Discussion of Braves 2018 Offseason plans

[Horsehide Harry]

Have to disagree.

If you pay your representation to scratch and claw for every last dime like Folty did, you better make *amn sure your agent is smarter than the team's front office guys - especially when it's over something as miniscule (relatively speaking as it is in his case) when you're gambling that you might bite the hand that feeds you.

It's absolutely the players' right to present their case, but they better be sure they're going to win if it goes to a hearing because the team remembers that when opportunities for extensions come up. If you couldn't get them to budge a little (even less than the halfway point between the sides) and you blow out your elbow this season, you're *ucked. About the only team we heard that was going to negotiate after today was the Orioles (and that was because they were already close to hammering things out - and actually did before the deadline).

File-or-trial is likely to become the norm for everyone - especially as the franchises get smarter. Borass clients like Martinez threatening to hold out into camp (or longer) are playing with fire - if the Red Sox call his bluff and go to Plan B because they KNOW their offer is the best out there, they've screwed themselves by not taking it. Folty's in an even tougher situation because he can't jump ship even if someone else would pony up that extra $100K.

I can't agree with your thinking. If a player forces arbitration and the club doesn't like it then they may well trade the player. But it's got nothing to do with extensions. A team offers extensions because of perceived economic advantage not out of any sense of loyalty to the player (the only exception might be a end of life type contract for a long time team icon, which is economic in its own way).

If anything this tells me that the Braves have no interest right now in extending Folty. If they did, they would pay the extra $100K as an inducement to try to keep him at the extension negotiation table. Instead the Braves are taking a hard line which tells me that they really don't care what Folty thinks or wants.