Money, it’s a crime. Share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie.

In this day and age, I have the utmost respect for an athlete who says, “I don’t want to play anywhere else, I only want to be a (whatever team they play for).” Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for superstars to play for multiple teams throughout their careers thanks to free agency and salary caps.

In this case, I admire Jeff Bagwell’s attitude for only wanting to play for the Houston Astros and not wanting to take a trade to the American League so he can be a DH for the remainder of his career. See, Bagwell has been very injured in the last few seasons, missing 115 games last year alone. The Astros contend he can’t play baseball anymore and will be filing an insurance claim on him, by no later the January 31st, to recoup some $15 million of the $17 million owed to him on his contract. He says he can play and plans to report to spring training as scheduled to prove the Astros wrong and earn his spot on the team. As noted in the article, he feels the team is showing him very little respect in exchange for the loyalty he has shown them and doesn’t think their relationship can ever be repaired.

For the most part, I have to agree with him. However, the question remains, can he come to spring training, work out, play and do all the things he used to do and sustain it for the long season of baseball? This is what the Astros are stuck wondering and don’t want to be forced into paying for a broken player when they could’ve saved that money, or spend it on 5 younger guys to groom and develop for the long haul.

I have a solution for both sides:

As I said, I admire Jeff Bagwell for his loyalty and hard work, but at this point in your life, paying you $17 million dollars seems a bit much. The Astros need to get their heads out of their asses and realize Jeff Bagwell has been the cornerstone of this franchise for over a decade now and he deserves a fair shot at playing baseball as much as anyone else.

Jeff Bagwell, humbly and graciously offer to restructure your contract. Yes, the Astros have shown you less respect than you deserve from them, but if you are serious about wanting to stay a Houston Astro and about wanting to play baseball this season, I think this is the only fair way for this to happen is for you to do this. It offers the Astros the out they are looking for if you are injured, but at the same time, you will be paid more than a fair wage for your services. $17 million per year breaks down to roughly $105K per game. Why not say, for every game you start and play a minimum number of innings, you’ll receive $110K. For any game you appear in (pinch-hitter/runner/defensive replacement), you’ll receive $30K or some other number, whatever. This only seems fair to me and as a fan, who is basically one of the many people paying your salary, I think you should do this. It’s important for me to know that when you put on that uniform, you can play to the best of your abilities and that your employer, the Houston Astros know that they are getting their money’s worth from you as well.