MASN’s Roch Kubatko thinks some of the remaining free agents on the market should consider lowering their asking prices.
Adrian Beltre, for instance, is still seeking $10-$15 million annually. Plenty of teams are interested in the defensively stellar third baseman, but not at that price. Adam LaRoche is rumored to be asking for a three-year, $30 million deal. He’s out of his mind if he thinks that’s coming. Ben Sheets reportedly wants $12 million, but he hasn’t thrown a pitch since September of 2008.
With so many free agents still looking for employment, baseball’s vaunted free agency period has suddenly blossomed into a buyer’s market and teams aren’t going to fork over major multi-year deals. Even Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are struggling to find offers that appeal to them.
Most of us saw this coming. Revenues are down all over the league and team philosophies have shifted more toward development. But super-agent Scott Boras seems plenty surprised and a whole lot of veteran players are going to be jobless come March and April.