Free Agent Player's Priorities

[Texsox]

Should a free agent just be concerned about getting on the team with the best chance to win a WS? Money? Geography? Coaching staff? Opportunity to play? What should be the balance?

[DBAHO]

It depends on the player and their situation. Say for instance B.J Ryan, could take a little less money and not be a closer to help him win a World Series Ring.

 

And personally I think more players should be like him, because that's what you play Baseball for. And I know Tex we've discussed quite a bit on this over the last year or 2 about this subject, like Maggilo Ordonez getting that offer from Detroit, but you know right now he would probably like to be back with the White Sox after the success we've had.

 

And signing a big contract, doesn't necessarily make you happy. Ivan Rodriguez is an excellent candidate to be traded because he wants to win, and the team may use that money elsewhere etc.

[Texsox]

Imagine the free agent market if every player said, I don't care about the money, get me to the Braves or Yankees, I want to play in the post season.

[DBAHO]

Imagine the free agent market if every player said, I don't care about the money, get me to the Braves or Yankees, I want to play in the post season.

But the players should be smart enough to realise, on the right team they can make a definite impact, and help push that team over the edge. For example if you're a catcher, and all of the good teams already have catchers who have better abilities than you, than you're gonna be hard-pressed to sign with one of those good teams.

 

Of course if you're say Rafael Furcal, and the Yanks and the Royals offer you the exact same deal, of course you're going to want to play for the Yanks.

 

That's why those low revenue franchises have to build with young players (like the Indians have done), and try to catch some breaks on the FA market like they did with Kevin Millwood.

[Texsox]

But the players should be smart enough to realise, on the right team they can make a definite impact, and help push that team over the edge. For example if you're a catcher, and all of the good teams already have catchers who have better abilities than you, than you're gonna be hard-pressed to sign with one of those good teams.

 

Of course if you're say Rafael Furcal, and the Yanks and the Royals offer you the exact same deal, of course you're going to want to play for the Yanks.

 

That's why those low revenue franchises have to build with young players (like the Indians have done), and try to catch some breaks on the FA market like they did with Kevin Millwood.

 

So you would value being a starter over being the backup?

 

How many free agents don't wish they had signed with the White Sox during the past off season?

[DBAHO]

So you would value being a starter over being the backup?

 

How many free agents don't wish they had signed with the White Sox during the past off season?

Of course every player wants to start. In some cases, like I said in my first post, you may have a veteran player with declining skills, who could get a backup job with a good team to help him be part of that world series win.

 

Of course a lot of free agents right now are gonna be annoyed they didn't sign with the White Sox. This off-season and in the future though, I think a lot more FA's are going to be open to heading to the Southside, especially if we keep KW and Ozzie around for a while yet.

[Dick Allen]

I think it all depends on the situation. ARod got how many more million chosing to play for Texas? He got ripped, but the dollar figure was staggering, you can't blame him. Most of these guys are away from their families almost the entire season, so some choose to be with them an additional 6 weeks and pick a team that trains by where they live. Even Magglio, who is ripped over and over again, did get more money from Detroit than most thought he could get if he had no health questions. It looks like he got $15 million more than the White Sox offered back when he was healthy. He'll probably never need that extra $15 million, but what if he did? He can't be blamed for taking the money, and Boras did deliver for him. Albert Belle was making a pretty good living on the southside and was very comfortable with Jerry Manuel. He left for more money and more years due to an unusual clause in his contract. His health deteriorates, and his career ends. He gets the extra $30 million or so that he wouldn't have gotten had he chose to stay with the White Sox. That clause worked out unbelievably well for both the Sox and Belle. You can never blame the player for taking the money. Their career could be over tomorrow.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I'll play for Tampa, AZ, or Florida. No income tax right?

[GoSox05]

money. Its all about the money.

[Steff]

I'll play for Tampa, AZ, or Florida. No income tax right?

 

 

 

Don't you have to pay according to the state you reside in...?

[Punch and Judy Garland]

not sure steff but I do know that some players have been traded away from no-income tax states and if they have a clause they can get additional money for going to the new state. I imagine that when a player goes to a Florida team that he gets a residence so that he can take advantage

[Steff]

not sure steff but I do know that some players have been traded away from no-income tax states and if they have a clause they can get additional money for going to the new state. I imagine that when a player goes to a Florida team that he gets a residence so that he can take advantage

 

 

Not sure on the perticulars, but I imagine their main homestead would be the filing state. When my dad moved to Illinois from Florida, Florida was his main homestead for most of the year so he didn't have to pay Illinois state tax the first year. When my mom came a few months later Illinois was her main homestead that year and they ended up owing Illinois a few bucks. Regardless, I would say you're right in that they get concessions when those situations arise.

[NorthSideSox72]

Not sure on the perticulars, but I imagine their main homestead would be the filing state. When my dad moved to Illinois from Florida, Florida was his main homestead for most of the year so he didn't have to pay Illinois state tax the first year. When my mom came a few months later Illinois was her main homestead that year and they ended up owing Illinois a few bucks. Regardless, I would say you're right in that they get concessions when those situations arise.

 

As a general rule, individuals pay income taxes to states based on residence. Corporations and organizations, on the other hand, pay their payroll taxes to the state based on location of entity, which may or may not be the state the employee resides in. A corporation may mave employees working out of state but not have to set up a local entity, but often they end up having to to dothat. Not all states are the same, either.

 

I used to work in Illinois, then moved to work in Tennesee (which has no income tax) for the same company. I stopped paying income tax. But my company had to pay to set up a business entity in Tennesee, because of TN special rules. So they paid their payroll taxes in Illinois, but had to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to set up the entity in Tennessee as well. Ouch!

[FLsouthsider]

I think the quality of the organization and city has a lot to do with it, too. Some treat their players better than others. You could sign that free-agent deal with the Yankees and chase a ring, but if you have one mediocre, or worse, season, they won't hesitate to ship you somewhere, and you'll be a pariah in the largest market in a new york-centric media. Or you could sign in Philly and just be hated no matter what you do on the field.

 

Then again, you could sign with Tampa Bay and never be heard from again.

[Kalapse]

$$$

[southsider2k5]

Don't you have to pay according to the state you reside in...?

 

Its according to where you work. So in reality you file a state income tax form for each state you play a game in.

[Rowand44]

If I'm a free agent I'm looking for a team that can win, a city I would like to live in year round and a city where my family would be comfortable. Money obviously plays a role but if I'm a big time free agent I'm of the impression that 10 mill compared to 14 mill would be enough to feed my family and I can honestly say that wouldn't effect my decision that much. Now if it's say a difference between the league minimum and a mill or something like that, then it's a different story.

[Steff]

Its according to where  you work.  So in reality you file a state income tax form for each state you play a game in.

 

Are you serious...??? They have to file 15 (or so) different returns..?? That can't be...

[witesoxfan]

Players can make a living getting the league minimum for 20 years, investing and putting it away in a bank account to grow, and retire and be set for life. Hell, they could do all that and then get a 40K a year job and be set for the rest of their lives too.

 

That's probably exaggerating a little...but people make $300,000 out to be a very small amount sometimes.

 

If I'm a free agent, and I'm in my prime, I'm looking for money and almost solely money. Baseball immortality is nice, but so is money, and money has more value in the real world.

 

If I'm a free agent, I think my time is coming to an end, and I want a(nother) World Series ring, I am going to a team that has an excellent chance of winning.

 

All cities have their perks and their downfalls, and while I'd like to be near my family the whole time, what if we live in Utah, or Tennessee, or god forbid North or South Dakota? No matter where I go to play, I'm likely going to run into a franchise that does not win much, doesn't have a ton of money to spend, or both.

 

All that being said - why on earth would Paul Konerko be looking for the biggest contract, rather than giving the White Sox a hometown discount? I'm not sure anyone knows how serious his hip condition is - if it could get horrible in an instant, or if it's almost non-existent - but for him, I think he's looking at getting a contract he knows will keep him set for the rest of his life. Same thing applies to Magglio. While I'm not a huge fan of his anymore for the s*** he pulled near the end of his stay with the Sox, he did exactly what I would have done if I were in his position. I have a potentially career ending injury, so I'm going to turn to the best agent in the game to get me the best contract that he possibly can so that if I don't play much after my first year, I'm going to make a lot of money.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I think people sort of underestimate how expensive it is to live as a ballplayer. You have to order out a lot, buy dinner/suits/drinks for rookies. You likely have multiple residences due to ST, where you play, and where you live in the offseason. Every time you go to a bar, a hotel, or a restaurant you have to tip generously or you risk being in the newspapers for not tipping well (Pippen, etc.). Lastly, its not like you can wear a Men's Warehouse Suit off the rack unless you want to be belittled by your teammates. I'm not trying to say that you should feel sorry for these guys or anything or that millions of dollars isn't a lot of money but there are a lot of costs that are sort of hidden. That is not to mention an agents take. Haven't you noticed that fans will say that a guy has 100 million dollars because that is his contract? After income taxes, agent cuts, etc that figure is pretty misleading when you think about it. Just a few points to ponder

[nitetrain8601]

If you're asking me personally:

 

1)City(I'd like to play in a nice big city)

2)Cash

3)My chances of winning(I'm only 19, so it's not as important)

 

For MLB players, just flip-flop 1 and 2.

[bschmaranz]

I think really it boils down to what type of player I was in this fictional world. If I were an all-star caliber player like an ARod or perhaps a Konerko, I'd go wherever I felt most confortable. If I could get 30-40 million from Chicago, more then enough money for myself and my kids (fictional kids that is) to live confortably for the rest of our lives, I'd take it over 60 million.

 

But, if I were a type of player that was utility or the type of player that was never going to "break the bank", I'd go for the money because who knows how long I'll be able to collect a paycheck playing baseball.

[Chisoxfn]

I think people sort of underestimate how expensive it is to live as a ballplayer. You have to order out a lot, buy dinner/suits/drinks for rookies. You likely have multiple residences due to ST, where you play, and where you live in the offseason. Every time you go to a bar, a hotel, or a restaurant you have to tip generously or you risk being in the newspapers for not tipping well (Pippen, etc.). Lastly, its not like you can wear a Men's Warehouse Suit off the rack unless you want to be belittled by your teammates. I'm not trying to say that you should feel sorry for these guys or anything or that millions of dollars isn't a lot of money but there are a lot of costs that are sort of hidden. That is not to mention an agents take. Haven't you noticed that fans will say that a guy has 100 million dollars because that is his contract? After income taxes, agent cuts, etc that figure is pretty misleading when you think about it. Just a few points to ponder

Remember, every player is given a pretty good stipent when they are on the road for food expenses and other travel stuff. Its like when a company sends you on the road (well at least thats what the company I work for does) where you get perdiem and in the case of major league players, IIRC its like 200 bucks a day (its a pretty good amount, I remember that).

[Steff]

Remember, every player is given a pretty good stipent when they are on the road for food expenses and other travel stuff.  Its like when a company sends you on the road (well at least thats what the company I work for does) where you get perdiem and in the case of major league players, IIRC its like 200 bucks a day (its a pretty good amount, I remember that).

 

 

 

It was $200 a day back in 1999...

[southsider2k5]

Are you serious...??? They have to file 15 (or so) different returns..?? That can't be...

 

Unless the state they live in has a reciprocal agreement with where they work (ie play the games) they have a to file a return for each state. I have to file returns in Indiana and Illinois because they don't have reciprocity. Believe me, it sucks. I am sure most of them have accountants that worry about that crap though.