Evans: Blackmon deal not surprising, but it comes with a cost
Apr 6, 2018, 8:03 AM
When I first heard about the Charlie Blackmon deal, it felt like it came out of nowhere.
But the more I think about it, the more it made sense.
First of all, how refreshing is it to see a player basically come out and say, “I ‘m happy here. I’m not looking to leave.” Blackmon wasn’t interested in going to free agency and chasing every last possible dollar.
With that said, this wasn’t just a move based on emotion. Blackmon and his representatives showed some savvy business.
This is a weird time in baseball. We’re coming off an offseason where the free agent market was as slow as molasses. Premier free agents like J.D. Martinez and Eric Hosmer waited right until, and even past, the start of spring training before being signed. While they got huge contracts, the deals weren’t as big as originally predicted.
Next offseason may be similar. While there will be premier free agents cashing in like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, the market could be tight again.
I believe Blackmon looked at that, factored in that he’d be 32 years old, and came to the smart conclusion that getting a deal done now makes sense.
He gets six years, possibly up to $115 million. There’s a decent chance he wouldn’t get that kind of deal in free agency. Add in this is a place he likes, it’s a win-win, right?
You know the Rockies love this deal. But, my fear is that as happy as we are about keeping Blackmon, it will come at the expense of Nolan Arenado.
In baseball economics, it’s easy to spend $100 million. Spending $200 million-plus is hard. That’s major league baseball big boy money.
It takes major onions (double order) to do that. I don’t believe Dick Montfort has the stomach. By extending Blackmon, you keep a very popular Rockies player. You can’t keep them both, but you lessen some of the pain by keeping one.
And, in Blackmon, you’re getting the cheaper one.
I’d love to think Arenado will be with the Rockies a long time. I think he would like that. But he won’t come cheap, nor should he.
He’s one of the five best players in baseball. He can, and should, ask for $250 million-plus. Maybe he can offer a bit of a hometown discount, but that’s still well north of $200 million.
I ask, honestly, do you think that’s the kind of move Dick Montfort makes?
I don’t.
Charlie Blackmon’s new contract is the consolation prize. Not a bad consolation prize, but it’s not going to be prize Rockies fans ultimately desire.
