He cannot ever throw a baseball at Major League level again, but is there more to the decision making process than that?
I think he should retire.
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Has the throwing issue been proven yet? I wasn't sure. I would like to think the owner would handle it nobily, but thats not realistic. Maybe a renegotiation at a few mil to keep him as a pinch hitter. He's done a lot for them and the city love's the guy. But its all still just business.
Don't know if he can swing the bat either? He looked bad in the World Series. Some players just don't know when to end their careers. It is time to move on. If I was the owner, I would simply tell him he is done playing with the Astros, and offer him a "front office" job. Give him an awesome retirement ceremony, and if he didn't accept that, then cut your loses, and end it. You as the owner have to be concerned with the good of the team. No one player is above the team, and although he has been an outstanding player for many many years in the organization, enough is enough. Let it go. I truly think deep down Bagpipes knows he can't play at the level he is used to playing at. Just my opinion.
From what I have read, there is more to this than what you can see on the baseball field. From a business standpoint, there is a disability insurance policy involved and through that the Astros could be reimbursed most all of salary due Bagwell if he is unable to play. Not sure his current contract status, but if he doesn't quit or retire, his contract is guaranteed. If he is disabled, the contract is guaranteed but the team gets most of the money back. Those money issues are probably at least as important at this point as what is happening on the field.
Infielddad sounds correct. Albert Belle retired 4 or 5 years after his last at bat after his hip went bad and after he cashed alot of big checks, sometimes referred to as "dead money". Lots of dead money in the NBA, (see Grant Hill)
http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/belleal01.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/belleal01.shtml
Albert Belle was/is a human piece of garbage. Bagwell is one of the most, if not THE most beloved player ever to play for the Astro's.
Give him his opportunity to try to play.
Give him his opportunity to try to play.
This whole thing is about $$$$$$$ and an insurance policy on Bags. If he is declared unable to play (which the team doc has said) the 'Stros collect about 17 million from an insurance policy and Bags gets his 19 million guaranteed contract paid. If he can play at all, no insurance and they gotta pay him the 19 million.
Be interesting if Astro management has 17 million dollars of love for jeff.........
Be interesting if Astro management has 17 million dollars of love for jeff.........
It's actually 17 mil to Bags, and around 15.6 mil to the Astros from insurance.
Bags is scheduled to make about 17M this year.
Bags is scheduled to make about 17M this year.
Give him an Escalade - the net $2M - and a Bagwell Day at the stadium with a banner in centerfield.
That is that.
A No-Brainer.
End of deal. He is done. IMO.
That is that.
A No-Brainer.
End of deal. He is done. IMO.
I thought I read something a few years back that Bagwell and Bigio both took a pay cut in their salaries so that the Astros could take that money and get some better players or better pitching or something to make a run for the playoffs [which they did]. Anyone remember anything like that?
Anyway, if that did happen and if the Astros force Bagwell to limp off into the sunset because he is certified by the Astros physician that he cannot play baseball anymore so that the Astros can collect on their insurance policy and Bagwell can collect one last paycheck from Major League Baseball when what he really wants to do is try and play another year or two because he thinks [rightly or wrongly] that he still has a couple of good years left to play the game he has played and loved since he was a child as suggested by several in this forum, i wonder what will happen the next time the Astos [or any other ML Team] asks one of their star players in their prime to take a pay cut so the team can use the money to get into the playoffs? Probably just rank speculation on my part but I would tell them to stuff it. I would, of course, be criticized by the baseball media for being such a greedy prima donna, only thinking of myself and the fans would boo me. Loyalty is not what it used to be, I guess.
Ted Williams, after a bad year [for TSW anyway] in the late 50's, went to the Red Sox Owner Tom Yawkey [a West Virginian by the way] and renegotiated his contract downward not at the request of Mr. Yawkey but at the request of Mr. Williams. The next year Ted had a great year and at Mr. Yawkey's request Ted's contract was renegotiated back upwards.
Yes, its all a business these days and the MLB owners need to cut their lossess with a washed up has been like Bagwell if they want to watch that bottom line. But Tom Yawkey died a richer man than the Astros ownership ever will if they do that. Only my opinion, of course.
Anyway, if that did happen and if the Astros force Bagwell to limp off into the sunset because he is certified by the Astros physician that he cannot play baseball anymore so that the Astros can collect on their insurance policy and Bagwell can collect one last paycheck from Major League Baseball when what he really wants to do is try and play another year or two because he thinks [rightly or wrongly] that he still has a couple of good years left to play the game he has played and loved since he was a child as suggested by several in this forum, i wonder what will happen the next time the Astos [or any other ML Team] asks one of their star players in their prime to take a pay cut so the team can use the money to get into the playoffs? Probably just rank speculation on my part but I would tell them to stuff it. I would, of course, be criticized by the baseball media for being such a greedy prima donna, only thinking of myself and the fans would boo me. Loyalty is not what it used to be, I guess.
Ted Williams, after a bad year [for TSW anyway] in the late 50's, went to the Red Sox Owner Tom Yawkey [a West Virginian by the way] and renegotiated his contract downward not at the request of Mr. Yawkey but at the request of Mr. Williams. The next year Ted had a great year and at Mr. Yawkey's request Ted's contract was renegotiated back upwards.
Yes, its all a business these days and the MLB owners need to cut their lossess with a washed up has been like Bagwell if they want to watch that bottom line. But Tom Yawkey died a richer man than the Astros ownership ever will if they do that. Only my opinion, of course.