My prediction: We sign Robert for a total of $65 mil. Yours?

[Socnorb11]

"What's another $10 million?"

How many years did Robert get? If that extra $10 million is spread over 4 years, at $2.5 mil/year, then that would be like 0.8% of their revenue each year. And actually, we know revenue will likely take a big jump next year with the new TV deal. So something less than that.

I could be wrong, but I'm under the impression that the money is just a signing bonus and then the player enters the system same as any player drafted. So, 6 years of team control at the major league level plus 4ish years until they have to be added to the 40 man to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

This is my understanding. So if Robert turns out to be good, 50 million outlay by the team becomes 80-100 million for his years of team control depending on how good he is.

Yeah, if he makes $50M through his arb years, that's a pretty damn good player. One that's putting up multiple 5+ win seasons.

Yeah, I definitely don't think it's a no-brainer.

I would like to see the team spend on an impact F/A next off-season, since they're not on the hook for Roberts. Fowler was a good start last off-season.

[Tim]

Yeah, I definitely don't think it's a no-brainer.

I would like to see the team spend on an impact F/A next off-season, since they're not on the hook for Roberts. Fowler was a good start last off-season.

And who would that be?

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/

Awful free agent class. Awful.

[MrCrowesGarden]

If the team was to win a high stakes bidding war every now and then then I could be more understanding when for whatever reason they don't go all in. But we have seen then consistently come up short. It's looks like it's an attempt at PR to show that the team is really interested in making a big move, when they really have no intention of spending what's necessary.

They just keep accumulating (and banking) that "dry powder"

Hogwash

Team payroll has sunk to 42-43% from 52-53% in 2006

I've seen you post this a few times. Can you link me to it?

http://www.double-birds.com/2016/11/18/ ... n-cheaper/

[Famous Mortimer]

Anybody that can say What's another 10 million? of someone else's money can just shut up as far as I'm concerned.

If you were all in on this kid, and are now in mourning, I feel sorry for you. Maybe I'm ignorant and blissful, but I'm not gonna lose any sleep over some kid I never heard of three weeks ago.

This is the second time I've read variations on "stop crying about it" from people who'd presumably be happy if the Cardinals trotted out the Gateway Grizzlies backup team every day, as long as baseball was happening at Busch. No-one's crying about it. We're attempting to have a discussion about why the team we're all fans of is behaving in the way it is.

I don't know how the organization wins with some of you really. We should've got Price. But he has sucked. But we shoulda got him. And Heyward. Except he has sucked too. But still. How can they win?

Price hasn't sucked. I'll give you Heyward, but we've got no way of knowing how he'd have performed on this team, with this coaching. Are you thrilled with Piscotty, Siegrist, Cecil, Socolovich, Grichuk, Broxton, Oh and Peralta all providing negative WAR so far this season?

[Socnorb11]

Price hasn't sucked. I'll give you Heyward, but we've got no way of knowing how he'd have performed on this team, with this coaching. Are you thrilled with Piscotty, Siegrist, Cecil, Socolovich, Grichuk, Broxton, Oh and Peralta all providing negative WAR so far this season?

Price hasn't sucked I guess, but that contract certainly doesn't look good, at this point.

I doubt if the current coaches could have fixed Heyward, considering those coaches have turned Piscotty, Siegrist, Cecil, Socolovich, Grichuk, Broxton and Peralta into negative WAR players.



The team just spent $82 mil on Fowler. It's not like they're not willing to pay people.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Someone needs to give this kid a bottle of tequila to chug and a hot yellow sports car to drive on a dark and stormy night with his girlfriend so that it will make all these arguments moot.

[Radbird]

Going back to Tim's prediction - would $65M have landed him?

[go birds]

still think the whitesox video presentation wins out

[Tim]

Going back to Tim's prediction - would $65M have landed him?

$32.5 million to LR? I would hope so.

[Hoot45]

I've followed enough college basketball to know better than to let a teenage boy I've never met break my heart. I've also watched enough Rams football to know that DeWallet and the Cardinals aren't as evil of corporate overlords as it might feel right now. That being said, this sure does seem like a missed opportunity. Only time will tell.