Just before Opening Day, baseball’s richest owner (Steve Cohen) agreed to extend Francisco Lindor’s contract 10 years, for $341 million dollars, meaning the Mets will pay their shortstop $362.3 million over the next 11 seasons.
Okay, travel back with me a decade ago to MLB’s First-Year Player Draft in 2011.
- Gerrit Cole—Pirates
- Danny Hultzen—Mariners
- Trevor Bauer—DBacks
- Dylan Bundy—Orioles
- Bubba Starling—Royals
- Anthony Rendon—Nationals
- Archie Bradley—DBacks
- Francisco Lindor—Cleveland
Notice anything about how this turned out? The seven franchises that made these selections are Pittsburgh, Seattle, Arizona, Baltimore, K.C., Washington, and Cleveland.
But three of those top eight selections are now playing in Southern California (Bauer, Rendon, Bundy). And two of those top picks are playing in New York (Cole, Lindor). There aren’t a lot of choices for the very top of the Mountain Contracts. If Bauer wasn’t pitching for Los Angeles; odds are he would be on the Mets.
Gerrit Cole is starting on Opening Day for the Yankees. He’s playing on a 9-year, $324 million dollar contract.
Read the full article on Ellliot’s substack page
