Guthrie agrees to terms, takes pay cut
The Orioles completed the signing of their zero-to-three players, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with Jeremy Guthrie worth $650,000. Guthrie is taking a $120,000 paycut, because he signed a major league contract out of Stanford and his salary was well above the normal scale for his service time.
"He's so much higher paid than the normal service time and it's a function of his signing bonus,'' said O's president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.
Guthrie made $770,000 last year, so the cut is less than the 20 percent allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.. He'll still make much more than Nick Markakis did last year ($455,000) with basically the same service time.
"That's a signing bonus that just keeps on giving,'' MacPhail said.
Though the move makes sense economically and within the perameters of the labor agreement, it is likely to be viewed publicly as a slight to Guthrie, who entered spring training as the only established pitcher in a rotation with three slots undecided.
Comments
He'll get his $$$ eventually. Another strong year will make him more then deserving
Posted by: Dave | March 8, 2009 11:59 AM
I would actually like to commend JG for taking the pay cut. In these times where people are loosing theeir jobs at a rate rarely seen in history. Its nice to see a professional athlete agree to take a pay cut like so many folks have had to. So I would actually like to commend JG for taking the pay cut and still keeping his job.
Posted by: Mike in IN | March 8, 2009 12:29 PM
How long is he under our control, again? Through 2011?
Posted by: Carlos | March 8, 2009 1:22 PM
are you kidding me.... the one legitimate major league starter they have .... very classy move O's- definitely what any winning franchise would do - lol ..............Angelos you are the b a m a of the week
Posted by: Anonymous | March 8, 2009 1:31 PM
I don't quite see the logic in cutting the salary of your supposed ACE and then expect to get 110%. But this fits right in with the "winning" logic the O's have displayed for the past 12 years.
Why any young player would stay with the O's is beyond my imagination!
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Pete's reply: I can think of 66.1 mllion reasons why a young player would stay with the O's.
Posted by: GregA | March 8, 2009 3:14 PM
Sounds like something Flanagan would do... But I guess MacPhail is made out of the same mold. If the signing bonus was such a sure fired issue this year, how come it wasn't last year? Have him answer that question, and please.... no cupcake answers.
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Pete's reply: I will ask, but I think the salary last year included a pro-rated portion of the signing bonus, so there was no wiggle room for the team.
Posted by: A Fan with Visions of Grandeur | March 8, 2009 4:25 PM
I guess I'm another person that doesn't understand baseball's payment schedule. I agree with Anonymous. The only legitimate Major League starting pitcher on the roster and they don't even give him the same money as last year....It is a puzzlement. Pete, I know you have given the explanation, but I don't think it makes it right. He has just become our lowest paid starter.
Posted by: NORM | March 8, 2009 9:22 PM
Peter,
My assumption here, and maybe you can correct me if I am wrong, is that Guthrie is actually making more is base salary then he made last season - and we know he is making a lot more then the average player with the same amount of service time - and the the pay cut is simply a matter of the signing bonus he received from the Indians expiring.
IF I am right then people commenting here and taking the O's to task for this look very foolish.
If I'm wrong in my understanding of how this works then I apologize.
But clearly people commenting here do not understand how salaries for pre-arbitration players work in MLB.
Posted by: Tito Landrum | March 9, 2009 6:31 AM