December 16, 2004
Renteria: Respected and Valued
By Brian Walton
Edgar Renteria’s own words are what he "most wanted was respect and to be valued as a player" (Boston Globe). After clearly thinking that they had met those requirements, the Cardinals ended up “surprised and disappointed” (Joe Strauss, Post-Dispatch) when Edgar made his decision to sign with Boston.
In Edgar’s view, the Cardinals apparently fell short on both counts; respect and value.
Respect. It may seem like an intangible to some, but is especially important in the Latin American cultures. Respect was something that Edgar stated he received more of from Boston than the Cardinals. Some cynics might argue that respect is the same as value is the same as money, but there is more to it than that.
Without knowing exactly what was said to whom when, I want to believe Walt Jocketty’s assertion that maximum respect was shown by the Cardinals. To that end, Jocketty “seemed befuddled” by Renteria’s comments (Bernie Miklasz, P-D). There are some good examples to support Walt’s reaction.
Think of La Russa's repeated designation of Edgar as "The
Captain". One might surmise that La Russa had selected this time to publicly reemphasize the value of Edgar"s quiet, not generally-known leadership. That is clearly respect.
The fact that La Russa by nature is more hands-on than many managers in personnel issues also helped respect Edgar. Fluent in Spanish, La Russa personally spoke with Edgar multiple times throughout the process, according to the P-D.
However, that must not have been good enough. Again, Renteria to The Globe, "I know the St. Louis team and fans wanted me to stay, but [management] didn't try hard to keep me -- that's what I felt in the negotiations."
Sadly, respect for Edgar in Boston may be a hit and miss proposition. As even the Boston press acknowledges, the hypercritical nature of Red Sox Nation may prove to be difficult at times for Renteria to handle. But, of course, that would be in the future.
All the right things will be said by all the right people on Friday, when the signing press conference is expected. Time will tell.
Now, let’s shift to the other factor, value.
Value. The by-year terms of Boston’s offer of $40 million for four years, plus an option for the fifth year, have not yet been released. However, The Globe says the Sox’ winning bid contains “mostly upfront money”. The P-D clearly stated that the Red Sox deal has no deferred cash. In addition, the Sox deal also has that option year, which the Cards bid apparently did not.
We can surmise that the fifth year is a team option. If it were a player option, that amount would be guaranteed to the player and therefore, added into the base of the contract. In that less likely case, say the base contract is four years, $38 million, with a $2 million player option for 2009. That is how one could get to 4/40. Again, I use that as an illustration only. Signs point to a team option for year five that is not included in the $40 million, raising its perceived, if not real, value even further.
Further ahead of what? The P-D reports the Cards raised their offer to $36 million on Monday. Deferred money and interest “could have brought the package up to $39 million.” Could have.
Despite Miklasz’ contention that the Cardinals “virtually matched” the Red Sox’ offer, I don’t see it that way. One deal sure looks more appealing than the other. Clearly, Renteria thought so too, or he would still be a Cardinal.
Outside factors. Numerous Boston sources made a direct connection between the agreement between Pedro Martinez and the New York Mets on Monday and the additional money the Red Sox added to close the Renteria deal on Tuesday. An indirect connection has been made suggesting a strong desire by the Sox to strike quickly after the bad news of them losing Pedro came to light. Now that shoe is squarely on the Cardinals’ foot.
Perspective. Overall, contract escalation across MLB and specifically, the size of this deal seems high to a mid-market team like the Cardinals. However, it has a lot to do with one’s perspective. It is worth remembering that former Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra turned down a four-year, $60 million extension last off-season. The Red Sox, with a payroll that looks to be 50% higher than the Cardinals ($130 million range versus $85 million range) would do what St. Louis could not. The market simply priced Edgar out of the Cardinals willingness to pay.
La Russa confirmed that to the P-D. "I think we went beyond reasonable for us…There is a figure that doesn't make sense for us. That money can only go so far. If another club wants a guy for more than what you think the market is for him, then they've got him. I thought $8 million was at the top of where we needed to be. That's what he indicated he wanted to stay. And that still wasn't enough."
The Cardinals thought they were where they “needed to be”, but as the Globe put it, Boston “trumped” them during the final hours.
Still, the Cards are far from nowhere. They will respect and value others, too, as they fill out the 2005 team.
