The flip side of King Felix winning the Cy Young

Also of note, the Atlanta Braves paid Derek Lowe $15 million to have a season of almost identical effectiveness, albeit in more innings and starts.
He was 16-12.

 

I'm 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Where's MY money?

 

No, you aren't. Your ERA is undefined.

 

Even better. I have a HUGE upside.

 

Baseball, among all the team sports, grotesquely overpays for marginal players. So I guess I can't say anything surprises me anymore.

 

It certainly doesn't overpay for marginal players as much as it used to. Those guys are unemployed now, because teams realize they can get the same production for a fraction of the price with pre-arbitration-eligible players. No more overpaying for "veteran leadership."

 

He made 21 starts, barely topped 100 innings. He was on the DL twice. Even if he's average, that's worth a $1.5 million raise?

 

Yes, because the system is set up to intentionally underpay players in their first few years in the majors, and as compensation they are generally paid a lot more in years 4-6.

 

Fixed.

 

Reading the headline, I thought this was a thread about the M's signing Felix's older brother, who doesn't appear to be more than AA material at best.

 

Though Lowe has more upside than Ohlendorf. You pay money based on how you project the players will perform, not on how they actually perform. Of course, Ohlendorf does have this: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1165301/index.htm.