I am in no way a Boston sports fan. Regardless of the sports season, I actually secretly hope that Boston teams fail in their pursuit of a championship. Super Bowl, World Series, Finals, Stanley Cup—doesn’t matter to me. I think my grudge against Boston sports teams originated from too many Angel losses to those damn Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs. But today, I have to admit that Boston sports aren’t all bad.
Last Thursday, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester proclaimed his loyalty to the team with resounding determination. “These guys are my No. 1 priority. I want to be here ’til they rip this jersey off my back,” he said in regards to a contract extension.
Lester even went so far as to admit that he would take a pay cut in order to stay in Boston and help his team win a consecutive World Series title. His inspiration for being so outwardly willing to take less pay in order to remain on the team he loves comes partly from his teammate Dustin Pedroia, who decided to leave a larger offer to stay with the Red Sox. As much as I dislike this team and their recent success, it enthralls me to hear this kind of talk in the offseason.
Usually the baseball offseason is the time of year when you hear about who is being traded where, and which new teams are breaking payroll records in order to stack their teams. After years of paying too much attention to this, I have learned to stop getting my hopes up this early in the year when the Angels snag the greatest has-been in the game. Instead of looking forward to seeing how these new assets will perform during the regular season, I usually just get trapped in a shadow of doubt and worry about how much money is being wasted by the deal. As a result, massive contracts that extend over five years scare me. You can imagine my terror when ruminating over Albert Pujols’ ten-year $240 million contract.
My experience is not unique. Baseball fans all over the country worry constantly not only about which bad acquisitions their team is making, but also who they are having to let go in order to keep payroll budgets in check. For a reason I just fail to comprehend, players who have spent a significant number of years with a certain team leave for a contract that promises a couple million dollars more. These players a lot of the time are making over $5 million a year and they leave the team where they built their legacy for an additional million or two. The importance of loyalty and the value of being a franchise player has been beaten down and swept into the closet in modern baseball.
I understand if the team the player is leaving has been a perennial loser and their chances of winning a ring is low, but some of the largest acquisitions in recent years have not fit this mold. For example, Albert Pujols left the then World Series Champion Cardinals, with whom he had spent his first 11 years in the majors, to sign the aforementioned mega contract. He was a god in St. Louis. At that time, he was in talks of becoming one of the greatest players of all time and his team had just won the World Series. And then he sold out for cash. Who else has sold out in past years? Obviously Robinson Cano is the largest name to come to mind this offseason, but don’t forget about Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Alex Rodriguez, and Josh Hamilton. I could go on. All of these players made their decisions based on receiving a couple more million per year when each of them was already making over $20 million per year.
I know that players want to be paid appropriately for their skill level and the hours they put in practicing all year round. They work harder than I can even imagine and their dedication to improvement is commendable. However, I cannot accept that they could uproot themselves from a team and city that has fallen in love with them for a meager percentage increase in their contract deal. That is why hearing the words of Jon Lester incited an admiration for pitcher and a team that I’m sure I will be cursing when it comes time for the playoffs in October. It is no surprise that some of the most respected players in the game are not just the ones who are highly skilled, but the ones who have committed themselves to one team for their career (think Derek Jeter). Fans love receiving new, great players to pad their lineup, but what they love more is when a team star decides that the tie to their team is more valuable than a pay raise. If a player is willing to take a cut in order to stay with their team, it doesn’t matter to me whether he is from enemy lines. I’m a fan.
