how does this get distributed? i always hear defenders of the current situation saying that certain teams are getting free money from Luxury Tax and not spending it.

I agree that teams should be required to spend that money on salary or give it back, but I’m just curious as to how it gets distributed. In the grand scheme of MLB, 25 million isn’t a ton of money, especially if its thinned out between teams – and as far as I understand nobody else is paying any Luxury Tax this year. Correct?

A lot of those people are morons. One person said that “nobody thinks [Derek Lowe] is an AL East pitcher.” I guess that guy never saw Lowe pitch until after 2004.

Mostly because it strikes the exact note I’ve been trying to argue: that Loney’s production is not now a problem and will not be a problem in 2010, no matter how he hits, but may be a problem in 2011 and going forward; still, you don’t give up on a guy with his pedigree easily, lightly, or for nothing.

My question is: does the Karros comp help or hurt Loney’s case? Yes, there’s the 145 OPS+ from ‘95, but his production in ’96 and ’97 left a lot to be desired. Looking back on it, it sure seems like the Dodgers kept waiting around for him to put up another 1995. They’d get it in 1999… But I suppose that the Karros lesson for the Dodgers was long-term deal, not the arb years. 1995 was certainly worth 1996, and then, how do you determine, in the 1996 offseason, if ’95 was a breakout followed by a down year or a fluke followed by true level?

What did Youkilis/LaRoche get in their 2nd and 3rd arb years? What is Jacobs likely to get this year? What kind of production will Loney have to put up to be worth it — 800 OPS? 850?

Also, as much as I love seeing Youkilis’s name there… I’ll note that in addition to his ability to play 3rd base, which gives him value over Loney, Youkilis (a) had two seasons of about 110 OPS+ going into his arb years, and if Loney had done that, nobody would be talking about him, and (b) Youkilis became YOUKILIS at age 29, which I believe was his second arb year; Loney will be a free agent at age 29. I know you’re not really comparing Loney to Youkilis — I’m just pointing stuff out.