No *wonder* they're losing money!!!

[jpalexa]

Report: Angels send OF Erstad to White Sox in five-player swap

December 12, 2001

CHICAGO (TICKER) -- Anaheim Angels outfielder Darin Erstad, just one year removed from a Most Valuable Player-caliber season, apparently has been traded to the Chicago White Sox.

ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago is reporting that Anaheim general manager Bill Stoneman and White Sox general manager Ken Williams have agreed on a deal that would send outfielder Chris Singleton, righthanded starter Jon Garland and two minor leaguers to the Angels in exchange for Erstad.

According to ESPN 1000, The deal is contingent upon the approval of Anaheim president Tony Tavares. The White Sox initially asked for a window of opportunity to negotiate a long-term deal with Erstad, but have relented and said they would make the trade regardless.

Erstad appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough season in 2000 when he hit .355 with 25 homers, 100 RBI and 121 runs scored. But he slumped to .258 with just nine homers and 63 RBI last season.

Erstad earned $3.45 million last season and could easily double that through arbitration in February.

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Not that I give a care about Erstad, the Angels, or the ChiSox...but how in Hell is Erstad worth $7 mil+?

I have no sympathy for the owners if Erstad makes anything above what he made last season (which was too much).

With all of this millionaire/billionaire posturing, I am finding it very hard to remember just what there is to like about Major League Baseball....:(

[Duque]

I've always thought that the problem with the escalating salaries wasn't the Rodriguezes or the Giambis or Delgados getting umpteen million dollars, but the mid-level guys getting the huge contracts. The Jose Mesas, Todd Van Poppels, Pat Meareses, etc, which in turn drives up the price of the really good players.

Not sure if Erstad will play CF, but you have to like the White Sox next year, given what the Indians have done this offseason and what the Twins haven't done.

[BuzzBuzzard]

Apparently Tavares killed the deal.

[Duque]

And killed it, apparently, because the players Anaheim was getting back weren't "marketable" enough. Since when should marketability govern baseball decisions? (I know sometimes it does, though) Would the Angels have been happier if the Sox had offered them Jose Canseco? He's a name. How about Harold Baines?

I guess this is the problem with entertainment people trying to run a baseball franchise.

[Skipper Steve]

Did he mean marketable in terms of public appeal or in terms of resale (or trade) value?

[Duque]

Originally posted by Skipper Steve
Did he mean marketable in terms of public appeal or in terms of resale (or trade) value?

Good question - here's the text from the article:

"ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago, which broke the story Wednesday afternoon, is reporting that the deal fell through when Angels executives felt that the four players headed to Anaheim -- outfielder Chris Singleton, promising righthander Jon Garland and two minor leaguers -- were not "marketable" enough for a player of Erstad's stature."

I'm not really sure what that means :confuse2: Maybe, since Erstad is a fan favorite, that they had to get someone back at least as good as Erstad, or as well-known?

[SmedIndy]

Originally posted by Duque


Good question - here's the text from the article:

"ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago, which broke the story Wednesday afternoon, is reporting that the deal fell through when Angels executives felt that the four players headed to Anaheim -- outfielder Chris Singleton, promising righthander Jon Garland and two minor leaguers -- were not "marketable" enough for a player of Erstad's stature."

I'm not really sure what that means :confuse2: Maybe, since Erstad is a fan favorite, that they had to get someone back at least as good as Erstad, or as well-known?

Well, Erstad's not that good. Garland could be great. This could be a major blunder by someone who probably doesn't know baseball from Huey, Dewey and Louie. Singleton is OK.

If Erstad's a $7M dollar player then it's really out of whack. He's going to ride 2000 until he's as worthless as Brady Anderson.