Smart and Dumb

I almost feel sorry for Jerry Reinsdorf, that paragon of fiscal prudence. This World Series just isn’t going his way. Last night, the Rangers topped the Diamondbacks 11-7 to go ahead three games to one. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager led the way by going a collective 4-for-10 with seven RBIs, Semien accounting for five of those. The then thirty-one year old Semien signed a seven-year, $175 million deal starting in 2022. The then twenty-seven year old Seager signed with Texas the same day as Semien. His deal was for ten years at $325 million. So, the Rangers seem to be doing well in the short term. One more win, and no one will care that the acquisition of Max Scherzer hasn’t worked out. Time looks to be catching up with the thirty-nine year old Scherzer, who signed a three-year deal with the Mets. Next season, he’ll be owed what’s left on a $130 million contract, in the neighborhood of $43.3 million. The question all comes down to, how much does an owner want to pay for a real shot at a World Series title? The Semien and Seager deals will likely come back to bite the Rangers down the line. Will Semien play second base at thirty-eight, Seager shortstop at thirty-seven? And why take a gamble on a pitcher pushing forty? All good questions, and ones Reinsdorf could be answering authoritatively if he knew how to hire front-office talent. The White Sox developed Semien, only for Rick Hahn to trade him away for one year of Jeff Smardzija. Hahn also bet the farm on Tim Anderson as a foundation piece. In addition, Hahn made first-round draft picks that went.bust way too often. The Diamondbacks are a good young team assembled on the cheap. The Rangers are a good team with a high payroll. This season, it looks like high will beat young. But either way, smart always beats dumb.