So, Frenchy went on vacation and played golf with D-Lee. Nice! However, he came back and asked for, IMO, too much money for 2009:
Francoeur made $460,000 and set career-lows in average (.239), home runs (11) and slugging percentage (.359). The Braves offered Francoeur a $2.8 million salary for 2009; he asked for $3.95 million.$460,000 x 5 = $2.3 million. So the Braves were offering him more than 6 times his 2008 salary, even though he set career lows in several important categories. I think their offer was reasonable; he thinks he deserves more. I love Frenchy, but I still think he needs to step it up a little. He has been working on his swing, though.
A fivefold or greater increase is typical for a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
I hope he has a banner year in '09. I really do.
5 comments:
I don't think Francoeur actually expects to get $3.95 million...it is simply a starting off point for negotiations- I bet they will settle on something around $3 million before this thing goes to the arbitration hearing
You're probably right. We'll see what happens. :)
That's more than Mac will make this year ($3.5 million) and Jeff definitely doesn't deserve that at all.
Leah-
That's true but Mac took the security of a long term deal over risking arbitration- you always give up some money doing that...if Mac had not signed when he did I bet he would be asking for something in the $5 million range
Arbitration has little to do with what a player deserves...it is basically an approximation of what a player of similar experience would be able to make on the open market...Francoeur has 2 good seasons (100 RBI, gold glove, good power) and one poor one- and is only 25-it is reasonable that a player like him would be able to make $3 million as a free agent (someone like Mac would obviously be worth significantly more)
Ugh. I got mad at him for the way he acted last year all over again.
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