A Look at the Hunter "Courtship"

[Gregory Pratt]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al...-decision_N.htm

 

Center fielder Torii Hunter heard the words, and suddenly couldn't breathe, his heart pounding against his chest.

"Are you sure?"

 

It was a simple question posed by his agent, Larry Reynolds, and now it was time to finalize the most difficult decision of his baseball career.

 

 

FREE AGENT SCORECARD: Who's staying and going

"I paused for a minute," Hunter said. "I could feel myself get emotional. I had the Minnesota Twins in my head. I just kept hoping and praying they would kick the door in and say, 'Here we go, we want you for the next five years.'

 

"It never happened. Now, can you believe it? Me and the Rally Monkey are friends."

 

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Hunter is scheduled for a physical Monday in Orange County, Calif., before signing a five-year, $90 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. A press conference is scheduled Wednesday.

 

"I think I'll just put that money under my pillow," says Hunter, who will make $18.5 million in 2008, including a $2.5 million signing bonus. "It's hard to believe a little black kid from Pine Bluff, Ark., can have this kind of money. I don't think any of us are worth what we get, but that's what the market is."

 

Hunter, baseball's top free agent this winter outside Alex Rodriguez, provided USA TODAY a look inside his decision-making process: A period marked by stress, steak dinners, marketing tapes and, ultimately, a fast-food restaurant where the deal came down.

 

"I always imagined my deal would get done inside a board room or a Capital Grille," Hunter said. "Turns out it was done at a Del Taco. Can you believe it? The deal gets done over some tacos."

 

White Sox had inside track

 

Hunter, 32, was certain last week he was signing with the Chicago White Sox.

 

They floored him with their sales pitch, including a video with designated hitter Jim Thome and Chicago Bulls center Ben Wallace imploring him to come.

 

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams told Hunter he would improve the team's speed, vowing to trade for Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera. When he did several days later, Williams left him a text message.

 

"We got Cabrera. You're next."

 

"I love Kenny's aggressiveness," Hunter said. "I knew he would do whatever it'd take to be a World Series team, and he showed that."

 

Hunter's options were similar. The White Sox offered $75 million over five years. The Texas Rangers proposed a five-year, $73 million contract with an option. The Kansas City Royals came in with a five-year, $70 million proposal, with the promise they would go higher. The Twins had offered a three-year, $45 million proposal in September.

 

"I was sure I was going to Chicago," Hunter said. "It was going to be strange, because those guys were always the enemy. I just wanted to hear what the Dodgers were going to do. I was supposed to fly out Sunday to L.A. and meet (manager) Joe Torre and the Dodgers."

 

The Angels made sure the trip was canceled. So was Hunter's marketing video where the White Sox had him dressed as Spider-Man climbing the outfield walls in Chicago.

 

"Tell Torii I want all of that stuff back," Williams said, softly chuckling. "Even though we came out on the short end, I have the greatest respect for Larry and Torii. They were honest throughout this whole thing.

 

"It just bothers me that Anaheim could come in at the last second and blow the market away."

 

The Rangers met twice with Hunter and Reynolds, the last on Nov. 12 at the home of owner Tom Hicks. They had steak, asparagus, cheesecake, and a contract proposal.

 

"I was very impressed, and Tom Hicks was a cool guy," Hunter said. "I thought this guy was going to be uppity and snobbish. He was so down-to-earth. We were talking trash, crackin' jokes and everything.

 

"They made it hard because my family is here. My son (Torii Jr.) is in seventh grade. But even Torii told me, 'Dad, I don't want you to be here if they're going to lose. If you're here and we lose, kids are going to make fun of me in school."

 

Neighbors such as former NFL star Deion Sanders tried convincing Hunter that he'd be a hero in Texas. Sanders told him most of the former Cowboys like Michael Irvin are as popular as when they played.

 

"But those guys won Super Bowls," Hunter said. "The Rangers never won anything."

 

Hunter still held out hope as late as last week that the Twins would make a competitive offer. He instructed Reynolds to contact the Twins, but GM Bill Smith didn't increase the offer.

 

If Hunter had to leave Minnesota, he said his first choice was the St. Louis Cardinals. He grew up a Cardinals fan, but St. Louis wasn't attracted. The Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros expressed interest, but never presented offers.

 

The New York Yankees were the wild card. Reynolds said New York was interested, but only if center fielder Melky Cabrera was traded. Hunter was patient, but wasn't going to wait for the Yankees.

 

"We wanted a decision," says Williams, "but only because we had other things we were working on. When Larry called me at 10 (on Thanksgiving Eve), I'm thinking it's good news."

 

Reynolds instead was informing each team who made bids that Hunter was about to sign elsewhere.

 

"I didn't even ask him where he was going," Williams said. "I didn't care."

 

Sudden pursuit

 

The Angels' pursuit began last Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. PT when Reynolds telephoned Reagins, talking about his other free agents, when Reagins calmly asked:

 

"What's going on with Torii Hunter?"

 

Reynolds, friends with Reagins for about eight years, wanted to be sure he was serious.

 

"If I'm going to drive 45 minutes for nothing," said Reynolds, wearing a sweatsuit and tennis shoes to the meeting, "I'm going to knock you out."

 

They agreed to meet halfway between Anaheim and Reynolds' office in Riverside, at a Del Taco off the 91 Freeway in Corona. They had iced tea, talked for about 90 minutes, and Reagins gave his sales pitch to Hunter via telephone.

 

"I just wanted to be aggressive," Reagins. "I said, 'We're not going to fly you around to meet the manager or the owner. We're no-frills.' "

 

Hunter was euphoric. He loved that the Angels resembled the Twins' style of play.

 

"I didn't think they needed me," Hunter said. "But Tony told me, 'We want you, and trust me, you're going to win with us.' It blew me away."

 

Reagins offered the parameters of a five-year, $85 million deal before leaving the parking lot, and within 24 hours, he and Reynolds were at the Ayres Hotel in Orange County, finalizing the details of the $90 million contract. The deal was done by 10 p.m. PT, with a media conference call at 11:15.

 

Hunter didn't fall asleep until 4 in the morning and awoke three hours later to the buzz of his cellphone. He had 180 texts and messages by the end of the day, including one from Sanders, Hunter said, that read: ????

 

"This whole thing was surreal," Hunter said. "It was an exciting time being a free agent, but on the other hand, something I never want to go through again in my life."

[Dick Allen]

At least it shows the White Sox interest wasn't all for show. They really wanted the guy and almost had him. I hope not signing him will work out as well as not signing Vizquel and Wright in 2005.

[hitlesswonder]

I think it's weird how people (maybe the sports media) have blown Hunter up into a being a great ballplayer. He's good, but I don't think he's great His defense is deteriorating (he's even talked about moving to RF or LF in 2 or 3 years) and his offense is over-rated. His park-adjusted numbers for 2007 are .266/.333/.416. I'm not upset at all that the Sox didn't sign him....

[fathom]

That's a great article....only part that I don't want to see is KW saying he's bothered that a team could come in and blow their offer away.

[CanOfCorn]

That's a great article....only part that I don't want to see is KW saying he's bothered that a team could come in and blow their offer away.

 

Any GM would say the same.

[fathom]

Any GM would say the same.

 

All along, I've just said the one thing I don't want to hear from KW is the same tone he used last offseason with "market correction". I'm confident KW will take a new approach this offseason....but he can't start blaming other teams if they go the extra mile to get the player they want. He's the person who wasted 4.5 million on a SS we don't need now.

[EvilMonkey]

Haven't the Angels screwed with the Sox sever times lately? Didn't they try and sign away Konerko, and make JD a last second offer higher than what he agreed to with us? I may have the teams mixed up, but I thought both times it was the Angels. Did Kenny mess around with Reagins' wife or something?

[Kalapse]

Stoneman was the GM when the Angels went hard after Konerko and it was the Rangers that made the last second offer to Dye.

[TheBigHurt]

Man... I'm more depressed after reading that now.

[hitlesswonder]

All along, I've just said the one thing I don't want to hear from KW is the same tone he used last offseason with "market correction". I'm confident KW will take a new approach this offseason....but he can't start blaming other teams if they go the extra mile to get the player they want. He's the person who wasted 4.5 million on a SS we don't need now.

 

I think it's pretty clear that I'm not a big fan of the job Williams has done/is doing. But even I can't begrudge him the Uribe signing. They needed to have at least 1 guy in the entire organization that can play something resembling major league SS. At the time, there really wasn't much choice I think. And it's not much money at all, and it's only one year. Vizquel got more money. Here are the FA SS options out there:

SHORTSTOPS

 

44. David Eckstein (33) - Could be substantially overpaid because of waif shortstop class.

 

103. Chris Gomez (36) - Repeat: Chris Gomez is the second-best free-agent shortstop.

 

127. Chris Woodward (31) - Somehow, entering his 10th season.

 

128. Royce Clayton (38) - Could sign with his 12th team.

 

137. Ramon Martinez (35) - Only 29 home runs in nearly 2,000 career at-bats.

 

143. Neifi Perez (34) - Officially the worst player in the class of '08, and he's still got time left on his amphetamine suspension. Could this be the end of the Neifi Index?

 

The Uribe signing isn't a big deal. And for a team with question marks at 3rd and 2nd, he's an OK backup that is overpaid by $2M a year. That's not that bad.

 

If Williams trades Uribe for nothing and turns around to sign Izturis to a 2 year/$8M deal then we can talk...

[Texsox]

The question I have is at what price could LA have signed him? They went to 90, 15 over the Sox. Could they have gotten him for 85? 80? 75? Seems like they left a lot of money on the table.

[Balta1701]

The question I have is at what price could LA have signed him? They went to 90, 15 over the Sox. Could they have gotten him for 85? 80? 75? Seems like they left a lot of money on the table.

Not exactly certain what the numbers are...but I believe there's a non-trivial difference in the highest income tax rates between Illinois and California, and that might make up part of the difference.

[RockRaines]

At least it shows the White Sox interest wasn't all for show. They really wanted the guy and almost had him. I hope not signing him will work out as well as not signing Vizquel and Wright in 2005.

Basically they had him until the Angels decided to give him a horrendous contract. I like that Kenny was good in the negotiations and wasnt short bidding.

[witesoxfan]

Basically they had him until the Angels decided to give him a horrendous contract. I like that Kenny was good in the negotiations and wasnt short bidding.

 

and that he didn't overbid, and that he didn't include a 6th year, and that he just let him go when he went more expensive than the Sox were willing to offer.

 

I really do hope that the Sox end up with either Rowand or Jones now. It's weird, because it seems some people don't realize how good Rowand has been at times, and others don't realize how mediocre he's been. However, even if the Sox have to go to a 5th year, 5/$70-75 for Rowand would almost certainly not be the worst contract the White Sox have ever given out, and it almost certainly won't be the worst contract given out this offseason, so long as Rowand keeps his detrimental face plants into the wall at a minimum.

[rockren]

The question I have is at what price could LA have signed him? They went to 90, 15 over the Sox. Could they have gotten him for 85? 80? 75? Seems like they left a lot of money on the table.

 

The article said that the Angels wanted to prevent Hunter from meeting with the Dodgers.

 

Judging from the recent offers of 5 yr/75, 5yr/73, 5yr/70.....you certainly would assume if the Dodgers were to bid- they'd bid higher. For the Angels to offer 5yr/90 just to make sure he didn't visit with the Dodgers makes sense if they wanted him that badly.

 

The only reason I'm disappointed we didn't get Hunter is because he's who the WSox really wanted.

 

I'm glad we didn't get him because he just isn't worth that kind of money. He's not even close to the 5yr/75 mil to what we offered him.

 

I think it's fitting that Ben Wallace was in a video to get him here...Hunter probably saw him and thought, "Wow it woudl suck to end up like him and have the city of Chicago accuse me of stealing money."

[Linnwood]

Not exactly certain what the numbers are...but I believe there's a non-trivial difference in the highest income tax rates between Illinois and California, and that might make up part of the difference.

Hunter lives, as I understand it, in Texas. So it doesn't matter what the income tax is in IL or CA, as he wouldn't be paying it. (This is the reason so many professional athletes, as well as members of the military, claim Florida as home. They have no income tax.)

 

 

Regarding the article, It bothers me how both the White Sox and the Rangers made concerted efforts to convince Hunter that they were teams that could win and would be good fit, and in the end Anaheim invited him to a fast food restaurant, threw a pile of money at him and said "So?"

 

I'm just glad KW didn't try to out bid LAA.

[Texsox]

Hunter lives, as I understand it, in Texas. So it doesn't matter what the income tax is in IL or CA, as he wouldn't be paying it. (This is the reason so many professional athletes, as well as members of the military, claim Florida as home. They have no income tax.)

 

 

Regarding the article, It bothers me how both the White Sox and the Rangers made concerted efforts to convince Hunter that they were teams that could win and would be good fit, and in the end Anaheim invited him to a fast food restaurant, threw a pile of money at him and said "So?"

 

I'm just glad KW didn't try to out bid LAA.

 

State taxes are decided by where you earn them. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/P112872.asp

They can avoid some income taxes on endorsements and other off the field stuff, but he will be paying California income tax for his Angels salary, at least for home games.

[Melissa1334]

Man... I'm more depressed after reading that now.

same here..esp bcuz torii said he thought for sure he was gunna sign with the sox..

[southsider2k5]

I was happy to see that article for a couple of reasons, but the big one was that it puts the stupid myths that the Sox are cheap, and that the Sox are unprofessional somehow when chasing after free agents. There was a lot of praise for Williams and the Sox in there.

[29andPoplar]

I was happy to see that article for a couple of reasons, but the big one was that it puts the stupid myths that the Sox are cheap, and that the Sox are unprofessional somehow when chasing after free agents. There was a lot of praise for Williams and the Sox in there.

 

I agree. Here's the thing though, people will believe what they want to believe and every time something doesn't happen right with the White Sox they will think it's because they are cheap or stupid or both.

 

It's a game of risks in terms of putting a team together. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. This is true for any franchise. The Sox need to do better behind the scenes (developing and acquiring young talent) but I have no qualms how this one worked out.

[knightni]

State taxes are decided by where you earn them. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/P112872.asp

They can avoid some income taxes on endorsements and other off the field stuff, but he will be paying California income tax for his Angels salary, at least for home games.

 

I work in Indiana and pay Michigan state tax.

[Mplssoxfan]

Hunter lives, as I understand it, in Texas. So it doesn't matter what the income tax is in IL or CA, as he wouldn't be paying it. (This is the reason so many professional athletes, as well as members of the military, claim Florida as home. They have no income tax.)

Regarding the article, It bothers me how both the White Sox and the Rangers made concerted efforts to convince Hunter that they were teams that could win and would be good fit, and in the end Anaheim invited him to a fast food restaurant, threw a pile of money at him and said "So?"

 

I'm just glad KW didn't try to out bid LAA.

If I'm not mistaken, many, if not all, states (ones that have an income tax, that is) have laws that tax performers and athletes for their performances in that state. So playing in a non-income tax state would be beneficial to any athlete, since he'd only have to pay state tax on half his games.

[Texsox]

I work in Indiana and pay Michigan state tax.

 

Check with a tax accountant. State Income taxes typically are taxes on income earned in that state, not a tax on their citizens for income they earned anywhere. That is why the states refund the portion that other states have withheld.

 

If your company is headquartered in Michigan, and they consider that your home base, and you are assigned a territory that is Indiana, it is in the gray area that hits pro athletes.

 

Same thing happens on the federal level. I paid Mexico income taxes for my earnings in Mexico and was credited against my US income tax. Living in Texas I avoided any state issues.

[knightni]

My company was headquartered in Indiana originally, now it's in Connecticut.

 

I believe that you pay the state tax of the state of your home residence.

[Linnwood]

I didn't realize there were special laws for performers and athletes. I stand corrected.