They are calling it the A-Rod virus, a virulent strain of green fever that has spread from Florida to Arizona on the opening week of spring training.
White Sox slugger Frank Thomas became the latest star to be hit by the money bug, saying on his first day of camp Wednesday that he has asked club Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to restructure his contract to bring it up to current standards.
Like fellow multimillionaires Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds, Thomas believes that being paid $10 million a year is patently unfair when Texas’ Alex Rodriguez, the game’s top-paid player, averages $25 million.
“I have respect for what Gary and Barry are doing right now because they’re at the top among the players,” Thomas said. “I know I’m in that category too. You see the pay scale is getting out of whack. You can’t have an A-Rod making $25 million and we’re coming in at $7, 8, 9 million. It’s a business. It’s just like Hollywood. You can’t have the top actor making $25 million and the rest [of the stars] making $10 million.”
Thomas’ current deal runs through 2006. He signed a seven-year deal at the end of the ’97 season that could be worth $85 million if the two option years are picked up. In addition to guaranteeing previous club options for $7.15 million in 1999 and $7.25 million in 2000, the Sox added a guaranteed year at $10.375 million in 2001. Thomas will receive $10.3 million a year in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
If Thomas had failed to be either an All-Star starter or finish in the top 10 on the MVP ballot between 1999-2001, the Sox could have terminated the deal citing “diminished ability.” And if the Sox had terminated the deal, Thomas could have declared free agency or have been paid the rest of the money in deferred payments without interest over a 10-year period. Thomas finished second in MVP voting last season, making the clause a moot point.
The final five years of the deal, from 2002 through 2006, become guaranteed if Reinsdorf is no longer chairman of the Sox, or if Thomas is traded. As a 5-and-10 player, Thomas now has the right to veto any trade.
Thomas said he’s not asking for an immediate salary bump, but wanted the Sox to understand his feelings on the matter.
“It’s not an issue right now, but eventually it will be an issue,” Thomas said. “What I’m being paid right now is way off the pay scale. I’m not even probably in the top 50. I do have a problem with that right now. We have had discussions [with Reinsdorf and General Manager Ken Williams]. They understand that.
“I’m not going to say anything is going to be resolved because I have a contract signed. But hopefully we’ll come to terms. I’ve never been greedy. I’ve never tried to be the top-paid player in this game when I could’ve been. The bottom line is what’s fair is fair. They know what I bring to the table and what I’ll continue to bring.”
Though Thomas wouldn’t say what Reinsdorf’s response was when the money issue was brought up, he made it clear that Reinsdorf was not pleased.
“Jerry is Jerry,” Thomas said. “I don’t take it personally.”
Williams confirmed he had had talks with Thomas about the request for added compensation.
“We’ve spoken about it,” Williams said. “We prefer to do as we do in all negotiations. We’ll keep it between the player and his representative.”
Asked if he planned to talk to Thomas about the situation this spring, Williams said: “I’m sure if he’s speaking to [the media] about it, we will revisit it.”
Thomas pointed out Reinsdorf could have let him go for “diminished ability” without any real parameters on what the term means. Had he had a third straight subpar season in 2000, Reinsdorf could have waved goodbye.
“Jerry just can say `He’s not the player he was,'” Thomas said. “But that’s not an option. I become a free agent if that happens, so that’s not going to happen. I’m a big bargain right now.”
During the Bulls’ championship reign, Reinsdorf refused to renegotiate deals for star players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, whose contracts also were undervalued, at least by NBA superstar standards, shortly after the ink was dry. Pippen constantly pouted about his deal and asked in vain for a new contract, while Jordan publicly stewed but never asked Reinsdorf to rework the deal. Thomas, an avid sports fan, knows Pippen’s popularity in Chicago plummeted when he said he wouldn’t play without a new deal.
“I’m not trying to get out of mine,” Thomas said. “I don’t want it redone, just add some money to it. I’m not asking to be the richest man in baseball. I just want to be . . . at least in the top 20. Being in the top 50 . . . that’s embarrassing.”
Thomas ranked 38th among major league salaries last year. If the market continues to climb at its current pace, he could drop into the bottom half of all players by 2006.
“By the time it’s up, I’ll be ranked 400th or 500th,” he said. “I’ve been working my butt off. I love this team. I love the city of Chicago. Chicago is the place I want to be.”
Thomas said he hoped to take care of things “behind closed doors,” and declined to say how much more money he wanted added to the contract. He said he wasn’t worried that by making a request he would be painted as just another greedy player.
“You pay for play, and what I’ve done speaks for itself,” he said.
Sheffield recently demanded a trade from the Dodgers, who refuse to renegotiate the final three years of his six-year, $61 million deal. Bonds asked to be traded from the Giants because they haven’t agreed to a contract extension in his final year before free agency. Thomas becomes the third player this week with an eight-figure contract to complain publicly about being underpaid.
“I respect what [Bonds and Sheffield] are doing, what they’re saying,” Thomas said. “Baseball is a business and you can’t lose sight of that. If you perform in the top level, you deserve to be up there at the top. It’s hard to go home and swallow that when you’re outperforming everybody and you’re not even close on the pay scale. It’s something you have to deal with. I love this organization. It always has been fair to me and I’ve always been fair to it. Hopefully, I’m just getting better.”
Thomas smiled all during the interview and said he won’t let the contract affect his attitude or his play.
“I’m not bitter at anybody,” Thomas said. “I signed it. I’m happy. The bottom line is I’ve never been a greedy person. I won’t be a greedy person. Hopefully we can do what’s right.”
