In an interesting approach to opening negotiations, Brandon Webb’s agent, Jonathan Maurer emailed MLBTradeRumors.com, setting out his client’s demands:
What Brandon Webb Wants In Free-Agency
”Webb loves Arizona and they will be considered highly, but Brandon WILL be looking at an incentive-based contract [with] a guaranteed base where Penny and Harden at $7.5MM, Sheets at $10MM and Hudson’s $9.33MM average annual value are all conversation starters... I anticipate significant interest in what is a very healthy Brandon Webb, with his signature life back on all his pitches.“It’s not the first time Maurer has used the Internet, having posted on AZ SnakePit in 2008, when negotiations between Webb and the Diamondbacks on an extension were ongoing. Those fell apart after insurance concerns over Webb’s health - concerns which appear to have been justified, with the 2006 Cy Young winner not having appeared since Opening Day 2009. Given that, will anyone guarantee $7.5-10 million for him?
Certainly, I’m unsure of those examples. Brad Penny made only nine starts for St. Louis; Rich Harden 17 for Texas, with an 84 ERA+; Ben Sheets twenty, and a 90 ERA+. Only the Tim Hudson deal can be said to have worked out for the club, and that situation was different. Hudson’s elbow was the problem, not his shoulder, and he showed his health in seven starts at the end of 2009 - Webb will be lucky to get two or three, with performance still unproven.
This really feels like an agent throwing out high-ball feelers, to gauge reaction. Certainly, there will be interest in Webb for 2011, providing he can show he is “very healthy,” as Maurer claims. But Arizona fans would suggest caution; they have been hearing positive noises for almost two seasons without a start, and the D-backs have also received nothing to date, after having exercised Webb’s $8.5 million option for this year.
Still, in a free-agent pitching market which could be summarized as Cliff Lee, then the rest, the demand for a Cy Young winner might cause teams to overlook any risks. Whether that’s a wise decision, will probably not be known until 2011 is well under way.
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