Gammons on Samardzija

[NorthsideAvenger]

He does only get the bonus if he plays baseball full time however.

 

Baseball America reported the Cubs plan to give their fifth-round draft pick a $7.25 million bonus if he winds up making baseball his primary sport over football.

 

I understand that. And a part of me, really hopes that Sammy struggles in his senior yr that drops him from the 1st rd to say...the 3rd/4th rd.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Second: Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the president of baseball can't personally get himself involved with a MLB franchise. I know he has done it before (ARod trade, and the Expos/Nats situation), but to me...Selig had NO RIGHT to interfered in the middle of a transaction. Once again, Selig has proven himself to be the biggest dummy in sports.

 

The MLB draft rules are really bizarre. A gentlemen's agreement exists among all of the teams. While there is no slotting system for picks in terms of salaries, there are still recommended contract amounts for each pick/round. If a team's offer goes over one of those amounts, MLB can send a sternly-worded letter to that team asking them to rescind the offer, which teams can follow or blow off altogether.

 

Nonetheless, Selig has NO authority to stick his nose in the day to day business of any franchise in MLB. Especially if said franchise are going by written bylaws of the game. These "handshake agreements" does not---at least to me---open the door for Selig to be able to step in an act as an owner (regardless of the fact he used to be an owner, himself) and help with the negotiations. Unless the Cubs are breaking a LEGITIMATE rule, then Selig needs to bit his tongue. If the Cubs want to give Sammy $7.25 mill signing bonus that is THEIR business, not Selig. Besides HOW MANY 5th rders are going to demand that kind of bonus, anyways? Sammy is a special case, an exception to the rule.

[Backtobanks]

Second: Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the president of baseball can't personally get himself involved with a MLB franchise. I know he has done it before (ARod trade, and the Expos/Nats situation), but to me...Selig had NO RIGHT to interfered in the middle of a transaction. Once again, Selig has proven himself to be the biggest dummy in sports.

 

The MLB draft rules are really bizarre. A gentlemen's agreement exists among all of the teams. While there is no slotting system for picks in terms of salaries, there are still recommended contract amounts for each pick/round. If a team's offer goes over one of those amounts, MLB can send a sternly-worded letter to that team asking them to rescind the offer, which teams can follow or blow off altogether.

 

That's not quite accurate since the commissioner can invoke the "best interest of baseball" clause basically whenever he wants. Remember when Charley Finley wanted to sell off his best players on Oakland and the commissioner wouldn't let him.

 

Nonetheless, Selig has NO authority to stick his nose in the day to day business of any franchise in MLB. Especially if said franchise are going by written bylaws of the game. These "handshake agreements" does not---at least to me---open the door for Selig to be able to step in an act as an owner (regardless of the fact he used to be an owner, himself) and help with the negotiations. Unless the Cubs are breaking a LEGITIMATE rule, then Selig needs to bit his tongue. If the Cubs want to give Sammy $7.25 mill signing bonus that is THEIR business, not Selig. Besides HOW MANY 5th rders are going to demand that kind of bonus, anyways? Sammy is a special case, an exception to the rule.

[NCCubFan]

Besides HOW MANY 5th rders are going to demand that kind of bonus, anyways? Sammy is a special case, an exception to the rule.

Exactly, and in the past baseball has looked the other way in certain circumstances (usually similar to Sammy's, where a player has first-round talent but drops due to signability or similar issues). And as you imply, even if there were no special circumstances the guidelines are recommendations, not enforceable rules. Therefore $elig could get as angry as he wants to, but he can't penalize the Cubs in any way because they're not breaking any rules. If baseball wants enforceable rules about maximum bonuses, that would have to be negotiated with the union as part of the CBA.

 

Interesting that we can now talk about "Sammy" and be referring to somebody other than Sosa. How times have changed. :D

[1908]

Other highlights from the Baseball America article.

 

While the Cubs were still hashing out the details of the contract with Major League Baseball, Samardzija would receive $7.25 million if he makes baseball his primary sport. The Cubs have five years to pay Samardzija's bonus under baseball's rules regarding two-sport players. The deal is backloaded, with Samardzija receiving less than $1 million in the first year of the deal, according to sources with knowledge of the contract.

In an interview right after the draft, Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken indicated the Cubs and Orioles both saw Samardzija at his best in an outing during the Big East Conference tournament. Wilken said Samardzija repeatedly pumped his fastball into the 97-99 mph range, up significantly from the regular season, when he sat in the 91-94 mph range. Samardzija showed a much better slider in that outing, using a higher arm slot to stay on top of the pitch better.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Heh, I just posted that in the JAD forum, didn't see you had done the same here.

 

I like his quotes about how much he likes baseball. Thought it was interesting the Cubs have created friction between him and Selig.

[goonys evil twin]

If the Cubs want to give Sammy $7.25 mill signing bonus that is THEIR business, not Selig. Besides HOW MANY 5th rders are going to demand that kind of bonus, anyways? Sammy is a special case, an exception to the rule.

 

It's not the 5th rounders they are worried about. It's the 1st rounders who see that a guy got $7+m signing bonus just for making the sport his full-time job.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm no lawyer, but if you were the players' union, wouldn't you be jumping all over this attempt at forced collusion?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm no lawyer, but if you were the players' union, wouldn't you be jumping all over this attempt at forced collusion?

 

The PA has no say over the signing of draft picks because the draft picks are not part of the MLBPA. Minor leaguers are not covered under the collective bargaining agreement as draft picks are in the other sports.

[ThePenguin11]

Can we have a moratorium on nicknaming Samardjiza 'Sammy'? It was never his nickname at ND as far as I know and I think there are plenty of reasons why we don't have to have another Sammy on this team. Sorry if I get bent about this kind of thing but every time a player joins the Cubs there has to be a nickname waiting for him and Sammy is the worst possible one for a new Cub. My opinion. I'd rather you called him Hundley or LaTroy. His name isn't even pronounced that way. SUH-MAR-JUH. If anything can we call him Summy? Otherwise lets let him play a game in the Cubs system before we dub him with a Dusty-esque nickname.

 

/rant

[Guest]

On the whole, I like that the Cubs made an aggressive move in the fifth round to make up for the lack of draft picks above that.

 

However, my concern is this scenario: Samardzija plays football this year, has an injury serious enough to put both careers in jeapordy and decides to concentrate on baseball purely because he can still get the entire 7+ M contract that way.

[Neuby]

On the whole, I like that the Cubs made an aggressive move in the fifth round to make up for the lack of draft picks above that.

 

However, my concern is this scenario: Samardzija plays football this year, has an injury serious enough to put both careers in jeapordy and decides to concentrate on baseball purely because he can still get the entire 7+ M contract that way.

It's sad but as Cubs fans we have to think like that.

[Andy]

Can we have a moratorium on nicknaming Samardjiza 'Sammy'? It was never his nickname at ND as far as I know and I think there are plenty of reasons why we don't have to have another Sammy on this team. Sorry if I get bent about this kind of thing but every time a player joins the Cubs there has to be a nickname waiting for him and Sammy is the worst possible one for a new Cub. My opinion. I'd rather you called him Hundley or LaTroy. His name isn't even pronounced that way. SUH-MAR-JUH. If anything can we call him Summy? Otherwise lets let him play a game in the Cubs system before we dub him with a Dusty-esque nickname.

 

/rant

His nickname at ND is Shark, that's probably what I'll end up calling him.

[1908]

On the whole, I like that the Cubs made an aggressive move in the fifth round to make up for the lack of draft picks above that.

 

However, my concern is this scenario: Samardzija plays football this year, has an injury serious enough to put both careers in jeapordy and decides to concentrate on baseball purely because he can still get the entire 7+ M contract that way.

Professional sports contracts often have risky-behavior injury clauses in them. Maybe a severe football injury is addressed like that.

[Neuby]

Todays Paper Bruce Miles mentions that the Cubs have a deal done with Sammy only in principle and that they deny any problems with Bud Selig and the 7.25 million report.

[treebird]

On the whole, I like that the Cubs made an aggressive move in the fifth round to make up for the lack of draft picks above that.

 

However, my concern is this scenario: Samardzija plays football this year, has an injury serious enough to put both careers in jeapordy and decides to concentrate on baseball purely because he can still get the entire 7+ M contract that way.

 

I still don't understand why we couldn't have made a legit first round pick though.

[goonys evil twin]

On the whole, I like that the Cubs made an aggressive move in the fifth round to make up for the lack of draft picks above that.

 

However, my concern is this scenario: Samardzija plays football this year, has an injury serious enough to put both careers in jeapordy and decides to concentrate on baseball purely because he can still get the entire 7+ M contract that way.

 

I still don't understand why we couldn't have made a legit first round pick though.

 

Legit first round pick would have cost X, Cubs first round pick may cost X - Y.

[Guest]

On the whole, I like that the Cubs made an aggressive move in the fifth round to make up for the lack of draft picks above that.

 

However, my concern is this scenario: Samardzija plays football this year, has an injury serious enough to put both careers in jeapordy and decides to concentrate on baseball purely because he can still get the entire 7+ M contract that way.

 

I still don't understand why we couldn't have made a legit first round pick though.

From the people I've talked to, they think Colvin was a reach at #13, but that he is a legit first round guy based on his growth during the year. As Wilken himself pointed out, the press thought Rios was a reach where he was drafted, too, and that worked out okay.

 

I still would have taken Drabek, though.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Can we have a moratorium on nicknaming Samardjiza 'Sammy'? It was never his nickname at ND as far as I know and I think there are plenty of reasons why we don't have to have another Sammy on this team. Sorry if I get bent about this kind of thing but every time a player joins the Cubs there has to be a nickname waiting for him and Sammy is the worst possible one for a new Cub. My opinion. I'd rather you called him Hundley or LaTroy. His name isn't even pronounced that way. SUH-MAR-JUH. If anything can we call him Summy? Otherwise lets let him play a game in the Cubs system before we dub him with a Dusty-esque nickname.

 

/rant

 

Uh...no? :D

 

I don't know of any "nicknames" he Samardjiza had before the Cubs drafted him, so instead of posting his last name, I saw he had Sam, and thought it would be easy enough to remember. I didn't start calling Samardjiza, because it could catch, I call him that, to help me remember he had an alphabet type last name. I like calling him Sammy, and I will continue to call him Sammy, with sometimes calling him Shark. You don't like, handle your business, but I am going to continue to call him Sammy and/or Shark.

[mhuber92211]

Call him "Snarky"

[CaliforniaRaisin]

He's got the hat-tilted-to-the-side thing going.

 

http://boisehawks.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/515.jpeg.300.jpeg

[Outshined_One]

He's got the hat-tilted-to-the-side thing going.

 

http://boisehawks.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/515.jpeg.300.jpeg

 

Thankfully, his mullet has been chopped down to less-crazy levels.