Minds were blown when former Dodgers outfielder Jayson Werth agreed to a seven-year, $126-million free-agent contract with the Washington Nationals during the 2010 winter meetings.
So much money! So many years!
General managers gnashed their teeth. Another example of agent Scott Boras hoodwinking one of their own, they said. The precedent, the impact on the market, the insanity! New York Mets chief executive Sandy Alderson at least coated his response in humor: “I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington.”
And for Werth? Yes, he shined in the 2008 and 2009 postseasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, helping them to two World Series and one title.