A pitcher doesn't have to be in Felix class for this to make his salary higher. The top end moves up and all the rest moves up in relation to it. A high tide raises all ships.
Printable View
Maybe I'm mis-remembering, but these types of deals seem kind of cyclical to me, because of how short sighted organizations can be. Again I could be totally wrong, but it seemed like about a eight to ten years ago, lots of teams were willing to give any pitcher that showed any ability a massive contract. (Eric Milton, Chan Ho Park) A lot of teams got burnt on those long term contracts and it seemed like owners tended towards caution in long contracts for several years after, being much more selective with who they gave them to. When the Tigers are hamstrung by mediocre production from Sanchez at a ridiculous price in a year or two, owners will take heed.
Uh oh, not so fast. ESPN reports the deal is not done and the sides aren't close after an issue with Felix's elbow was found.
This is a kind of surprising leak because the Ms FO is consistently closed-mouthed about any of it's business.
I doubt there is anything performance altering with his elbow. This likely will just result in the back end of the deal being restructured a bit to allow the Ms to mitigate risk associated with giving a pitcher such a long contract.
Deal is official. 7yr/$175MM with new "minor concessions" in regards to the health of his elbow.