Prediction contest: Bloomquist’s new contract
DMZ · January 18, 2008 at 7:30 am · Filed Under Mariners
Like fellow Mariner-for-life Raul Ibanez, Willie Bloomquist’s contract is up after this season. Make your predictions in a comment, including
* date contract is announced (Mariner press release or press conference, whichever comes first). Last extension was announced November of 2006
* years
* salary only — don’t worry about signing bonuses, incentives, or anything
Speaking of incentives, fun fact about Willie’s last contract, from CoT:
award bonuses: $0.15M for MVP, $0.1M for WS MVP, $50,000 each for LCS MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, All Star ($25,000 for AS selection)
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From CoT “…”
…and for two million Pepsi points, he gets a Harrier jet!
Clearly, Willie is holding back because of the paltry incentive clauses. $150k for MVP? Bah!
I’m curious what some other star players, who have a much (reasonable) more shot at winning the MVP, what their incentive claims they will get when they win the MVP. Bloomie is getting robbed!
June 22nd. 3 yrs/$12 million.
Oh, my prediction.
On May 18th Mariners fans will hang their head when they are (already) 7 games behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and in third place behind the surprise Texas Rangers. To boost morale, the Mariners sign Willie Bloomquist to a 1 year, 2 million dollar extension.
August 7, 2008; 2 years for $6.75M
I predict Willie gets traded at the deadline to a team in the playoff hunt looking for that last spark to put them over the top, in exchange for some great pitching prospects.
July 14th, 1 year at 2.1 mil.
And, if the front office had any balls at all, they would assign stratospheric incentives to impossible goals: “150 million for league MVP, 275 million for 70 HR.”
Wee Willie will have 2y/$6m contract signed after he blows up during spring training, hitting .298/.345/.401. This contract will be inked April 1st, to the hope of all USSM readers. Wee Willie will procede to hit .228/.289/.301.
Can I make 2 guesses?
2 years, 1.3 million per (2.6 total) UNLESS he gets a starting job because something happens to Lopez, in which case 2 years, 2.3 million per.
Announced on May 12th, via large pink balloon flying over Safeco.
3 yr/ 4.75 mil, announced November 2nd, 2008, precisely 2 months to the day after we are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
May 1st…as in “Mayday”.
3 years, $6M
I figure May, cuz later than that wouldn’t be a “hustle” move.
July 9th, 2008.
4 years 8M
My prediction: 15 December 08, 1 year 1.6 Million plus incentives for plate appearances and award bonuses (similar as current deal). They should add Cy Young votes to the award bonuses but probably won’t.
He won’t sign another contract with the M’s. He’ll wait it out and sign or ask to be traded to a National League team where he can get some playing time and his style of play will be better appreciated.
August 15 2008 2 yr 3 mil
My prediction: He won’t be resigned.
M’s will tank before a deal is done. McLaren and Bavasi will be gone. There will be no one left who has some inept love affari for WFB. He’s a FA at the end of the year. New M’s management want to bring in their own WFB’s and decide WFB just isn’t gritty enough.
1 year, $1.1 million, July 10.
Prediction: The Pony Whisperer will be part of a package deal near the trade deadline.
After taking over for a fooled-me-thrice Jose Lopez in August, SSS theater comes into play, and “Fogerty” hits .395 the rest of the season, including the game-winning base hit in the 7th game of the ALCS (and is named the ALCS MVP). The M’s go on to lose the World Series to our hated rivals, the Padres, and on November 1, 2008, “Fogerty” signs a 3-year, $15 million contract, finally entrenching himself into a starting role as a 2nd baseman.
The USSM server crashes for three days and three nights upon this news…
Read my lips, “No new contract.”
In a move reminiscent of what we did for Broussard, on July 5th of 2008 Willie is traded to the a team in need of a warm body at 2nd Base. Willie thanks Bill Bavasi for giving him a chance to start elsewhere.
Well management is going to have to make a splash this offseason if they don’t sign Bedard. Granted, don’t think he will cost alot, but they will most likely overspend.
2y/3.5 mil extension Feb 19th.
I meant trade for Bedard.
A lifetime contract with the promise of taking over at head coach the minute that he retires.
I’m with the no contract crowd — the one big difference between McClaren’s managing style and Grover’s seemed to be that Willie’s playing time dropped significantly. So my guess is the Cult of Willie will be another casualty of a very mediocre 2008 Mariner season.
Paul, can we please NOT call Bloomquist “Fogerty”.
If you’re refering to “Centerfield” (’Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play’ and so forth), this nickname should go to Adam Jones, IMHO.
Oct 8th
12-year, $48 million
Incentives: $5000/game for hustling during pre-game warmups. $5000/game for keeping Ichiro’s seat in the dugout warm between innings.
Perks: Cash-in $50,000 worth of incentives to make game appearance after the 8th inning.
Er, ‘McLaren’ I mean. Surely he’ll last long enough in the job so that I’ll learn how to spell his name.
VJ – Willie personifies the ready to play attitude more than any other player the M’s have had in a very long time. When he has had consistent playing time his stats have been much better. If he were given a chance to start at 2nd, I think we would see much better stats than Lopez.
Bavasi and McLaren are fired in July with the team mired in a ten game losing streak at fifteen games under .500. The new management looks at Bloomquist’s skillset and salary demands and is hospitalized with hernias due to the strain of laughing so hard. With no GM or field manager, the M’s perform better the rest of the season, finishing at .500.
When he has had consistent playing time his stats have been much better.
No, that is false. The last time he was given an everyday job (2B, Aug. 2005), he was downright horrible:
.248/.259/.330 in 114 PA (versus a career line of .261/.313/.329).
November 18, 2 years, 3.3 million, Kansas City Royals.
Purposely not reading comments above….
If Horacio Ramirez gets $2.75M, as I just heard, I have to re-think.
2 years, $1.5M per ($3M total), announced March 1. FWIW, I think they’ll give him the same incentives they did before, only grittier!
vj: “Paul, can we please NOT call Bloomquist ‘Fogerty’.”
No one’s forcing you to use that nickname…
Anyhow, July 7, 2 years, $2.5 million.
I’m sure Positive Paul can defend himself…
Seriously, folks, John Fogerty in Baseball Player Terms would be a Hall of Famer (he is one, but in a different hall), Bloomquist as a musician would make it to American Idol, perhaps.
Paul, can we please NOT call Bloomquist “Fogerty”.
If you’re refering to “Centerfield” (’Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play’ and so forth), this nickname should go to Adam Jones, IMHO.
Noted.
However, I think Jones would probably be more inclined to take the nickname “Jules”…
Bloomquist won’t sign a new contract with the M’s.
Dare I even contemplate a world where Gritty Bloomquist gets signed to an extension?
He’s already overpaid, overexposed, overused, overcommented, overrated and under my skin.
Anything more than a “see ya, we’ll go dig up the next Rich Amaral now to play for minimum wage.” will further confirmation that my decision not to give the M’s any direct money for merchandise, tickets or concessions was the correct one.
Like Ibanez, no new deal.
Grizz – that is one snapshot. But there were several stretches last year where he played almost every day with much better results. For example:
SEP 22 @LAA .280
SEP 23 @LAA .281
SEP 25 CLE .284
SEP 26 @CLE .280
SEP 26 CLE .280
SEP 27 CLE .287
SEP 28 TEX .287
SEP 29 TEX .281
SEP 30 TEX .277
Grizz – June07 was the most consistent playing time he’s seen in years. His line:
(OBP – SLG – AVG)
June Total: .396 .519 .385
And that doesn’t include the opportunities he creates on the base paths. Unlike the liability that Lopez is.
Oooh, oooh, don’t forget about that 2002 callup when we’re talking about how awesome Bloomquist is!
April 2nd, Willie Bloomquist joins Raul Ibanez as Mariners for Life.
Each year, they are handed a blank check at the beginning of the season, and instructed to write in whatever number they feel is fair.
Since they’re both such high-character, gritty guys, the number they come up with will inevitably be the best possible deal for both them and the team.
Oh, and whenever someone mentions the words “small sample size” within earshot of Bloomquist, he’s allowed to beat them with a rattan cane.
Paul, thanks. And Jules for Jones would work for me.
April 10, 2 years, $3.8 million.
The optimism on this thread is choking the life out of me. No new extension?? Really? I won’t get my hopes up…something tells me the local boy with a heart of gold will be around for a while longer.
July 27, 2 yrs, $3.1M
And a $250,000 incentive for winning the Cy Young.
But there were several stretches last year where he played almost every day with much better results.
You conveniently omit that he played in five consecutive games before that in September 2007 and hit 091/167/091. His overall line for that month was 268/318/268, which would make him the second worst hitting regular in the AL.
June07 was the most consistent playing time he’s seen in years.
Again, no, that is untrue. Since 2004, in the months he has started at least ten games, his lines are as follows:
Apr 2004 (11 GS) 265/306/324
Jul 2004 (14 GS) 260/275/320
Aug 2004 (12 GS) 229/302/313
May 2005 (11 GS) 194/275/278
Jul 2005 (19 GS) 319/364/403
Aug 2005 (26 GS) 248/259/330
May 2006 (14 GS) 286/365/321
Aug 2006 (15 GS) 226/293/358
Sep 2006 (14 GS) 269/345/288
Jun 2007 (14 GS) 385/396/519
Sep 2007 (14 GS) 268/318/268
He has had five times as many lousy months as a regular as good months. Bloomquist has been the same low on-base, no-power hitter regardless of when he has played.
Paul’s comment (#20) may have been the funniest thing I’ve read on this board.
I hate those blasted Padres — the battle for Peoria is on, with Willie B leading the charge!
oh, and I’m with everyone who thinks this may actually be his last year with the M’s — I’d look for him in a utility role in Atlanta, San Diego, Tampa or Texas next year (if not sooner). Any contract will be right-sized ($1M/yr), not Bavasi-sized.
maybe Bob Melvin would like him to show those kids in Az some gritty veteran effort.
I especially like “but he’s better than Jose Lopez!!1111!!”
Bloomquist’s career line:
.261/.313/.329
Lopez’s career line:
.260/.295/.379
Trading 50 points of slugging for 18 points of OBP and some SBs (and a player who is likely as good as he will ever get in Willie, as opposed to someone who’s entering his age 24 season in Lopez)? I don’t think so.
Herrin_Law, please make an argument that isn’t completely bogus, OK?
Bloomsquist’s had a couple shots at playing regularly, and he’s been awful in all of them. I don’t know why people can’t remember that, but you can go back and look at the stretches when he was playing every day, and it was a wreck.
That’s the thing, he’s been extended before after proving he can’t fill a regular role and is at best a versatile yet mediocre-to-subpar bench guy. Why would anyone think the M’s suddenly won’t want him? They’ve got commercials to film, people!
Selective memory combined with selective use of statistics is a very powerful recipe for self-delusion. Though I’m sure Bloomquist’s agent is compiling exactly the same thing, you would hope it wouldn’t be quite an effective on baseball professionals as it is on fans. But who knows.
My prediction? Well, I think they’ll try to deal him at the deadline and fail in such a way that they so piss him off he refuses to resign, vowing intead to take his free agency to someplace that better appreciates him. After remaining unsigned at opening day 2009, he’s last seen caddying for Julio Franco.
Cairo signing + Jones trade = Ballgame as our opening day right fielder. The M’s will do a press release on opening day announcing his shiny new 2 year/2.4mm contract.
Bloomsquist’s had a couple shots at playing regularly, and he’s been awful in all of them. I don’t know why people can’t remember that, but you can go back and look at the stretches when he was playing every day, and it was a wreck.
I tried finding this the other day — and I’m sure I’ve seen it around (here, or otherwise) — but I swear someone tracked the M’s win/loss record based on the number of starts WFB made. It might’ve even been their W/L record based on games WFB had a plate appearance. IIRC, the disparity in the W/L records between those games and the games otherwise was rather large…
In the belief that no contract. USSM slipped note that found the way to front office. They now understand dollars maybe saved.
On another note I for many will appreciate the “Buy A Beer”, as USSM helps in a big way getting through the off season.
Yeah, well, we only got maybe 40 beers from that whole thing, so…
Anyway: yeah, I did a whole breakdown of the M’s record in games WFB played and didn’t. Good times.
How much do baserunning and minor league roving instructors get paid?
When is the last game?
He’ll get paid that much, on the day after the last game of the season.
This is only unlikely if Mariners somehow manage to sign a 1yr contract for Horacio Ramirez for 3MM.
I predict no contract extension. They let Willie fly off into the wild blue yonder.
Tango, the Ms just resigned HoRam for just a little under 3M. Or is that your point?
I can see why you call yourself Positive Paul! (referring to comment 20).
You know, if Willie is really that great defensively, I suppose we could always try an A’s style rebuilding. I’m currently reading Moneyball, and it seems like if we went and spent all our money on pitching and went out and got some power-hitters who walk a lot and play adequate defense (maybe Rondell White?) and replaced our weak defenders (Lopez, Ibanez, Sexson) with them, we’d do pretty well. If this crazy scenario were to occur, Willie might have a chance to make maybe 80-90 starts at 2B, showing the management and the fans what he can really do. It’s not as if we’re really going to be in the playoff hunt next year, so in any case, we can likely afford some experimentation. This scenario probably will never happen, but we could still see what Mr. Ballgame has in him.
And, believe it or not, I’ve seen Bloomie homer against the Sox.
Oh, and he gets resigned for 3 years, 5 million. The organization just plain likes him. Does anyone have a link to his college stats?
Willie would never leave Seattle!
3 years, 4.7 million, announced June 19th.
3 years, 3.5 million on June 8th.
2 years, $2.75 million announced on October 15
3 years, June 14th, 4.2 million and a pony.
Mac noticed.
November 19th, 2 years $3.75 million extension with a $2500/game bonus for each gritty headfirst slide resulting in a crooked helmet and dirt on both jersey and pants.
Bloomquist gets the minimum, plus One Million Dollars (cue Dr. Evil gesture) each and every time he can do this.
It’s ok if he doesn’t, of course. He clearly has a future taking over from Ryan Seacrest on “American Idol”
award bonuses: $0.15M for MVP, $0.1M for WS MVP, $50,000 each for LCS MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, All Star ($25,000 for AS selection)
These award bonuses are being phased out, due to the potential for corruption in the voting:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2007/12/schilling_rule.html
You bring up a good point, what awards belong to the BWAA?
The link shows the awards will be phased out in 2013.
How does this affect the non-direct clauses, like the ones that trigger vesting in an option year due to awards.
“an embarrasingly tenure”
All your bases…
Yeah, I thought about trying to fix that, but I figured I’d leave it as I found it — besides, when the modifier is “embarrasingly” and the subject is Bloomquist (or his tenure with the M’s) it’s hard to decide which of the virtually infinite array of adjectives to use.
May 15, 2 years, $5.5 million dollars.
With a MVP clause for $100 million. Hey, it’s a safe bet.
July 17, 2008 3 Years, $5.0 million