As the Valencia front office has been doling out extensions over the past month, one notable name has been absent from these signings. Right fielder Jose 'Toothbreaker' Vargas, his agent Vizzini and the Valencia GM have been in numerous talks but have yet come to an agreement.
Jose’s numbers over the past two years have been pretty impressive with in 2059 season being better than his 2060 season, but either version of Jose would be nice to have in the lineup. This past season Jose has batted .290 with a .364 on-base percentage (compared to .322/.376 in 2059) while supplying ample speed on the basepaths (50 steals compared to 44 in 2059). Combined with his above average glove in right-field it has netted him a WAR of 3.6 (versus 4.7 in 2059).
The talks at this point have Jose and Vizzini stuck on a 6 year contract at almost $11M per year and they have not waivered much on the amount or the number of years to this point. Also in the equation is the possible emergence of 25 year-old Altair Tableriou who hit .294 with 29 homers while with the AAA Mars Martian club and then also .259 with 2 homers in 27 at bats during the September call-up. Both players have a potential rating of 60 but Altair is currently at 40 while Jose is locked in at 60.
A conversation with Vizzini was overheard in the Valencia front office:
Greathouse: "Hey Vizzini. Why don't we wrap up this deal at $9.5M per year for 4 years?"
Vizzini: "I don't think that deal is going to get it done."
Greathouse: "That deal seems pretty fair to me. It equals out to about a 3.5 WAR production which is where I feel Jose is going to be over the next 4 years (at best he says under is breath). I think that the deal is fair"
Vizzini: "Did I just hear the words think and fair escape your lips?
But it's so simple. All I have to do is determine what amount you are willing to pay Jose from what I know of you. You are the sort of man who would pinch a penny at the expense of costing you a dollar or you are a man so desperate to play one single game in October that you would spend the last penny to get it. Now, a clever man would pay only so much to keep Jose, because he would know that only a great fool would walk away from a 4-year/$9M per year contract. But you knowing that Vizzini is no fool, you would not count on my player and I to walk away without increasing that offer.
To not give Jose the 6-year/$66M contract is just … It would be absolutely, totally and in all other ways inconceivable in the BBA universe!!"
Greathouse: "I think when you look back on this 5 years down the road, you will see that my estimate is accurate."
Vizzini: "When I met you, you were so slobbering clueless that you couldn't spell PENNANT!"
Greathouse: "Is that with one N or two N's. I have never seen one first-hand. Anyway, how about a drink from the two goblets I had made with the Valencia logo on it?"
Time will tell if the two sides will work out an agreement before it is too late.
