Wanna see a whiff?
X, formerly Twitter, isn’t always the best way to judge someone’s work, as all we see are headlines or tweets specifically designed to attract eyeballs. But Ronsethal’s actual column doesn’t get much better than you see here, as he equates the horrific crimes that Franco is accused of (which Franco denies) to being unable to hit for power or indulging in normal activities of a young man with millions of dollars at his disposal. But being unable to catch up to high fastballs or spending too much time in da club isn’t the same as, y’know, being a pedophile.
From Rosenthal’s piece:
“Perhaps the team should have proceeded with greater caution, knowing few people in Franco’s age range are fully formed adults.”
One would have to imagine that every team is highly aware that players in their early 20s are not fully formed adults, but that doesn’t mean they can anticipate one of them carrying on a sexual relationship with a child. For Rosenthal to lump every player 25 or under into Franco’s category is insulting, at best.
And more:
“Teams undoubtedly will continue awarding such contracts, understanding some will not work out, mostly for performance reasons. But small-market clubs such as the Rays, in particular, stand to benefit if a player of Franco’s ability fulfills his potential. The player becomes a major asset at a below-market price when otherwise he might grow too expensive in arbitration and free agency.”
Rosenthal even takes time out from somehow equating the sexual abuse of a minor to all the other ways young players don’t work out to carp for ownership, pointing out that the Rays have to get these things right because all their players have to outperform their contracts as they simply can’t afford to pay players what they’re worth. Which is garbage. When you’re taking a flame-thrower to yourself, it’s important you don’t miss a spot.
While MLB could certainly use a better vetting process of the kids in the minor leagues or who are draft eligible, and better training for everyone, the idea that teams should be wary of signing any young player to a contract extension because they might be a secret sex pest of some sort is just about as cynical as it gets. And certainly something more than a few owners would use as a false flag to keep their money in their own pockets, something they never need more impetus to do. Were the Rays supposed to hire private eyes to follow Franco, and all their players, around 24/7?
Rosenthal continues:
“As it stands, Franco’s presence at spring training and availability for the start of 2024 appear to be in doubt. And even if the Rays get long-term financial relief, they still would lose a switch-hitting shortstop who made the All-Star team last season.”
Franco’s availability to the Rays at any point isn’t a concern, not with what he’s been accused of. No one cares, or no one should, and the Rays certainly aren’t any kind of victim here. It shouldn’t be mentioned.
Yet, there is more:
“If Franco, listed at 5-foot-10 and 189 pounds, outgrew the position but failed to add power, he might prove to be nothing more than a singles-hitting corner infielder — and not worth the $25 million salaries he would receive in each of the final five years of his contract.”
Again, Franco flaming out because he didn’t develop in a baseball fashion isn’t the same galaxy as what he’s accused of. The two of them can’t be linked, and even hinting at putting other players who didn’t get it done on the field as young players in the same group as Franco is offensive to them to a degree we can’t really calculate. It’s not the same thing.
Rosenthal goes on to mention Franco’s benching for getting into it with Randy Arozarena or not hustling on the bases, which again, are not in the same universe. And they’re certainly no indication of what was to come, something the Rays should have picked up on. The throughline from “didn’t run out a grounder” to “statutory rape” isn’t exactly a common one.
Rosenthal continues to link Franco’s situation to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s problems in San Diego, like his motorcycle accident and his PED suspension. While Tatis certainly made some really dumb decisions, and his apparently lack of motorcycle skills can and did put others in danger, IT’S STILL NOT STATUTORY RAPE. One wonders what Tatis might think of being linked to Franco in this piece and whether he might have a thought to share with Rosenthal for doing so.
The article then says that Franco’s chances of playing in MLB again are still alive, no matter how remote, which isn’t anything anyone should be thinking about, much less stating. Certainly, no one wants Franco back in MLB at this point, and it would take some major revelations for that to be even a possibility. We’re already dealing with the possibility of Trevor Bauer returning, and he was never charged with a crime, nor should he ever play in MLB again either.
Rosenthal ends his column by beseeching teams to take even more care in handing out contracts, which sounds an awful lot like saying every team should assume all their players that are young are possible sex criminals. As if teams don’t already do a lot of due diligence on maturity levels and makeup, and to reiterate, maturity level and makeup and support systems are still thousands of miles from statutory rape.
MLB players already face a huge challenge in getting paid for their primes and free agency is still locked in for when most of them have passed it, and even current free agents like Jordan Montgomery or Cody Bellinger seemingly can’t get the money they’re worth at the moment because of baseball’s cheapness. Rosenthal throwing out the possibility that fewer players should get paid before getting out of arbitration because one might have turned out to be a sex criminal is only doing the owners’ work for them, as well as being the height of distasteful.
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