~ King of Cali
http://kingofcali.mlblogs.com/

I’m sure this wasn’t Pedro’s idea — and I know that’s not what you are suggesting — but I don’t see how it’s possible that he went around Alvarez to get this filed. The player, after all, didn’t report to Pittsburgh, so he has to be, in some way, complicit with all of this, don’t you think?

Now, to try and address some of what people said, which isn’t easy since there’s been so much written. For those of you who say they’re giving up on MLB, please don’t. Don’t let the Borases of the world ruin everything. The game is still the game and that counts for plenty? It ain’t perfect, but there’s a lot going on that’s positive. I mean, the Tampa Bay Rays in first place? Boras might be powerful, but he doesn’t have every single player in baseball. So don’t turn your back just yet, even though I agree this is indeed very frustrating.

I understand the “capitalist” argument to a point. I think players are entitled to get as much money as the market dictates — we can debate the problems with the system and how some take advantage of it ad nauseum — but until that gets addressed, players are entitled to maximize their opportunities… to a degree (this situation is not maximizing the situation, but abusing it). That being said, to say that $6 million isn’t enough because Pedro Alvarez — or anyone, for that matter — is worth more than that is absurd. He’s yet to play one inning of pro ball. He should get what the market dictates for the No. 2 pick in this given year, and that was $6 million, a deal he agreed to. I’m no economist, but I think a fair capitalist system is based somewhat on integrity, no? A deal should be a deal. To reneg on it now, whether it’s over an issue of the deadline or something else (psst, it’s really something else), is dishonest and makes an already shaky system even more broken. If this grievance ends up carrying any weight, we’re all in trouble.

Finally — for now — the $200,000. Boras never asked for that amount specifically. And that number has nothing to do with college tuition. It has everything to do with the No. 5 pick in the draft, Buster Posey. He got $6.2 million and there are a lot of people out there who think this is largely about egos and the fact that Boras Corp. doesn’t like being “bested” by anyone. If Posey signed for $5.8 million, you think this issue of the deadline ever gets brought up? Of course not. There’s a reason there was no complaining about the Hosmer deal. It was more in line with what his agent felt was right for a “special” high school player. But having a college hitter get more than his college hitter? That can’t be! I’ll write more on this later, but I have a sense of how things went down in terms of the timing. Suffice it to say that this seems like little more than a pissing contest between one agent and another (though, as one person told me, the other agent — Posey’s — had already zipped up and walked away).

There’s more to this than that, in all liklihood — it’s an opporutnity to try to find another loophole to take advantage of and show you’re bigger than the system. (more on that later, too).

As for Alvarez, I’d really like to get his thoughts before passing too much judgment, but you have to wonder how this kid who stood up and took the offer — clearly against his agent’s counsel — right at (or heck, even if it was after) the deadline — has allowed himself to be used in this whole affair.

Keep up the chatter folks…