Content provided in partnership with

This time, Clemens was on the business end of a high hard one

Sporting News, The, Dec 23, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

To the casual observer, the Astros may appear foolish for declining to offer Roger Clemens arbitration and losing the chance to re-sign him before May 1.

They weren't.

The Astros got burned by Clemens when they offered him arbitration last year. They didn't want to go through the same expensive, protracted scenario again.

Clemens asked for $22 million in arbitration last offseason. The two sides settled for $18 million. This time, Clemens wanted the Astros to make a similar commitment without even giving them the assurance he would play.

The nerve of those Astros, deciding they needed to assemble a team rather than be subjected to the whims of a 43-year-old pitcher--albeit the greatest pitcher of this generation.

Most Popular Articles in Sports: The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ...; The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ...; Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ...; Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association; The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking; More »

Never mind the inherent tension of the financial give-and-take; this story still could have a happy ending if Clemens re-signs with the Astros on May 1. Come to think of it, a breather for Clemens after the World Baseball Classic in March sounds downright sensible, considering he no longer can be relied upon to remain sound physically for an entire season.

The problem is, you don't hear Clemens saying he only will pitch for the Astros. His silence creates an opening for the Yankees, Rangers or Red Sox--or some other panting suitor. And that uncertainty isn't fair to the hometown fans in Houston, who support his every move.

Clemens already has given plenty, both to the city and to the team. But this entire impasse easily could have been avoided.

The most obvious solution was for Clemens and the Astros to reach ah agreement on a salary figure for 2006 before the December 7 deadline for teams to offer arbitration to their free agents. If such a deal had been struck, Clemens still could have retired at a later date and relinquished the contract.

The two sides also could have cut a deal in which the Astros would have offered Clemens arbitration under the condition that he would decline, extending their negotiating window through January 8.

Nothing of either sort took place.

Clemens' public posture is that he is not ready to make a commitment to return next season, but there is an underlying strain in the relationship between the pitcher, his agents and Astros owner Drayton McLane.

Before making his decision, Clemens evidently wanted McLane to demonstrate his commitment to improving the team; Clemens might have won the Cy Young Award last season if the Astros hadn't given him the sixth-worst run support in the majors among starting pitchers. And his suspicions about the notoriously thrifty McLane are not unreasonable; let's see if the Astros spend all of the money they saved by declining to pay Clemens.

McLane, though, is in a bind, having already committed about $65 million to five players in 2006. That's not Clemens' problem. But it is a problem that influences how McLane approaches Clemens and the rest of the Astros' offseason.

It is unrealistic for Clemens to expect McLane to raise the Astros' payroll beyond, say, $100 million. It also is not Clemens' place--important as he is to the team and to the community--to pressure McLane into such a decision.

As an owner, McLane is an easy target. But this time, Clemens shouldn't be exempt from criticism. He played his own form of hardball, and he shouldn't have been surprised when the Astros responded in kind.

Ken Rosenthal is FOXSports.com senior baseball writer His Insider column is special to the Sporting News.

Speed reads

Best unsung trade of the winter meetings: The White Sox's acquiring super-utilityman man Rob Mackowiak from the Pirates for lefthanded reliever Damaso Marte. Mackowiak, a blue-collar sort, is a perfect fit for the White Sox and Marte adds to the Pirates' bullpen depth from the left side, creating the possibility for future deals.

Oddest move of the meetings: The Nationals' acquiring second baseman Alfonso Soriano to play left field. For years, Soriano has resisted moving to the outfield, yet the Nats want him to do it in his free-agent year as he moves from an extreme hitters park in Texas to an extreme pitchers park in D.C. Why not just ask him to take a paycut, too?

Only Braves general manager John Schuerholz could land shortstop Edgar Renteria at a reduced price of $6 million per season and give up only third-base prospect Andy Marte. Here's betting that Renteria revives under Bobby Cox's protective cocoon.

A warning to Blue Jays fans celebrating the excessively lavish signings of closer B.J. Ryan and A.J. Burnett: Remember how it turned out for the Rockies with Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle?

INSIDE DISH

This time, Clemens was on the business end of a high hard one

Sporting News, The, Dec 23, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Autos

Most Popular Articles in Sports

Most Popular Publications in Sports