“The [Orioles’] offers, I thought, certainly were generous, and some might think beyond what they should have been,” Angelos (above) said. “They’re trying to improve the club and demonstrate to fans that we’re doing everything we can to make the club competitive with Boston and New York, and we’re heading in that direction.
“But the market needs to be reassessed. The more millions that are squandered, the more fans will have to pay through increased ticket prices and concessions. Major League Baseball has to come to grips with the crisis it’s in.
“These salaries are beyond what 90 percent of the teams are able to pay. It’s a problem that has to be dealt with in the future.”
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, when team officials still hadn’t heard from Sloane, it became apparent that Delgado was headed elsewhere. The news broke a short time later, leaving the Orioles without a player who favored them so much that Sloane contacted them first when the free-agent market opened.
“You can say I’m disappointed,” Angelos said, “but on the other hand, I’m pleased that we’re not party to this financial insanity that has taken hold of the game.”
Though reports out of New York had the Orioles’ last offer at $51 million, team officials confirmed that they held firm at $48 million. Sloane never gave them a chance to respond to the Marlins’ final proposal.
“We talked a couple times [Monday] night,” General Manager Jim Beattie said. “We knew where we stood and he knew where we stood.”
It’s a bit rich for Angelos to criticize his fellow owners considering the money he’s thrown at the likes of David Segui and Sidney Ponson, not to mention his (supposed) willingness to sign Delgado for just $250,000 a year less than than what Florida will pay. Delgado and his agent are making certain they collect every penny they can, no doubt about that. But not only is the former Blue Jay taking a pay cut to play for the Marlins, his decision was completely justifiable from a baseball perspective.