No gold diggers here
PITTSBURGH — Pirates third baseman Freddy Sanchez won the NL batting championship last season with a .344 average, yet was paid less than one-half of 1 percent of Phillies infielder Chase Utley's new contract.
A case of cross-state checkbook envy, perhaps?
"I don't know how other people look at it but, to me, it was a great contract for a great player," Sanchez said Friday. "Good for him."
Perhaps bad for the Pirates' finances, though.
Utley's $85 million, seven-year contract was settled just before the Pirates started talking to Sanchez about a two-year contract. While Utley hits for more power — he had 32 homers to Sanchez's six — Sanchez is a better all-around hitter and his 85 RBI last season compare favorably to Utley's 102.
Sanchez and the Pirates could go to arbitration on a one-year contract, and the infielder would make either the $3.1 million he wants or the $2.15 million the Pirates are offering. He earned $342,000 last season.
Whether the Utley contract pushes the Pirates into agreement on a two-year contract remains to be seen.
"I can't really talk too much about it. I respect the organization too much and the process too much to say anything," Sanchez said. "We'll figure it out. Something will be done before spring training and that's all that matters."
A year ago, Pirates outfielder Jason Bay chose to sign an $18.25 million, four-year deal that covered his remaining arbitration-eligible seasons. He risked missing the salary escalation that has taken place this offseason, but guaranteed himself long-term financial security.
"I don't regret it at all," Bay said. "I got some security, and that was the tradeoff — you're going to give up a little to get a little. I knew that from the get-go, and that's part of the game."
Utley's big-dollar deal illustrates how the marketplace has changed in a short time. But if Bay hadn't agreed to the longer contract, he couldn't have played last season with the peace of mind that he was set financially should a bad injury occur.
"I applaud all the guys who go out and make that kind of money and, hopefully, someday, it will get back to me," Bay said. "It is nice to see as a player — it puts a smile on your face — but I'll deal with that when I get there."
