Collusion? (December 14, 2003)
Keith Foulke might have commanded more money if this was 2000, and Mike Cameron too. Sheffield, Tejada, and others, as well.
It's just very smart people in charge now. They know the value of a dollar, they can figure out present values and discount rates. Their shareholders are holding them accountable, as opposed to the government-like times of overspending, and hoping to cover their losses with the incredibly fast-rising values of their franchises. (Imagine how much more franchises would cost if they were better managed 10 years ago.) Maybe they finally understand that a good player peaks at around age 27-29.
And even then, all of the above players are probably being overpaid. I salute the MLB teams for being smart enough and responsible enough not to get into a bidding war, when you've got almost as talented a player available (whether as a free agent or trade) for much less cost.
--posted by TangoTiger at 11:09 PM EDT