Contract Escalation, How High Has It Gone?

All you have to do is read the headlines in the baseball pages of your favorite online website to know that despite an economy in the tank for many people, that's certainly not true of the baseball community.  With exceptions of Oakland, stands are filled, cable tv ratings up, and more importantly, rights fees are going through the roof.  And how has this impacted the salary structure of baseball?  Well, just look at the recent contracts of Matt Cain (5 years $112.5m) and Joey Votto (12 years $251.5m or 10 years $225m for the most recent extension), not to mention Ian Kinsler (5 years $75m).  We're thinking, and working on the actual number as we update the baseballevaluation.com projection system, that it's climbing near 20% from a year or two ago.  Now, some of the contact are out of line, just as they always were.  But we're not here to debate whether the overall structure is correct, ... if industry revenue increases, it should filter down to the talent.  But the dynamic has changed.  Just wait to see what Cole Hamels will get.  The thought of Jered Weaver money has now been changed to Matt Cain money plus.  Now we think Hamels is a very good pitcher, in the Matt Cain territory of contracts, but it will be interesting to see just where that contract lands.  As Philly fans, we're just hoping it lands in Philadelphia.