• Joe: Just came across this. Interesting. Here's the way I would frame it: In the ...
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Juan Pierre is getting screwed

POSTED BY ON 1:16 pm, March 31, 2008 - POSTED IN News reel

Juan PierreJuan Pierre is an average outfielder. At best.

He has no power.

He has a terrible arm.

The contract the Dodgers signed him to before last season was insane.

On that, we can all agree.

So it’s really no surprise that the Dodgers have opted to go with Andre Ethier, Andruw Jones and Matt Kemp in the outfield, relegating Pierre to the bench.

But is Pierre wrong to complain about being demoted? I’m not so sure.

Here’s what Pierre told the L.A. Times:

“If they want to go a different route,” Pierre said, “I can live with it and I have to understand it but it’s something I don’t get.”

When the Dodgers signed Pierre, they knew exactly what they were getting — and they were thrilled to have it. So what’s changed?

In the four seasons before he signed with the Dodgers, Pierre didn’t miss a game. Last season, with L.A., he played all 162.

In 2006, with the Cubs, he batted .292. With the Dodgers he hit .293.

With the Cubs, Pierre’s OBP was .330. Last year it was .331.

With the Cubs, Pierre struck out 38 times and walked 32 times. With the Dodgers, he struck out 37 times and walked 33 times.

With the Cubs, Pierre stole 58 bases. With the Dodgers, he stole 64.

In every way possible, Pierre lived up to reasonable expectations. He has been, if nothing else, consistent.

If you interviewed for a job, told your prospective employer exactly what he/she could expect over the next four years and then went out and did exactly what you promised you would do, wouldn’t you be pissed if the company all of a sudden decided that wasn’t good enough?

I’m not saying the Dodgers were wrong to bench Pierre. By playing Ethier, they’re making the team better.

I’m saying they were wrong to sign him in the first place. Their inability to evaluate free agents has placed Joe Torre and Juan Pierre in an impossible situation. Pierre wants to play, but he doesn’t want to break the contract he worked so hard to land. Torre wants the best team possible, but he knows a starting gig was promised to Pierre — and he knows Pierre has lived up to his end of the bargain.

I think Pierre is right to be upset.

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7 comments so far

7 Responses to “Juan Pierre is getting screwed”

  1. Andrew Ryan says:
    March 31, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    As you say, Pierre has been exactly what the Dodgers were looking for, someone with speed and can hit for good average. Seems best to try to find a trade out there for Pierre at this point. His salary will be tough for many teams to take on, but should be able to get good quality for him…maybe an up and coming third baseman would be in order

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  2. Sarah Green says:
    April 1, 2008 at 8:52 am

    Coley, I agree that Pierre has a right to be pissed. This situation somewhat reminds me of the fix Julio Lugo may well be in by the end of this season. The Red Sox have a perfectly good shortstop prospect and I’m sure they’d prefer to give him the job. But the ridiculous contract they gave Lugo makes him very difficult, if not impossible, to move. But what are players like Lugo and Pierre to do? Turn down the money? “Sorry Mr. GM, you are way overvaluing me with that offer, and if I accept it, I’ll be impossible to trade once you realize your mistake and want to replace me with someone better.” Somehow, I can’t quite picture it.

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  3. melissa says:
    April 1, 2008 at 10:45 am

    What do you mean by, “..he doesn’t want to break the contract he tried so hard to land”? How can Pierre “break his contract”? He will show up and collect his money regardless of whether or not he plays, he’s not going to retire or allow the Dodgers to void the contract. I don’t understand how a player has a right to complain because a better player is on the field. What the Dodgers are doing here is uncharacteristic, they are playing the better player regardless of the players’ contracts. Shouldn’t fans be glad the Dodgers aren’t compounding their mistake by burying the young player? Pierre is getting paid huge money, I understand he wants to play, but he should keep quiet about it, show up ready to do his job and wait for a trade or injury. That would be the professional thing to do. You are exactly right that Pierre has been consistent and they shouldn’t have expected him to be anything more than that but the contract did not stipulate that they “owed” him playing time as well. There is nothing preventing the Dodgers from eating part of this contract and trading him to a team that could use him as a starter. If the Dodgers want to keep him as a fourth outfielder at what they are paying him, then he should deal with it. The White Sox are a team that might be able to use a guy like Pierre and they have an extra third baseman. He could get dealt, in the meantime it would be nice if he acted like a professional about it. Pierre has always come across as a decent guy and a “team” guy but I think he is wrong in this case. I bet there are a lot of aging mediocre players that wouldn’t mind getting “screwed” the way Pierre has here.

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  4. Sarah Green says:
    April 1, 2008 at 11:12 am

    I don’t know, I think Pierre is getting a bit screwed, though you make a good point about “breaking the contract.” When in baseball do contracts ever get voided? But also, how often do players play 162 games, hit in the .290s, and steal upwards of 60 bases? Pierre really ought to be playing every day. By contrast, Coco Crisp has complained more vocally than Pierre, and Coco has even less ‘right’ to do so. Yet a lot of people are sympathetic to Coco’s situation, while Pierre seems to be getting the cold shoulder.

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  5. coley says:
    April 1, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    Melissa, I think the only way Pierre gets to play everyday is to go someplace else. And the only way that’s going to happen is 1. The Dodgers eat a BIG part of his salary and trade him or 2. Pierre says to L.A., I want out of this deal.

    I’m sure the Dodgers would be more than happy to let Pierre out of his contract. Will Pierre ask out? Probably not. But that’s the only way Pierre can guarantee himself significant playing time this year.

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  6. coley says:
    April 1, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Oh, I should mention that I have no idea if the Player’s Union would allow Pierre to opt out of his deal.

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