Walker and the Pirates

Neil Walker complains about his treatment by the Pirates organization:

“I was looking for the (security) of knowing I’d be here after my arbitration years,” Walker said. “I certainly wasn’t looking to break the bank. I was looking for what was fair.”

The Pirates offered a three-year, $27 million package that would have bought out his first year of free agency. Walker’s camp didn’t like the value of the third year, as it was lower than what he he might get on the market, and countered by asking for a two-year, $19 million deal. The Pirates wanted a team option for 2017.

“The offer wasn’t very realistic,” Walker said. “And there was no negotiating in between. It was, ‘Here it is.’ When we countered, there was no response, so we went to the hearing.”

Walker’s arbitration salaries strike me as a bit low. He was a super-two, so this will be his fourth time through the process. I’d expect him to get around $12 million, but given he comes in at $8 million, I don’t think the raise will go that high.

I can’t blame the Pirates; they got a lot of residual value out of Walker and used that to build the team back into a winner. Quicker free agency for players would transfer value from teams to players. As the new CBA approaches, the union should be interested in stopping the transfer of wealth from the good, young players to the declining older players and the owners.

Hat tip, Fox Sports.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1Ns99aE