The $127 Million Dollar Man

The $127 Million Dollar Man

You could buy a 25,000 square foot mansion, your own private island, Trump's Boeing 747, the Castle of Dracula, a masterpiece by Vincent van Gogh, an entire Premier League Football team, or... starting pitcher Patrick Fischer.

The news broke earlier that the star had reached a record crushing agreement with the Tucson Outlaws. The terms of the deal are rather shocking. Fischer will earn himself a whopping $127.8 million over the next 5 years. The market went berserk in the first real off-season WHEBO has seen since it's inception just over one year ago. Teams were thirsty for pitching and it really showed. Prices were driven by supply and demand and went far beyond what the experts had predicted.

Fischer was solid for a very competitive team last year with the Cienfuegos Elephants while maintaining a 3.43 ERA and notching 12 wins. He brings a high level of work ethic and a very intelligent mind. He is well liked among fans and teammates. He should step in and contribute heavily both on and off the field for his new team in the desert. And, he will absolutely be expected to do so and also quickly crucified if he fails. In a league where the average team budget is around 50-70 million per year, Fischer will be earning the lion share and setting new standards for contract negotiations around the still developing league. In his first season under the new deal, Fischer will earn $31 million! You read that right, $31 million! It is quite possible that a bottom feeder team doesn't even eclipse that figure while fielding an entire roster! GMs around the league were seen scrambling after the news broke to slide an offer in to their expiring stars before the wind caught drift.

To the Outlaws credit, they absolutely have the money and budget room to make a splash like this! Even with the gargantuan $31 mil contract on the payroll, Tucson still only sits at $46.2 million in expected payroll for the season. With a budget that's expected to rise to $56 million by 2023, I think they are safe in trying to make this work. Now I'm not saying that I condone this type of behavior, but I am certainly tuned in to find out how this plays out for the 74 win team that finished 36 games behind the Goliath that won the division. 110 win Salt Lake City is pretty much rolling out the same scary team and will be tough to contend with again.

I am definitely subscribed to what Tucson is cooking in the desert!