Another Spending Spree for Baseball

Many of us can only imagine what we would do with a million dollars, so the thought of turning down a staggering $25 million offer for one year's worth of work is incomprehensible. Only in the circus of baseball's cap-free market can a team do better than $25 million per season. With large markets snatching up any free talent simply because they have the money to spend, baseball's off season often has the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.

Right-handed slugger Manny Ramirez turned down the Dodgers' one year, $25 million offer earlier this week. For a single season, the offer would have made Ramirez the second-highest paid player in league history.

To help put the absurdity of this offer into perspective, take a look at your local nine. The Minnesota Twins entire payroll comes out to around $62 million and their highest paid player in team history, Justin Morneau, made $8.4 million in 2008. Ramirez declined an offer that would have made him worth nearly half of your hometown team.

Three other teams (Pirates, A's, Rays) are not even worth twice as much as the Dodgers' offer, and had Ramirez taken the $25 million dollar offer, he could have paid the entire Florida Marlins team for their services in 2008 with $4 million to spare.

The Dodger's one-year deal was the third offer declined by Ramirez. Initially the Dodgers offered Ramirez a two year deal worth $45 million guaranteed. According to Ramirez's agent, a short term deal will not suffice. Ramirez is holding out for a long term deal similar to those given to C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira by the Yankees. Because Ramirez will turn 37 at the beginning of the upcoming season, the Dodgers are understandably wary of a long-term deal. Both Sabathia and Teixeira will begin the upcoming season at 28 years of age.

Rumors have began to surface that the Dodgers may choose to pursue other free agents such as Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson. Together, Dunn and Hudson could be signed for less than Ramirez alone. Dunn has hit 40 home runs in each of the last four seasons while Hudson hit .305 for the D-backs in 2008. Even without Ramirez the Dodgers, a large market team, have the capability to acquire offensive talent.

Without a salary cap, baseball's free agency period is prone to such outlandish deals as the Dodger's $25 million offer for one year of service from a single player, but no team opens the checkbook more often and more willingly than the New York Yankees. As mentioned before, the Yankees have signed two of the top free agents in Sabathia and Teixeira. Sabathia accepted a seven-year, $161 million dollar contract while Teixeira was signed to an eight-year, $180 million contract. Along with these two monster deals, the Yankees also landed pitcher A.J. Burnett with a five-year deal worth $82.5 million. Having added three more large contracts along with the three highest paid players in 2008 (Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter) it is no surprise the Yankees' payroll tops out over $200 million, the highest in baseball.

But does a high payroll translate into championships?

The answer, in most cases, is yes. Over the last ten seasons teams with top-ten payrolls have made the World Series 12 times. Also, seven of the last ten World Series have been won by teams with a top-ten payroll. It is easy to understand why teams such as the Yankees and Dodgers take advantage of their large markets and deep pockets when much of the time money translates into success. Because of this method of success, it is no wonder owners are willing to throw more and more money at players in today's cap-free baseball market.

Parity in baseball is difficult to come across when teams such as the Yankees have a seemingly endless supply of money to dole out to players each off season. You may argue that the Rays made the World Series last season and other small market teams such as the Marlins, D-Backs, and even Twins have won world championships of their own but it never takes long for the large market teams to swoop in a pick such teams clean of top tier talent. The Marlins lost Pudge, the D-Backs lost both World Series MVP pitchers Schilling and Johnson, and even without a World Series appearance, the Twins were unable to hold onto Cy Young winner Johan Santana.

This off season goes to show what large market teams like the Yankees and Dodgers are capable of when big talent is available, so be on the lookout Tampa Bay. Your recent success just may end in one of baseball's many money vultures swooping in and leaving you to rebuilt once again.