Beginning of the End

 Baseball used to thrive on utility players and starter-relievers.  For the one, think Cookie Rojas and Don Buford (or, more recently, Willie Bloomquist), for the other Dennis Lamp and Bob Stanley.  Ben Zobrist is of that mold, able to play most any position short of catcher and pitcher and play it well.  He’s also a good switch-hitter.  So, what’s not to like, especially if Zobrist’s an Illinois native come home, so to speak?

Well, the contract he just signed commits the Cubs to four years at $56 million…for a player who turns 35 in May.  You couldn’t blame Buford and Rojas for cursing their bad luck to have been born too early.  The Tribune also reported today Zobrist may have turned down more money to play in Chicago.  In other words, another team—exhibiting all the baseball smarts you’d expect to find on Pluto, maybe—was willing to pay even more for a soon-to-be 35-year old. 

Cookie Rojas played until he was 38.  As a 35-year old second baseman with the Royals in 1974, Rojas batted .271 with 60 rbis.  The next three years he totaled all of 63 rbis.  It’s a good thing that won’t happen on the North Side, right?  Contracts can keep getting bigger and bigger for players no matter their age, yes?