I’ve done this before, but it’s been a few years. What would various Giants throughout history have been paid if they were free agents this offseason?
The Giants really did let Davis go as a free agent. "Gee, we’d sure like to keep this switch-hitting, defensively gifted, patient outfielder with power, but...whoa, three years and four million dollars? We’re not suckers. Good luck with all that, Angels. We’ll do just fine with Candy Maldonado."
What he’d get if he were a free agent today:
Five years, $86M. That might be underestimating it, actually. He could still play center, and he still had that young player smell about him.
The Giants signed him as a free agent when he was 30 after he hit .295/.399/.425 with 33 steals for the Indians, and his center field defense was still highly regarded.
What he’d get if he were a free agent today:
Six years, $97M. The crazy thing is that he would have been worth it. Also, it would have kept the stink of Dodger off him, though it was always there in his heart, gnawing at his soul.
I think Kent would have been a free agent after the 1998 season if the Giants didn’t sign him to an extension before the season. In ‘98, his age-30 season, Kent hit .297/.359/.555 with 31 homers and 128 RBI, and he also led the league in surly.
What he’d get if he were a free agent today:
Seven years, $128M. Like Butler, he would have been worth it. Every penny. He stayed healthy and productive well into his late 30s, and he wasn’t moved off second base. He was a good player in his 20s, but he build a Hall-of-Fame career in his 30s. That’s not the usual career stache. Path. Career path. Sorry.
Agent: Over 232 innings. An ERA of 2.82.Yankees: We would like to offer the Empire State Building.
Agent: Well, that’s generous, but...
Yankees: We’re not finished. Each floor would be filled with treasure. Doubloons, pieces of eight...the works.
Agent: Look, if you’re just going to low-ball us....
Yankees: We haven’t even gotten to the wenches! Every floor! Wait! Come back!
What he’d get if he were a free agent today:
Five years, $105M. He wasn’t an established workhorse, so he wouldn’t have received a Cliff Lee kind of deal, but teams would have fought over him like mad. He, uh, wouldn’t have provided a good return on the investment.
Oh, man. I can’t tell if he’d be a free agent after his age-27 or age-28 season, but it wouldn’t have mattered much. He was an absolute monster, and he was just entering his prime years. It would have been a free agent bloodbath.
What he’d get if he were a free agent today:
Ten years, $220M. And the Red Sox wouldn’t have looked back. It would have been weird to watch him play against Mays whenever the Yankees came to Boston.
Comment starter: Your turn. Predict the players I’ve missed, from "Turkey" Mike Donlin to Tom Haller.