The secret weapon of small-market and big-market teams alike -- front-loaded contracts --
has made it easier for clubs to sign young stars to long-term deals. The Indians were the first team to do this, in the mid-'90s, and the practice has seemingly served both parties well: The first-, second- and third-year players have signed on for their first big-money deals that guarantee them a life-changing amount of cash, and the teams paid out more money up front to earn some savings at the back end of the deal.
Increasingly, however, as the salaries of third-, fourth- and fifth-year players have risen, there has been a growing reluctance on the part of the player to sign those kinds of contracts. The Milwaukee Brewers, for instance, are in negotiations with
Prince Fielder and
Ryan Braun, and it is unclear, at this juncture, whether they'll be able to get anything done. The Toronto Blue Jays labored to get a contract finished with right fielder
Alex Rios, with the negotiations once stalling at $60 million; in the end, the deal was struck at $64 million.
But the ripples of this shift are being felt throughout the sport. "How do you turn down $60 million?" one official asked. "Before you have made any big money? How do you turn that down?"
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Buster Olney
