*buyoutCode:2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Harang 6.75 11.0 12.5 12.75 ---- Cordero 8.5 12.0 12.0 12.0 ---- Arroyo 6.45 9.5 11.0 11.0 ---- Dunn 13.0 ---- ---- ---- ---- Griffey 12.5 4.0* ---- ---- ---- Phillips 2.75 4.75 6.75 11.0 12.0 Total 49.95 53.75 42.25 46.75 12.0
Again, it's about production. You can't win on bargains alone -- and if you do manage to do it, you certainly can't sustain it.
Question 1: How many of those long term deals are bad deals? Cordero is a stretch. Harang is a bargain. Arroyo is a bit steep. Dunn is gone after 2008. Griffey is likely gone after 2008. Phillips is a bargain through 2010.
Question 2: What else do we need 10's of millions for? A payroll in the $75M range is fully sustainable. We have a lot of production coming from guys who won't start getting expensive for a few years yet, meaning we won't be forced in to shedding production in order to manage payroll. We're actually in pretty good shape fiscally. As these deals start to come off the books, they will likely be replaced by deals to EE, Cueto, Voqluez, Votto, Bruce, Bailey.
As has been pointed out in the first post, the real problem comes from guys who eat payroll and provide zero production. Yes, some big ticket guys have slumped a little to start 2008. But there's reason to believe that by the end of the year, each of these guys will have earned that money. What will be the difference this year is the amount of production we get, or don't get, from the guys not getting paid millions and the guys getting paid just a few million.