip code. My point is that the Mets and Yankees actions should only be relevant to what we do if their offer is in the same neighborhood financially. All this angst about what's happening in NY is understandable. Regrettably, whether the Astros get Beltran or not is really not in their control. It depends on what Beltran really wants and whether one of the NY clubs go crazy. My bottom line: this is a tough one but I happily spend other people's money - I offer Beltran 7 years, 15 mil per year. I think Drayton will do that, if not more, because he does not plan to be the owner for 7 more years.
Nick - no...i just think Minaya and the Mets are crazy enough to offer Beltran the moon and a ladder.
Why would Beltran's people keep this in mind? Beltran's people, (i.e. Boras) get a % of his salary...it makes no difference to them whether or not Carlos pays state income tax because x% of 120 million is higher than x% of 102 million. If we lose this guy because we won't pay an extra 15 million or so, its a mistake. There is NO ONE else available that can make a difference...period. This guy is a difference maker...he has proven it in big games...he makes the rest of the lineup better...he makes teams chane their strategy when they face our lineup...he makes it easier on our other outfielders (mind you, one of them coming off a very bad injury to his knee and the other one has very little business being in LF even though he gives it all he has every night.) Granted, all these rumors about offers and potential offers could be just that...rumors...but I heard Drayton in a clip on 790 this morning and he seemed a lot less optimistic than he had in the past month. We have a deadline...we can either play the stupid little game that Boras wants or we can make an offer that raises many eyebrows....then in 6 years we can look back and see if it was a mistake...my opinion is that it won't be...but if we let him walk (and i'm not talking about letting him walk because someone gives him 10 yrs/200 mil) because we won't give him 8/120, its a mistake. 15 mil per year is AT WORST, fair market value for the first 4 or 5 yrs. Year 6-8 he may not give the same bang for the buck, but my guess is that he won't produce THAT much less than anyone else making 15/yr 6 or 7 years from now. Git er done!
If any of you have ESPN Insider access, there is an article that claims the Mets offered 7/$119. Someone earlier mentioned that Boras would probably leak a number today since inside sources said the Mets made no offer.
This has been my thought since day one, that Boras has been trying to play the stros to get the money up... I really don't know if Carlos wants to play here or not but I just get the feeling it's always been the stros and it's just as much money as you (Boras) can get... Afterall, we would be doing that if we were looking for a job
Two important pieces in this article... 1) 2) I agree that in the grand scheme of things, Beltran is better off here for many reasons, but most importantly, winning...
http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASAp...103&content_id=927009&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp Countdown for Beltran commences Club loses rights to negotiate with outfielder Saturday By Alyson Footer / MLB.com HOUSTON -- Only five days remain in the race for Carlos Beltran, but the Houston Astros probably won't know where they stand among the other teams vying for the center fielder until later this week. Club owner Drayton McLane met with general manager Tim Purpura and president Tal Smith on Monday, but McLane had not heard from Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, since last week. "I talked to Scott last Thursday at length," McLane said. "They have more negotiations and they will contact us when they're ready." The Astros are among four teams -- including the Yankees, Mets and Cubs -- reportedly interested in the free agent center fielder. The Yankees met with Beltran at their Spring Training facility in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 21, one day before the Astros hosted Beltran at their spring complex in Kissimmee. On Monday, New York Mets GM Omar Minaya and several club officials flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to meet with Beltran, Boras and Boras' associate, Mike Fiore. The Cubs have been rumored to be interested, but as of Monday had not scheduled any meetings with Beltran and Boras. The Astros have until Saturday to sign Beltran, and if they fail to do so, they lose negotiating rights until May 1. As of Monday, the Astros were the only team to have made an offer, which reportedly may be worth as much as five years with an option for a sixth, totaling $84 million. Beltran hit .267 with 38 homers, 104 RBIs and 42 stolen bases for Kansas City and Houston in 2004. He also made the All-Star team and caught the attention of the baseball world during the postseason, during which he hit .435 with eight homers and 14 RBIs in 12 games.
