How The Mighty Have Fallen: Sammy Sosa Edition

[Rex Argos]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2328640

MIAMI -- Sammy Sosa is seriously considering retiring from baseball instead of accepting an offer from the Washington Nationals, a source close to the player told ESPNdeportes.com.

Sosa has not made a decision regarding the contract offer from Washington, which is a non-guaranteed, one-year pact for $500,000.

"Sammy doesn't think of himself as someone who has to beg for a spot on a big league roster," said the source.

Washington's offer is the only one the Dominican slugger and potential Hall of Famer has received this winter.

With 588 career home runs, Sosa is the all-time leader among Latin American players. He had three years of 60 or more home runs between 1998 and 2001 as a Cub, becoming enormously popular in Chicago and throughout baseball.
However, injuries and some bad publicity, including the discovery of a corked bat in 2003, have affected his legacy and market value.

"Sammy wants to get to 600 home runs, but he's not willing to humiliate himself to keep playing. He feels that the lack of interest in his services this winter constitutes a humiliation," added the source.

Although the team has not set a deadline for a decision by Sosa, the Nationals would like to have the situation resolved before pitchers and catchers report to spring training on February 18. Washington originally only offered a minor league contract, with an invitation to spring training.

Sosa is taking his time to mull the decision, consulting with family and friends. Some have encouraged him to continue playing, while others have suggested he leave baseball.

Sosa, 37, was released by the Orioles after a disappointing 2005, when he hit .221 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 102 games.

The "Caribbean Bambino" was affected by various injuries last year, when he made $17 millon in the last season of a five-year deal he signed with Chicago in 2002. Baltimore declined a $18 million option for 2006.

The Nationals see Sosa as an insurance policy entering spring training, in case Jose Guillen's shoulder does not heal as quickly as they would like, and also with Alfonso Soriano's apparent refusal to switch from the infield to the outfield.

[savafan]

Humiliation? Cry me a river Sammy.

[TStuck]

Humiliation???
I don't get it. If I'm Sammy and I only have 1 offer on the table and I REALLY believe I've still "got it", I take the offer and go out and let my play be the spit in the eye to all the other teams that turned their noses up at me. This whole "offer is humiliating" garbage is a pretty weak ploy. Sammy needs to face it, he's depreciated goods right now until he PROVES otherwise.
This reminds me of Andre Dawson's situation a few years back when he signed an undervalue contract (500K maybe) with the Cubs and went out and had a nice rebound season (after some previous injury issues) which he parlayed into additional money as he played out the end of his career. Sammy would do well to look to his example. All of this, of course, is contingent that he does still have a little fuel left in the tank and isn't just trying to bamboozle one last big contract out of some exec who didn't do his homework.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by TStuck

Humiliation???
I don't get it. If I'm Sammy and I only have 1 offer on the table and I REALLY believe I've still "got it", I take the offer and go out and let my play be the spit in the eye to all the other teams that turned their noses up at me. This whole "offer is humiliating" garbage is a pretty weak ploy. Sammy needs to face it, he's depreciated goods right now until he PROVES otherwise.
This reminds me of Andre Dawson's situation a few years back when he signed an undervalue contract (500K maybe) with the Cubs and went out and had a nice rebound season (after some previous injury issues) which he parlayed into additional money as he played out the end of his career. Sammy would do well to look to his example. All of this, of course, is contingent that he does still have a little fuel left in the tank and isn't just trying to bamboozle one last big contract out of some exec who didn't do his homework.

$500K back when Andre Dawson signed that deal was a lot more than what $500K is now. It wasn't like Dawson was at the end of his career either. Also there was collusion going on where the owners weren't signing hardly any players and Dawson basically blackmailed the Cubs into signing him.

Not that I feel sorry for Sam the Sham but the situations are different. If he loves to play baseball as much as he says he does, he'll take what's offered. It isn't like there's going to be any better offers on the table and it's not like there's collusion going on now either.

[flyer85]

Amazing what a lack of flaxseed oil can do a hitter.

[Steve4192]

Considering who made the offer, this reminds me a lot of Tony Fernandez circa 1994 and Ron Gant / Benito Santiago circa 1995. All three of those guys were unwanted by other MLB teams and JimBo rolled the dice that they had a little gas left in the tank. In all three cases, JimBo got a productive player on the cheap and the players re-established themselves and went on to sign lucrative contracts with another team the following season.

JimBo may not have much acumen when it comes to identifying pitching, but he has an amazing knack for resurrecting the careers of 'washed up' position players. Considering Jimbo's track record in the area, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Sammy had a moderate rebound year (260 BA, 25-30 HR, 90-100 RBI) playing for Nationals.

Sign the deal Sammy.

[Rex Argos]

I think this proves that teams will put up with a "me first" attitude, as long as the player is producing. Once that player hits the downside, then teams won't put up with that sort of distraction.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Also there was collusion going on where the owners weren't signing hardly any players and Dawson basically blackmailed the Cubs into signing him.

The story of how Dawson ended up with the Cubs is one of my all-time favorites, and you're right, it was totally collusion-driven.

For anyone unfamiliar: that was the peak winter of collusion, when teams had an "understanding" that they wouldn't sign each others' free agents if the original team still wanted them. All-Stars were receiving offers worthy of Triple-A lifers. Dawson didn't want to back to Montreal, he wanted to play in Chicago because of the grass field (his knees were already going) and day games. So he and his agent went to the Cubs' spring training camp, threw a contract on the GM's desk -- with the salary blank, for the Cubs to fill in as they chose -- and then told all the writers about it. The Cubs had no chance.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by CaptainHook

Considering who made the offer, this reminds me a lot of Tony Fernandez circa 1994 and Ron Gant / Benito Santiago circa 1995. All three of those guys were unwanted by other MLB teams and JimBo rolled the dice that they had a little gas left in the tank. In all three cases, JimBo got a productive player on the cheap and the players re-established themselves and went on to sign lucrative contracts with another team the following season.

JimBo may not have much acumen when it comes to identifying pitching, but he has an amazing knack for resurrecting the careers of 'washed up' position players. Considering Jimbo's track record in the area, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Sammy had a moderate rebound year (260 BA, 25-30 HR, 90-100 RBI) playing for Nationals.

Sign the deal Sammy.

Problem is there is probably not a worse ball park situation for Sammy to jump into. Huge park that will further reduce his power output and further expose his defensive weaknesses.

[Number_Fourteen]

Originally Posted by Rex Argos

"Sammy wants to get to 600 home runs, but he's not willing to humiliate himself to keep playing. He feels that the lack of interest in his services this winter constitutes a humiliation," added the source.

Just what a team wants, a guy whose priority is to achieve personal goals, without a mention of a desire to WIN or help his team. Selfish, selfish, selfish, I say. As Catfish Hunter once said, "a well fed dog doesn't want to hunt no more". Sammy wears the quote well.

[registerthis]

Originally Posted by Rex Argos

I think this proves that teams will put up with a "me first" attitude, as long as the player is producing. Once that player hits the downside, then teams won't put up with that sort of distraction.

I don't know many teams that put up with players on the downside of their career, whether or not they have a good attitude. Sosa MIGHT have more offers to make a team through a minor league contract or something if he was known as a great team player and contributor, but honestly--with the price tag he is putting on himself, the injuries and the lack of production--I don't think it's his attitutde that's hurting him the most right now. He's just a bad player.

[TStuck]

Originally Posted by Chip R

$500K back when Andre Dawson signed that deal was a lot more than what $500K is now. It wasn't like Dawson was at the end of his career either. Also there was collusion going on where the owners weren't signing hardly any players and Dawson basically blackmailed the Cubs into signing him.

Not that I feel sorry for Sam the Sham but the situations are different. If he loves to play baseball as much as he says he does, he'll take what's offered. It isn't like there's going to be any better offers on the table and it's not like there's collusion going on now either.

You're absolutely right Chip on the collusion aspect. The reason I used the Dawson example was to show the difference in attitudes of the 2 players. Dawson loved the game and was going to do whatever it took to keep playing and prove that he was still a top notch player. Sammy, on the other hand, is like the guy at the soup kitchen who complains that they're not serving Prime rib and turns up his nose at the PB&J being served - choosing instead to go hungry. The point is - if you have the hunger, you do whatever you can to satisfy it, don't just outright reject an offer because it's under your standards.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by registerthis

I don't know many teams that put up with players on the downside of their career, whether or not they have a good attitude.

:aurilia:

[registerthis]

Originally Posted by Chip R

:aurilia:

Great. So the Reds are one of the "not many teams". i think it's been made quite clear to everyone here that having Aurilia going into camp as the third baseman-to-beat is idiocy at its highest level.

[Chip R]

Looks like Sammy doesn't want to play this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2331819

Sosa rejects Nationals' offer

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Sammy Sosa has turned down an offer to sign with the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals had offered Sosa a non-guaranteed contract that would have included performance bonus opportunities. Team spokesman John Dever said Wednesday that Sosa had rejected the deal.

Washington originally offered Sosa a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training and then proposed a major-league deal.

Sosa ranks fifth on the career home run list with 588, but he batted only .221 with 14 homers and 45 RBI last year in his only season with the Baltimore Orioles.