So the word comes down today that Bronson signed an extension with the Cincinnati Reds. Not surprisingly, my first reaction was "Well, he won’t be playing in Boston any time soon". I was bummed. Still am a little bit, I suppose. But let’s be realistic, it isn’t like Bronson had some guarantee to come back to Boston – and with the rotation pretty much set, it isn’t like there’s much of a place for him, unless he’d go back to the bullpen. So my pipe dream of Bronson coming back to Boston is up in smoke. (At least until 2010.)
Given my affection for him, you’d think I’d be more upset. But after reading about the terms of the extension ($25 million more than what he was going to make), how the heck can I NOT be happy for him? I think Bronson is a good pitcher and I miss his being in Boston, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t any other team who would have thrown that kind of money at him. So after what happened to him last year in Boston (not thinking about the money and getting traded), he absolutely knew what he was doing when he took this extension. What Bronson said at the press conference today:
"It’s comfortable here. With what’s going on this offseason, pitchers
are getting outrageous sums of money. For me to pass up the opportunity
to sign a two-year deal with the offer they had, it would have been
stupid. Had I been in a place that I really, really hated and didn’t
want to come to the ballpark every day, maybe I wouldn’t do it."
The MLB article mentions that Bronson has become a bit of a cult icon in Cincinnati because he pitched well last year and because of his musical inclinations. It’ll be interesting to see how long that lasts if he pitches more like he did in the second half of last season than the first.
I also watched his press conference. He made it pretty clear that this was all about the money. Good for him. Seriously. He went with his heart last year and got burned. He’s now in a position where he gets his payday AND gets to play somewhere he enjoys. I’m happy for him. I hope he does as well as people expect, but I worry that he won’t.
I’m surprisingly okay with this. A little sad, but happy at the same time. Like the subject line reads…
You realize, once MLB and Direct TV make that damn deal final, I’ll be leaner toward the pissed off side since that will ensure I don’t get to see Bronson pitch for quite a while.
Eh, either way, good luck, Bronson. Nice to see you get your moment in the sun!
(screen grab from today’s press conference)
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