By Landestoy
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
As much foundation rattling as Kevin Brown’s brand spankin’ new contract did Saturday, Roger Clemens and his agents figure to completely annihilate the damage done. Somehow, through a strange handshake deal made two years ago, Clemens has entered baseball’s free agency spending spree despite entering the third year of a four-year contract. How, and more importantly, why, could very well send reverberations throughout the baseball world that could be felt for some time. If only the rest of baseball had the integrity Gerry Hunsicker seems to possess, who turned a deaf ear to Clemens’ demands and stood up to his strong-arming tactics. However we arrived at this bizarre conclusion to the Astros’ race to land the Rocket (a race, by the way, that has seen more hand wringing than any NASA mission), Hunsicker is right in his refusal to ante up to Clemens and crumble at the Houston-product’s demands. But as Brown’s new Dodger salary suggests, someone, somewhere, will be willing to listen to Clemens and most likely hang the moon to get him.
As a free agent in 1996, Clemens signed baseball’s largest contract, a three year deal worth $21 million, plus an option. A mere two years later, sadly, that deal is now considered, in the ever changing world of baseball economics, a bargain, especially considering in those two years, Clemens won 41 games, two pitching Triple Crowns and two Cy Young awards. But more precedent-setting than the dollar amount was a handshake deal Clemens made with then Blue Jay president Paul Beeston, which may or may not be structured into his contract, that allowed Clemens to request a trade if he felt the Jays weren’t competing for a world championship. Ignoring the ambiguity and complications of such an agreement (that’s another rant for another time), Blue Jay GM Gord Ash decided to honor the agreement and once Clemens did indeed exercise his right, Ash opened the trade talks.
Of course not included in Ash’s already enormous asking price was a contract extension for Clemens. On Sunday, we found out just what Clemens wanted money-wise and suddenly, almost in an instant, the entire dynamics of the prolonged negotiations between Rocket and his beloved hometown Astros changed immensely. As Hunsicker so eloquently stated, Houston was now in a position of having to trade for a free agent.
And the ramifications of Clemens’ actions these past two years are already being felt. Mariner shortstop Alex Rodriquez, a free agent in 2000, recently turned down a contract extension, wanting instead to wait and see if the Mariners field a winner before committing to the franchise. Uh-oh. Should players actually have that kind of power? With a virtual All-Star team available for free agency in 2000, will players strong-arm owners into staying competitive or else? Has the effect of Clemens’ handshake deal already been felt in the deals signed this winter? Scarier is the power Clemens wields. He controls the destiny of two franchises held hostage by his greed. One, of course, is Toronto, who must wait out Clemens’ ridiculous contract demands, the other is whatever team sucks it up at the table and agrees to pony up the money for the Rocket’s every fifth day service. Not only will it cost established vets or bright prospects (or both); it’ll also handcuff said team financially for years to come. Clemens, in his arrogance, wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to play for a contender that will have to rape itself to acquire him. How much longer can the Astros stay a contender if they have to shell out $25 million to Roger Clemens in the year 2000, when Craig Biggio, among others, is slated to be a free agent?
I’ve always been leery of Roger Clemens. I’ve never disputed his on field talent, nor his enormous potential worth to the Houston Astros. But I can’t shake thinking back to 1996, when as a free agent, he offered much of the same rhetoric he’s spewed forth this winter — I want to be close to home, money’s not important, blah, blah, blah… Of course, he spurned the Rangers’ offer for the more lucrative one in Toronto (a great pitcher yes, a geography scholar no, — Hey, Roger, Toronto’s a bit more than a stone’s throw from Texas). Now, despite wanting to return to the Lone Star State, it seems money is once again at the core of his thought process. Even sadder than Clemens’ greed is that some sad-sack owner will indeed bow down to Roger and open the vault to him, despite how much it may cripple his franchise. I shudder at the thought of how destructive this ultimately will be to the game of baseball, and here’s hoping whatever team does indeed land Clemens takes a nasty, horrible fall to the nearest cellar. It would serve all involved right. No player should be above the franchise that employs him. Clemens has cheated the Toronto fans, he’s quit on his teammates and he’s forced Toronto, a good, young team, to make due without his incredible services, all but canceling their chances of fielding a competitive team in 1999. How can franchises exist and prosper when they are held at the whims of one player? A player who puts his own personal needs ahead of the team’s? One wonders just how strong Clemens’ desire to win a World Series really is — would he in fact stay in Toronto if they offered him the extension he seeks?
Clemens is still baseball’s best pitcher. Apparently, that’s not enough, he must also be it’s richest. In his wake, he’ll leave fans, teammates, franchises and any normalcy left in the game of baseball floating to find stability.