Okay, we all know the big news, Giancarlo Stanton has broke all records by signing a record 13-year $325 million deal with Miami Marlins.
The enormous contract for the 25-year-old was described by team owner Jeffrey Loria as “a landmark day”.
By the way, although the aggregate deal value makes it an official record, the $292 million ten-year deal inked by Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera in March is actually worth more on an annualized basis.
But back to Stanton. The outfielder has hit 154 home runs during his five Major League seasons with the Marlins. Set against his new contract, that’s equivalent to an investment of $2,110,000 for each round tripper. No doubt Loria will be hoping that purchase average will drop dramatically between now and 2027 – should the 25 year-old star see the contract out! Despite Stanton missing the last 17 games of the season due to an injury sustained when he was hit in the face by a pitch, he still managed to hit 37 home runs – the highest tally in the National League.
So, is any player in any sport worth that much? In short – yes, if you do the math.
The commercial side of MLB is, of course, enormous – as it is in many other sports around the world. And if a star player meets all the criteria of being excellent on the field, behaving in a way that youngsters aspire to off it (and unfortunately this may be via good or bad behavior – but it’s all publicity) the commercial gain for the club is beyond measure.
As things stand, the market clearly thinks Stanton’s contract will make a difference – even though the news was widely expected. Currently, Miami’s odds for the World Series have been slashed to around 40-1 with major bookmakers including Skybet, 32 Red and others – and are even lower in some quarters. Such long odds probably reflect the team’s realistic chances (and, by the way, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals remain the betting public’s top picks), but the market still moved on the news.
When it comes to the World Series, though, the Kansas City Royals look like the value bet. They’re currently at 20-1 with the aforementioned 32 Red which looks way too generous. The Royals were runners-up this year, of course, but may well go one better. They certainly don’t deserve to be 20-1, but here’s the interesting thing, if you want a piece of that action; the bookie 32Red runs a casino in addition to its sports book site – in countries where it’s legal to bet on baseball online of course – and has hugely generous intro offers for new players.
If you play online slots at 32Red.com, you’ll soon see that you get a very high 100% matched bonus on what you put in.
In short, you’d have to be pretty unlucky not to wind up with a sizable free bet in the sports book side of the site – and Kansas City looks like a fun punt for that free cash for the 2015 World Series at 20-1.
Of course, Stanton has no such worries. He’ll never be short of money in this life as long as he isn’t foolish and he’s proved himself to be a good ambassador for the Marlins on and off the field so far. And perhaps this is just as well, because you really wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of an argument with Stanton.
The Marlins cleanup hitter is six-foot-six and checks in at around 250 pounds. He got the nickname “Bigfoot” from his year at Class A Greensboro – and you can see why. He has a reputation for hitting enormous homers, which is why his batting-practice sessions pull in bug crowds of fans, teammates and opponents alike.
Maybe he’ll be called “Big Money” instead – but in today’s crazy world of Major League Sports finance, he’s probably worth every cent!
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