I know one American League executive whose team is going to lose.

It's that time of year again.

Time to feign outrage about the cold weather, the commercialization of Christmas, and the "skyrocketing" salaries for major league baseball players:

"Baseball's most valuable players this season raked in a combined $740,000 in salary, which is approximately what the Chicago Cubs plan to pay Alfonso Soriano every time he sneezes the next eight years."

In 2002, Alfonso Soriano was third in AL MVP voting while only earning $630,000. Then he became a free agent. Now, he's the poster boy for $100 million club.

This is how free agency works. This is how free agency has worked for 35 years. Stop acting all surprised.


"If there seems an incongruity with Justin Morneau making $385,000 and Ryan Howard getting $355,000 while Jamie Walker signs for $4 million a year because he happens to throw his 50 or so innings with his left hand, there is."

It's called free agency.


"It's such a deal, in fact, that the under-control player – preferably one with less than three years of service time, though fourth- and fifth-year arbitration-eligible players qualify, too – no longer is simply a luxury. With free-agent salaries filling with helium leading up to this year's Winter Meetings and showing no signs of abating, a quality zero-to-five player is now the most desired commodity in the game."

Well, duh.

But then they become free agents and, if you want to keep them on your team, you have to pay them $20 million per year.


"Forget the $20 million-a-year guy and forget prospects," one American League executive said. "Now it's guys who have established themselves who you can control for four or five years."

Justin Morneau and Ryan Howard are prospects and $20 million-a-year guys. It just depends of when.

First, they're prospects. Then, they're "under control." Then, they're $20 million-a-year guys.

If you forget the $20 million-a-year guys, then you're soon saying goodbye to Morneau and Howard.


"Flexibility comes with cheap contracts, and even though the minimum salary was raised 16 percent in the new collective-bargaining agreement, it's still $380,000, pennies compared to the long-term deals free agents are snagging."

Without prospects or expensive veterans, you can have a whole team of minimum wage rookies and mediocre talent.

Yes, your team will also have quite a bit of flexibility.

Some days you will lose by a lot and some days you will lose by a little.

Some days you will lose because of mediocre hitting and some days you will lose because of mediocre pitching and some days you will lose because of mediocre fielding.