He's Not "Werth" It!

At Baseball’s winter meetings there are always trades and big free agent signings. But perhaps the dumbest and most insane signing this winter was the Washington Nationals signing of outfielder Jayson Werth. After 4 years with the Philadelphia Phillies, Werth recently signed a 7-year, $126 million-dollar contract, which is $18 million/year. This is a 31 year-old player who had never made more than $5 million any year in his career. Now in 7 years will it have been “werth” paying $18 million to a 38 year-old outfielder who might be injured or may not even be in the lineup any longer. I just look at that and I don’t see the logic. How is a player who batted closer to the end of the lineup last year, a player who has never won a silver slugger, or a gold glove, and a player who’s only all star appearance was replacing someone “werth” that kind of cash. We know the effects on a micro-scale, which is the salary for the team, but what about the macro effects. How every free agent who now is going to want more money even though they are not so talented and not so “werth” that kind of “guap”?  The main thing I see is that the Nationals signed top pick Stephen Strasburg for $15.1 million over 4 years (a rookie record), and they just signed rookie and also top pick Bryce Harper to a 5 year $9.9 million dollar contract. So it looks like they are trying to get younger, but they sign a 31 year-old to a 7-year deal that makes no sense. Adding everything up, this signing may end up having a far-reaching negative impact on a sport that seems to continue to shoot itself in its ‘werthless’ foot.