Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

[jim]

There are team options. Although I've noticed when a player does well to the point where exercising that team option would seem to underpay the guy, they renegotiate. I think that is kind of weird .. take Longoria for example who signed a contract that sets him up for life but, if he plays like I think he will, will actually be underpaid. No way should a team feel obligated to reneg the contract imo, because he signed up for 100% guarantee of being set for life, the tradeoff being a little bigger pay day down the road.

Teams renegotiate because they can lock in players to long term contract for less than the player would receive in the FA market. The player on the other hand, gets the security of a long-term deal on case of bad performance/injury in the option year.

I don't know if that's always true ... I'm thinking of Edmonds. He had a year left and we tore it up and locked him in for more money for that year.

[Michael]

I'm not going to defend the Edmond and Carp extensions. I believe I read ownership pushed for those.

[cardinalmike]

Michael, can you provide the name of the site where a poster indicated that Holliday has agreed to terms? The $119M seems about right to me. I was actually thinking that the guaranteed money would be $102M + option(s). My thinking is at least consistent with the $17M/year AAV. If this is true (and I know, BIG if), I wonder when the opt-out clause comes into play?

[clevername]

yeah, if Boras really is obsessed with getting the guaranteed money over $100 million and the $17/year being thrown around is accurate, the soonest the opt out could be would be after 6 years. I think we'd take that. I'm fine with it after 5.

Even if it's more than $17/year, it'll still be after year 6 unless we go to $20/year and we ain't going to $20/year.

[cardinalmike]

Wouldn't the opt-out be more beneficial to Holliday/Boras after four years? That is not to say the Cardinals would agree to that but it seems like the 5th or 6th year opt-out is really not an opt-out at all.

[clevername]

yeah, the earlier the opt out the better it is for the players.

I guess it all depends on how this opt out is structured. If it's just a player decision, I guess you could argue the deal is guaranteed >$100 million even if the opt out comes before the player gets the $100 million since they have that money if they choose to stay. I dunno. It might become a semantic game for Boras to be able to make claims about what he was able to get.

[Michael]

Michael, can you provide the name of the site where a poster indicated that Holliday has agreed to terms?

Not sure, Oquendo11 mentioned it. I just commented on the opt-out clause.

[cardinalmike]

Give me an "F" in reading skills. I hope Oqeundo sees the question and can provide the answer.

[haltz]

It's in the thread at scout.com

[clevername]

given the lack of any other reports since then we can pretty much dismiss it as yet another in an ever lengthening line of bogus rumors.