You know the original text as written by Robert Burns was “the best laid schemes” of mice and men, the poem intended to be an apology to a mouse from a farmer who was plowing his field one morning and accidentally upturned and destroyed the nest of a mouse.
And from what I heard about that recent negotiation to sign Neil Walker to a a reported three year extension, well as the final details began to get hammered out on Sunday – this after a very productive conversation with Walker’s agent on Saturday – the deal from Walker’s perspective sounded more like a scheme than a plan.
Of course from the Mets’ perspective the deal sounded like a dream come true if the details as I heard them were true. Not only were the Mets going to replace that $17.2 million dollar qualifying offer that no matter what their faces told you, internally their guts were churning with burning acid from the moment that Neil Walker said “I accept”. But they were saving money up front and adding annual value to the deal.
What this proposed deal did was apparently squash that $17.2 million dollar QO and was replacing it with a a two year deal worth $26 million with an option worth $14 million. I was not told if that was a team or player option but let’s assume it was a player option for a total of $40 million guaranteed. If by chance that option was a team option, well then call it highway robbery. I guess we may never know.
The problem for Walker was that all along they were under the impression they were talking about an extension which would kick in after the 2017 season. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t until late in the game that they learned that what the Mets were actually proposing was a “Repeal and Replace” and not an “Extension” in the traditional sense.
Negotiations… Meet Snag.
And just like that, pop goes the weasel…
(Photo: USA Today Sports)
