Jayson Stark - A Twofer

Article #1 - Shut up Manny!

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=stark_jayson&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fname%3dstark_jayson

• MANNY'S OLD CONTRACT: Two years, $40 million computes to a present-day value of $39.05 million, Baumgarten estimates.
-- Present-day value after taxes: $19.52 million.
-- Present-day value after the commission to his previous agent: $17.96 million.
• MANNY'S NEW CONTRACT: Two years, $45 million -- but with $25 million of that $45 million deferred at 0 percent interest. So the present-day value would be $41.1 million.
-- Present-day value after taxes: $20.57 million.
-- Present-day value after the commission to Scott Boras: $18.92 million.
• SO THE DIFFERENCE IS: Just under a million bucks, basically -- or $961,064, to be exact -- is all Manny really got out of this. That's the real difference between the money he'll earn in this contract versus the dollars he could have had under his old contract.

Is Manny really that stupid? Rhetorical question...don't bother.

Article #2 - Red Sox sign a bunch of players on the cheap

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3967746

"...the Red Sox's additions were products of a whole different philosophy, not just a whole different checking account. The four free agents they imported -- John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Takashi Saito and Rocco Baldelli -- cost this team 4 million fewer guaranteed dollars ($12.5 million total) than the Yankees will pay Burnett alone this year."

WOW! The best part about it is that they are all short term contracts. If they suck (paging Carl Pavano) it doesn't really matter.