I'm not suggesting Hughes could do as good a job (that would be crazy talk), nor do I think that Clemens (or anyone) will go 15-0 (with that bullpen?). So what they're really considering is the net gain with Clemens, i.e. Clemens goes 10-5; Hughes (or any Joe Bloggs pitcher) goes 5-10 with that lineup. So now it's five games to the good and $3 mil a net win.
It's the obscenity of the money that causes a lot of the controversy. Wouldn't it be amazing if somebody being paid that kind of money, already set for generations (which pretty much means the Yankees or BoSox), would demand a really creative contract ---- a couple of mil plus something like free tickets for every schoolkid in a radius of 50 miles, a few youth baseball complexes where there are none, or maybe a reduction in ticket prices for the fans?
And, yes, every Dec. 24th I wait for a fat guy in a red suit.