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Terry's Talkin' with Terry Pluto

Welcome to this week's Terry Pluto Newsletter!

WHAT IS IMPORTANT?

As I’m writing this, I’m at the Guardians game vs. the Mets on Tuesday night. Francisco Lindor was leading off for the Mets.

Lindor has been gone for 3 ½ years, but it seems strange to see him in a Mets uniform. But not nearly as jarring as his .193 batting average. After the 2020 season, the Guardians traded Lindor to the Mets for Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario and two nondescript prospects,

But I really want to write about Jose Ramirez, who made the decision to sign a modest (by MLB’s outrageous standards) 7-year, $141 million deal in the spring of 2022 to stay in Cleveland.

The media member who knows Jose the best is Andre Knott, who works on the Bally Sports Guardians TV broadcasts. Andre has visited Jose in the All-Star’s home – Bani, Dominican Republic.

Earlier in the year, I talked to Andre about Jose’s decision to sign that hometown discount deal two years ago.

“While Jose and I have not directly talked about it, I know Jose,” said Knott. “I know he has no regrets. He values comfort and family over other things. He has two houses in the Dominican, all the cars and toys he wants. He doesn’t see things the way a lot of pro athletes do.”

Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million contract with the Mets before the 2021 season. I heard Lindor didn’t originally consider New York his prime destination. His main targets were the Dodgers and perhaps Toronto.

He could have played the 2021 season on the final year of his Cleveland contract, then become a free agent. But he was overwhelmed by the money from the Mets. It’s the sixth-richest contract in terms of guaranteed total dollars in the Majors.

Is Lindor happy with his decision? Only he can answer that. He also is smart and savvy enough to say all the right things about going to New York. Besides, he’s locked in long term there so he'd better make the best of it.

CHECK IT OUT

Here's my Sunday column on Jose and Lindor:

https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/2024/05/francisco-lindor-is-gone-jose-ramirez-stayed-what-about-mets-guardians-terry-pluto.html

Francisco Lindor (AP photo)

BEHIND THE CONTRACT CURTAIN

Many athletes and their agents not only keep score in terms of wins and losses and personal stats, but also contracts. It’s why Lindor’s deal is $341 million – $1 million more than the $340 million contract San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. had signed earlier.

Lindor’s agent is David Meter. Lindor was his highest-profile client in 2021. It was important for him to negotiate a lucrative contract for the shortstop. It helps attract other clients. That’s not just true of Meter, but also of the vast majority of agents.

No doubt that Meter made a super financial deal for his client – which is the goal of most agents. I’m not faulting him.

The Players Association also wants its members to sign the richest contracts possible. The idea is the next star can use Lindor’s deal as a base to demand a mega-deal. Family and friends sometimes tell players they need to sign a contract for as much or more than another player.

Finally, agents usually are paid a percentage, usually in the 3% to 5% range. So the higher their contract, the larger their cut of the player’s deal.

Let’s say the agent is paid 3% of the contract signed by Lindor and Jose. Lindor’s deal would be worth about $10 million to the agent, while Jose’s would be worth about $4 million.

The union, the agents and the competitive streak found in many athletes often lead to the player deciding, “I’ll just take the money.”

LINDOR'S CONTRACT DETAILS

These details come from Cots Contracts, my favorite site for MLB contract information:

You can check out the information here:

https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/national-league/new-york-mets/

Jose’s contract information is here:

https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/american-league/cleveland-guardians/

Jose Ramirez (AP photo)

JOSE IS DIFFERENT

As Andre said, “Jose doesn’t see things the way a lot of pro athletes do.”

I repeat that quote because it’s why Jose stayed in Cleveland.

“Jose knows what he wants,” said Knott. “Jose doesn’t let a lot of people influence him when it comes to things like his contract and money. He came up in the Cleveland organization and this is where he wants to play. He talked to guys who have bounced from team to team and realizes the grass is not always greener on the other side.”

In Cleveland, Jose isn’t under pressure to do media interviews or other off-field activities. He doesn’t need a major market to tell him that he’s a great player. He knows that.

The one clause Jose insisted be in his contract was a “no-trade.” He was smart enough to know if he signed a discount deal, he should have the right to control where a team would trade him. Cleveland was glad to add that clause to the contract.

Here’s the column I wrote with Andre Knott about Jose:

https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/2024/04/how-does-jose-ramirez-reflect-values-of-guardian-fans-from-northeast-ohio-terry-pluto.html

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A plea to keep french fries in all their simple glory (AP photo)

TOM HAMILTON ASKS AN ETERNAL QUESTION

Before a recent game, I was visiting with Tom Hamilton, the Guardians radio voice. The subject of how restaurants keep coming up with gourmet french fries.

“Why do they ruin great french fries by putting all this crap on them?” asked Hamilton. “When did that start?”

I couldn’t stop laughing.

It’s a good question: What’s wrong with basic, crispy Crinkle Fries. Maybe add some catsup, but that’s it. I love Crinkle Fries.

But no, people want to put Guacamole on fries. And stuffed peppers … or something. Who knows? Besides, Hamilton and I are Medicare age, so the marketers probably think our opinion doesn’t count.

HEY, TERRY FEEDBACK

I can use some Hey Guardians questions. I need your full name. Send them to:

[email protected]

HEY, TERRY

A BROKEN RIB STORY

Hey, Terry: “I am mystified at Jarrett Allen's rib contusion causing him to miss most of the playoffs. Other than pain there does not appear to be a risk of further injury. It's bothersome to see him sitting on the sidelines with this passive look on his face. He's totally disengaged unless smiling, clapping and other shows of emotion are too painful to display. I'm not minimizing pain but I thought he might dress for a game.”

– Keith Von Zupp

Hey, Keith: The Cavs refused to confirm it, but I’m convinced Allen had a cracked rib (or ribs). A top source told me he was in “excruciating pain” and he had problems sleeping. It even hurts to breathe at times.

I’ve had broken ribs twice in my life. The last time was in November. It’s a long story, but Roberta and I were hiking part of the Appalachian Trail in Maryland. I fell, banged into a brick wall and ended up with at least two broken ribs and a shoulder separation.

In terms of pain, the ribs were worse than the shoulder. The problem with the rib injury is there is nothing much that can be done to help the healing – or relieve the pain. Taking a shot doesn’t help because it’s a big area, assuming the ribs were broken.

Another factor with broken ribs is if you get hit in that area, that can lead to more breaks and possibly internal injuries.

That’s my amateur medical opinion from someone who has been there.

As for Allen, he had played 81 consecutive games before sitting out Game 5 of the Orlando series and the rest of the playoffs. As for how he looked on the bench, I can relate. You feel distant and out-of-it with that injury for several weeks.

J.B. Bickerstaff (AP photo)

A VOTE FOR BICKERSTAFF

Hey, Terry: “Great article in Sunday PD. There is no denying the progress the Cavs have made under Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Sure we wish we could have beaten the Celtics, but how is that possible with your top players injured? And as you’ve said before, winning isn’t everything. We just enjoyed six months of pretty good Cavs basketball!”

– Bill Marting

Hey, Bill: Winning is important, but you can enjoy a season without the team winning the ultimate championship. I favor bringing Bickerstaff back, especially since there are no exciting alternatives. Not sure what the Cavs will do. Word is President Koby Altman will address the media later this week.

A year ago, coaches such as Nick Nurse, Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer were available. I really like Williams, who did have a rough time in his first year with Detroit. Budenholzer was recently hired by Phoenix. He replaced Vogel, who was fired for the second time in two years,

I like Nate McMillan, but he’s a lot like Bickerstaff. McMillan even played for J.B.’s dad (Bernie Bickerstaff) in Seattle. We’ll see what comes next.

FAITH & YOU FEEDBACK NEEDED

I wrote a column on advice to graduates. I’m looking for ideas on this subject for a future column. Please send them to:

[email protected]

Here’s the column:

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/05/advice-to-graduates-about-crazy-relationships-opinions-texting-terry-plutos-faith-you.html

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO READ?

In addition to my columns for Cleveland.com, I also write books, including 28 books on sports so far. As much as there is to say about Cleveland football, baseball and basketball on a daily basis, there’s usually more to a story than can fit in a column.

I’ve written books about baseball (“The Curse of Rocky Colavito,” “Our Tribe”), football (“Browns Town 1964,” “Things I’ve Learned from Watching the Browns,”), and basketball (“The Comeback” – about the Cavs 2016 NBA championship, “Joe Tait”).

Inspiration for a book sometimes comes from readers’ responses to a column. A few years ago I wrote about the death of former Cavaliers star John “Hot Rod” Williams. I covered him as a Cavs beat writer during his career. After the column was published, I heard from a lot of readers who also remembered him fondly. That led me to write “Vintage Cavs,” a book of stories about players like Hot Rod who left a lasting impression on Cleveland fans.

You can check out www.terrypluto.com

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