Oh, no, I’m not saying that they shouldn’t write about it or that it’s not an interesting business topic. I’m just saying that their lack of baseball perspective leads them to the wrong conclusion. If Clayton Kershaw were available for what Arrieta was asking, they would sign him tomorrow, regardless of the tax implications. This article implies the luxury tax is the reason Arrieta isn’t signed. The real reason is he is a 30 year old pitcher already in decline. The lack of actual baseball insight makes them miss this nuance and causes them to make the completely wrong point.
If not for the tax then Arrieta would probably already be signed to a large contract. Age and declining production never stopped guys from getting signed before.
