The St. Louis Cardinals don’t do hometown discounts

Teams will continue to sign players – free agents, arbitration-eligible players, and youngsters scheduled to make the major league minimum – to long-term deals.  And many of those deals will look like bargains, with the Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez the most recent example.

No one is forcing players to put their names on the dotted line.  However, don’t automatically expect a below-market amount every time a player stays with the team with which he reached the majors.  Teams have money, and players have talent, and finding a reasonable compromise in terms of terms doesn’t have to depend on where a player was born, raised, or developed into a major leaguer.