There was an interesting post today by Adam Rubin, where he writes that free-agent reliever David Aardsma shared his displeasure with players that cheat the game, come back from suspension, and are rewarded with huge contracts.
He doesn’t name any player by name, but most recently Jhonny Peralta signed with the Cardinals for 4 years, $52 million contract, so anyone can assume that maybe he is referring to that contract.
But I have to agree with Aardsma, and I was shocked to see Peralta not only land such a big contract, but even have that as one of his demands. I wasn’t aware that any player that is suspended for taking PEDs is entitled to ask for so much money. I would think that he would do whatever it takes and grab a contract that will help to re-brand his name in a better light. But I guess it doesn’t really matter what a player does, because the teams are still going to pay for their services.
I guess the thinking is, he paid the price for what he did by serving the 50-game ban and now he is free of any further punishment. And I do applaud the Mets for stepping away and not pursuing him and agreeing to pay him anywhere near what he wanted. Peralta is a good ball player that made a bad judgment but I still do not agree with the fact that he is rewarded such a huge contract. It just doesn’t send the right message. But in baseball it’s really about the business side which in this day and age is what wins games.
The follow tweets by Aardsma say it all:
I had 2 major surgeries in 5 months and made it back clean, nothing pisses me off more than guys that cheat and get raises for doing so
— David Aardsma (@TheDA53) November 24, 2013
@TheDA53 I agree and applaud you. But who has the power in the MLB Players Union, the suits or the players? Do something about it.
— Metsmerized – Joe D (@MetsmerizedJoeD) November 25, 2013
