Baseball's free agency period is upon us, and with that comes the growing speculation of absurd contracts that will be offered to different players.  Unfortunately, those absurd contracts actually get signed, and in turn, cripple teams for years to come. So with that said, I often times find myself asking, why don't these teams learn from past mistakes? In other words, just because you have the money to spend, doesn't mean you actually have to spend it.

This point is a bigger issue for the small to mid-market teams because a mistake in the free agent market for them hurts a lot more than a mistake in the market for teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers, etc., but with today's economy, and the way teams are trying to build from within, it's a problem for everybody, not the least of which are the fans.

Many small to mid-market teams say they have to spend on free agents in order to show their fan base that they're making an effort to compete. While that may work to encourage the fans once or twice, eventually the fans catch on and realize these moves are just stupid, and actually cost them money because ticket prices in turn go up.

It is quite rare that a free agent signing by a mid-market team changes the culture of that team, and in fact helps lead them on the rebuilding effort. As a matter of fact, the only one that comes to mind in recent years was the Detroit Tigers signing of Pudge Rodriguez in 2003. Following Pudge's signing, the team went out and signed Magglio Ordonez, Troy Percival, and Kenny Rogers, and combined those veterans with the young players they had in their farm system to reach the World Series in 2006.

But there are many more examples of teams spending lavishly on border-line free agents, and not getting much in return. The Colorado Rockies signed Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle to HUGE contracts in December of 2000, and how did those pan out? Or what about the Dodgers giving Darren Dreifort 5 years $55 million, or Seattle throwing money at Richie Sexson, Adrian Beltre, Jarrod Washburn, and Carlos Silva? How did all of those moves work out?

Let's not stop there though. Carl Pavano getting 4 years and roughly $40 million from the Yankees, Edgar Renteria 4 years $40 million from the Red Sox, Julio Lugo 4 years $36 million from the Red Sox. The list goes on and on, and the players named aren't bad players, but they're not worth the money they were paid.
 
So again, why do teams feel the need to spend that type of money on them? Is it because they're so scared of the player actually signing with a different team, and it may come back to haunt them? If that's the case, let them sign with the different team. It will end up being their problem, not yours.

If you look at the recent history of big free agent signings, there have only been a few that have truly changed the fortunes of a team the next season. In the offseason prior to the 2004 season, the Houston Astros were able to sign both Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. Prior to that, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Randy Johnson in 1998. Besides that, there really haven't been any big free agent signings that have sent teams over the hump that following season.

So you may ask, what's the solution to this problem? Well, if I'm not mistaken we just elected a President who ran a campaign on the idea of change, and the idea to build the economy from the bottom up. With that said, why don't we take some ideas from President-elect Barack Obama, and change things in baseball?

It may not be popular among owners and players alike, but how about the teams show some restraint and not sign these players to the absurd contracts that, as we just mentioned, don't actually produce? While players will say that's not fair because the owners now pocket more money, well, there's a solution to that too. Lower ticket prices.

If teams lower ticket prices, more and more real fans will be able to attend games. As more fans attend games, more money is made for all of baseball. Now I understand that baseball has enjoyed unparalleled success the past few seasons in regards to attendance, but trust me, it's going to take a hit in 2009, and who knows how much longer.

In a time when the citizens of this country need something to boost its spirits, wouldn't it be nice to turn to America's pastime for that lift? Wouldn't it be nice for a family of four to attend a game, maybe 2, 3, or even 5 in one season, and not have to sacrifice something else?

The players and owners alike will all make it through this recession okay. Maybe they won't make as much money as they thought they would, but they definitely will not go hungry. The same cannot be said for the rest of society. Since the fans have given so much to the game, it's time for the owners and players to give something back to the fans...an affordable game that they can enjoy. In the long run, everyone will benefit.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!