Millwood Signed By Rangers

Free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood was signed by the Texas Rangers to a 4-year deal (with an fifth option year) worth $12 million a year. Kevin Millwood is 31 years old - at least Chan Ho Park was only 29 when the Rangers signed him to his albatross deal. Make no mistake - Kevin Millwood is Kevin Appier with less acne.

So the Rangers fail to pull the trigger on the trade for Josh Beckett (they did not want to give up one of their top pitching prospects). They fail to trade for Miguel Batista (reportedly for Brad Wilkerson). Now they overpay for a 31-year old free agent pitcher. I guess there are worse things - like re-signing John "Wayback" Wasdin (oh wait - the Rangers did that this offseason too).

Millwood has had three excellent seasons - 1999, 2002 and 2005 and the rest of his 9 years were just average (almost literally average). So if things hold to form - the Rangers will get one excellent year out of Millwood and three average years. Yeah - that's worth $12 million a year.

Would I be singing a different tune if Millwood signed with the Red Sox? Yes - absolutely. However, I would have been all over the Red Sox front office if they signed him for this sort of money and this number of years (I read the Sox offered 4-years at $9 million per). Did the Red Sox front office make that offer knowing it would topped? I think yes. As I mentioned yesterday - with Millwood off the market the Red Sox become the team to turn to for teams desperate for a starter. The Red Sox have David Wells and either Bronson Arroyo or Matt Clement to offer and the price for those guys just went up. The Red Sox probably knowingly allowed themselves to be used by Scott Boras to drive up Millwood's price.

I do have to say my hat is off to Scott Boras. If I was a baseball player - I'd definitely have him as my agent.