By Philliedelphia Contributors
Well, that did not take long… The Phillies string of good luck continued today, as new Reds closer Ryan Madson will be out for the season with Tommy John surgery, reports Todd Zolecki.
This is an easy reminder of the risks involved when players play hardball in negotiations. We are all aware of the almost four year, $44 million contract that Ryan Madson reportedly agreed to with the Phillies that never substantiated. The request to included a fifth-year vesting option may have made the Phillies balk.
The Phillies were not comfortable with the demands of Madson's agent Scott Boras and took the similarly-priced Jonathan Papelbon, with a better track record and better injury history.
Madson settled for a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Reds. I would say that he has enough money to live on, even if he never pitches again. The worst of this is for Madson is that he probably will never get the chance for a big payday again, his injury history forever tarnished.
As for the Reds, they opted for Madson over their closer of four years Francisco Cordero, who saved 37 games last season. The Blue Jays ended up getting Cordero for a set-up man's salary, less than half of what the Reds gave Madson. Maybe the Blue Jays would be willing to work out a trade.
Boras was very eager to blame the Phillies for doing something wrong rather than to admit his own fault. If the offer never felt right to the Phillies, kudos to them going in another direction. Who knows, maybe even they had their own injury concerns, since they knew Madson better than anybody.
The career of Ryan Madson likely will always include a discussion of what could have been. Journeyman status awaits.
