NEWARK, NJ – The late great middleweight Marvin Hagler once uttered the words, “It’s tough to get out of bed at 5am to do road work when you’ve been sleeping in silk pajamas.” What more is there to say to the likes of Mike Trout, Rafael Devers, Giancarlo Stanton, Juan Soto and the rest of the big shots who signed long-term deals and are failing to deliver.
In the case of Soto, this guy has turned into the total opposite player from a year ago. It seemed like he produced in every at bat when he wore Yankee pinstripes. After inking his 15-year, 700 million dollar deal, Soto has become a shell of the performer in his Met pinstripes.
Since winning his MVP award as a Miami Marlin, Stanton looks like he lost his eye of the tiger after getting his big deal. It wasn’t too long ago when Robinson Cano bolted the Bronx and signed a mega deal with Seattle. The once Hall of Fame-bound player turned into a scrub overnight and is now out of the league, while still getting paid.
Can’t the owners who approve these deals see what’s going on? The upcoming free agents bust it out and give you everything they got in their option year. Once they ink their big deal, the carrot in front of their eyes is gone. If the owners can’t figure this out, then the Yes Men, that they employ, need to bring their balls to the organizational meetings and convince their bosses to veto the deals. Unless the owner is treating this as a tax write-off, then the first billion dollar player isn’t too far from being a reality. Companies like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus will be selling out their silk pajamas.
