If you knew you were going to get caught, would you take advantage while you could?
On Tuesday afternoon, Major League Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that outfielder Starling Marte had been suspended for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The all-star outfielder tested positive for Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid. The Pirates organization later released a statement about the incident…
Pirates OF Starling Marte suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance.
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2017
Statement from Pirates President Frank Coonelly. pic.twitter.com/c6APCxtrcb
— Pirates (@Pirates) April 18, 2017
Suspension Details
Marte will not be allowed to join the Pirates until after the All-Star Game. July 18, to be exact. Without him in the lineup the Pirates’ chances of contending in 2017 are almost non-existent. A career .288 hitter, Marte is one of the pure talents in the game. He has the ability to hit 20-25 HR and also pick up 30-40 SB.
In 2013, his first full season with the Pirates, Marte slashed .280/.441/.784 while belting 12 home runs and stealing 41 bags. With numbers like that, of course the Pirates wanted to lock him up. But, with only one season under his belt and five full seasons of team control remaining, certainly it didn’t seem like the Pirates would make any effort to offer an extension so soon.
On March 27, 2014 the Pirates extended Marte.
Before the ink had a chance to dry on the six-year $31M deal, the baseball world was perplexed – from both sides.
The Pirates could have benefitted from Marte’s services for another two or three seasons before negotiating a long-term extension. Injury, on-field struggles, organizational talent – all things to worry about over time but ultimately, come to a decision several years later. Despite possibly pricing themselves out of the running on a long-term deal.
Many felt that Marte should have taken a chance and trusted his abilities. Thus, awarding him more money in free agency. His extension ate up one full season of FA eligibility, with a club option for an additional year. Sure, one, maybe two years lost in free agency isn’t a big deal, but remember that Marte was surely going to receive significant annual increases during his arbitration years.
Financial Perspective
Marte was slated to earn $5.33M in 2017, he will lose about $2.2M of that due to this suspension. Entering this season, he was listed as the 45th highest paid outfielder in MLB, according to Spotrac.com. Based on his performance in his first three seasons, Marte would have entered salary arbitration and been eligible for salary increase. That number would have exceeded the five-million mark.
Let’s take it a bit further. Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper made his MLB-debut in 2012, same year as Marte – in essence, they would be on the same arbitration calendar. In fact, entering 2017, Harper had just 89 more days of service time than the Pirates outfielder.
You might think that Harper is a significantly greater talent, but you would be wrong.
Yes, he is a better player. But in six years the two are comparable in terms of their 162-game averages. Keep into consideration that Harper has played in 93 more games.
162 Game Averages
Harper: .281 BA – 31 HR – 85 RBI – 14 SB – 103 R
Marte: .288 BA – 16 HR – 64 RBI – 43 SB – 89 R
Now, even more to the point.
In an effort to avoid a third arbitration hearing, the Nationals agreed on a one-year $13.6M contract with their super-star outfielder. They will have to do the same at the end of this season, and then he will hit free agency after the 2018 campaign. Rumors are swirling that Harper could become the first $400M-man in Major League Baseball history.
MLB’s first $400 million player? Bryce Harper says ‘don’t sell me short’ https://t.co/keL9hCgV91 pic.twitter.com/UfWUxdra0Z
— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) February 13, 2016
Back to the Marte at Hand
Using his first three years as a barometer, he almost certainly would have qualified for Super-2 status. This would have started the arbitration process one year sooner, and rewarded Marte more handsomely. Maybe he isn’t worth the 13+ million that Harper got in arbitration, but certainly Marte would have priced higher than the likes of Kole Calhoun, who went on to sign a 3-year $36M deal to stay with the Angels.
Let’s just assume that the Pirates would have picked up the club option in 2021, valued at $12.5M – without predicting the rest of the league increases – that would still land Marte around the 20th highest paid outfielder. Most would argue that he’s a top-ten outfielder.
Hindsight would say that yes, Marte should have trusted in his talents and he would have received a much bigger pay day. Would he have been the first $400M outfielder? N0. But he would have been able to fetch more than several other outfielders recently received.
Jason Heyward ($28.1M) and Yoenis Cespedes ($22.5M) cashed in during free agency. There is nothing to suggest that Marte wouldn’t have eclipsed both of those totals had he waited, played out his rookie contract, and become a free agent after the 2018 season.
Straight Cash
All of that leads me to believe this – Starling Marte knew what he was doing.
He knew that he was doing something that was not entirely kosher with the league-policy on PED’s. I can assure you he didn’t ask enough questions, he didn’t consult with the appropriate people, and when the opportunity arose to strike-it-rich, he capitalized.
So…What Now?
When some of the leagues star players are actively speaking out about the issues surrounding PED’s, that’s when something needs to change. You can’t have the superstars of the league saying things like Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said recently…
“Is it a big risk if you’re suspended 80 games and have a guaranteed contract?…Take that risk to get the reward?…That’s the question to ask. Some guys, it is a big risk. For others, if you get away with it, you get the big deal. But it’s part of the game, and we need drug testing a lot more.”
Texas Rangers relief pitcher, Jake Diekman, took it a bit further and suggests that the league do something financially.
You get suspended, you make the minimum for the rest of your career. Take something they care about.
— Jake Diekman (@JakeDiekman) April 18, 2017
Regardless of where you stand on the issue, you have to understand one thing. Players are not concerned with suspensions – the penalties are not sending enough of a message. Guys like Nelson Cruz, Ryan Braun, and Dee Gordon are still beloved by baseball fans, not just the ones in their home-park.
There has to be something done to change this. That has never been more clear than right now.
When it appears that there is a high probability of an MLB superstar having cashed in on a multi-million dollar contract, settling for less money but getting it guaranteed for six years – that should not sit well with anyone.
Certainly not commissioner Rob Manfred.
