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Getting yours is a matter of timing—and getting hitters out

Sporting News, The, Dec 23, 2005 by Todd Jones

Every offseason brings uncertainty with the free-agent market. Are the owners going to play fair? Will it be a players market? This year, I think everyone can say yes to both of those questions, including me. I was fortunate enough to secure a two-year deal to return to Detroit, a place where I've had most of my success.

Thank goodness there were choices for once. There never had been before, and to be honest, I wasn't prepared for what has been happening on the market, even on my scale.

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I was part of a domino effect on relievers. I knew that once Billy Wagner and B.J. Ryan signed, the rest of us would fall in line, and that pretty much is what happened. Once Wagner went to the Mets, Flash Gordon signed with the Phillies. Kyle Farnsworth watched Bob Howry sign with the Cubs, and Farnsworth headed to the Yankees. Once Farnsworth was off the board, the Tigers turned their attention to me. Trevor Hoffman chose to return to the Padres instead of going to Cleveland-and hours later, Bob Wickman re-signed with the Indians.

You do have to play your cards right. Sign too early and you may not get what you could have. Wait too long, the music might stop and you don't have a chair. That's where agents (mine are Alan and Randy Hendricks) come into play. They have to know when it's time to get serious about making a decision.

I'm not a big fan of the business side of the game, but you have to educate yourself so if one day you find yourself in a position to choose, you know how things work. I've learned that if you have leverage, you can have some say in where you go and how much you make. I had a good season in 2005, so a number of teams were bidding for my services. If you don't have leverage, you take what is given. I had to accept a minor league contract and a spring training invite from the Devil Rays in 2004.

But, really, it's pretty simple: If you get hitters out, you can continue; if you don't, you won't. I'm fortunate to keep going a while longer.

Todd Jones is now a reliever for the Tigers. E-mail him at tjones@sportingnews.com.

Getting yours is a matter of timing—and getting hitters out

Sporting News, The, Dec 23, 2005 by Todd Jones

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