Skip to main content

Wrapping My Mind Around The Absurdity That is Baseball's New $300M Man


I'm still attempting to wrap my mind around $325M. After all, these mega deals always seem to offer great sticker shock whenever they are announced. $100M seemed like such a huge deal when the Dodgers gave Kevin Brown that type of money way back when. Then of course, A-Rod, ah yes, our favorite guy over in this little part of the internet here, received well over $225M from Texas, and then the Yankees decided to top the stupidity absurdity of that deal with $275M. And now, we have the $300M man, Giancarlo Stanton.

No matter how many times I read the workings of this new contract, I can't help but shake my head in disbelief. What in the world are the Marlins thinking?! How in the world will this affect baseball going forward? 

By the way, didn't the Angels get a huge bargain for Mike Trout at six years, $144.5M?!

$325M for over 13 years. Again, my goodness! And if that wasn't crazy, the Marlins are giving Stanton a full no trade clause as well as an opt-out clause after six years which is absolutely awesome timing as Stanton would be turning 30 by then. Depending on his career trajectory, Stanton could possibly opt out and make even more money. Imagine that? 
Yet, regardless, $325M, 13 years, no trade clause, an opt out - that's a deal I wouldn't even agree to in a video game with fictional money. 

Compounding this disbelief is that this is the Miami Marlins. Yes, those Miami Marlins who never keep anyone. Those Marlins who constantly trade top talent for new prospects. Those Marlins, despite two World Series championships in a relatively short existence, who are known more for their penny pinching than anything else.

But you know what, $325M definitely will!

And then of course, there is the obvious - the dreaded A-Rod comparison. However, while the Yankees with A-Rod, and to an extent the Angels with Albert Pujols and Tigers with Miguel Cabrera, have signed their superstar on the wrong side of 30, this one actually locks up a franchise player through his prime years. Not a bad move. Actually, a move we are seeing all around baseball with the likes of Trout, McCutchen, Kershaw, Posey, and others signing deals before they hit the market. 

When looked at from that perspective, this might actually end up working out for the Marlins. Especially as they finally have a great core of young talent, a new ball park (despite that atrocity of an object they call art in center field), and now a certified and bona-fide star in Stanton who won't be leaving Miami in the near future. 

Yet, as all long term contracts come do, this one, the largest ever in MLB history, will come down to the health, longevity, and continued performance of Stanton. In today's sports world, seven years is considered risky and rolling the dice for an organization. Ten years is accepting the back end of the contract will absolutely suck. I can only imagine what thirteen years is like. That's twice the years of simply being risky!

Regardless, this is where we are at in baseball. $100M contracts are cliche. $300M contracts are the newest and sexiest girl in the room. Despite the "prime years" angle, and the idea of locking up your face for the next thirteen years, there is just that overwhelming commitment that scares me. For the Marlins, having to go through the nightmare of a 13 year contract, and for one of my favorite players in the game, Stanton, for giving his best years to a franchise that isn't the most credible when it comes to support and it's commitment to winning. 

But again, we're talking $325M for 13 years with a no-trade clause and an opt-out in six years. 

Every time I type it, it's just as absurd. 

And as we've learned in the past, there is always one team willing to do the absurd deal to take the business of the game to a whole new level. 

$325M. My goodness. 

Recently Read Posts

A Product of Us: Thoughts on Durant Trade

I said back in July when Kevin Durant rocked the NBA world with his trade request, that he "showed us who he was".  It wasn't a negative comment, but one that encompasses his entire career being a product of our current sport climate - success and focus on legacy. We emphasize the value of a career on rings, and thus, Durant has too. Why wouldn't he?!  Upon waking up and realizing that Durant will don the purple and orange for the Phoenix Suns in what is clearly now a team to watch come the NBA Playoffs, I find myself further pondering if Kevin Durant is the prime result of what we - yes, us! - have done to the modern athlete.  Today, Durant is one of the greatest basketball players I've ever seen. EVER. The dude is rare. He's a seven-foot magician which makes defending him even more difficult based on how damn efficient he is on the basketball court. It's downright poetic and beautiful to watch Durant play. And yes, I'm romanticizing his game. I belie

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/19/23

3 Up 1. India's Tap Water Access - This is a rather remarkable story. It's a story that offers humility wrapped in the extraordinary. India's Jal Jeevan Mission provided almost 79 million - 79 MILLION! - households with tap water. Just tap water!  2. Jordan Make-A-Wish Record - MJ is often loved through nostalgia, narrative, and remembrance for being politically neutral - even in giving. MJ these days has made some influential contributions, including this latest $10M donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation.  3. WWE Elimination Chamber - A tremendously entertaining pay-per-view on the road to Wrestlemania. The best storyline in pro wrestling continues to evolve between Sami Zayn and the Bloodline.  3A. City of Montreal - Give it up to the city of Montreal for what made a few nights of pro wrestling an awesome experience. Can we get this city more events?  3 Down 1. Michigan State Shooting - We're broken. Very broken. My thoughts and prayers are with those friends and fam

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/5/23

3 Up 1. Beyonce History - The Queen made history at the Grammys with her 32nd (!!) win. The number alone sounds absolutely ridiculous, but after all, it's Beyonce we are discussing here. Congrats to Queen B.  2. Viola Davis - We're going career acknowledgment this weekend and up next is the wonderfully talented, Viola Davis. Davis entered that rarified air in entertainment rounding out her "EGOT" with a Grammy win. Every time you think about an EGOT, it makes you appreciate just how damn talented you must be to be in that conversation.  3. Tom Brady Career - And then there is Brady, who finally called it a career. It's wild to think I was a teenager watching Tom Brady win his first Super Bowl. Congrats to Brady on a remarkable career.  3 Down 1. Florida Higher Ed Proposal - If Florida leadership wasn't doing all sorts of cringy things within the education system, this week we saw proposed bills to eliminate diversity programs and a call to reduce tenure for ed

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Uncorked (2020)

What is it about? Elijah must balance his love and dream to become a master sommelier with his father's expectations to carry on and take charge of the family business.  Who is in it? Mamoudou Athie - Elijah Courtney B. Vance - Louis Niecy Nash - Sylvia Sasha Compere - Tanya Favorite Scene: [spoiler alert]  Following taking the sommelier exam, Elijah is restless in the hotel room. His father knocks on the door, and suddenly plans to spend the night with him. He pours them both a glass of wine, and they play dominoes.  Favorite Quote:  "How do you choose between family and your dream?" "How do you choose between family and your dream?" Review:  I first saw Uncorked on Netflix during the height of the pandemic lockdown when we all had nothing else better to do than watch television. So of course, go figure, after testing positive for COVID this week, your boy felt miserable nothing better to do while dealing with sever symptoms that watch a movie.  The film was as