Jayson Stark, writer for ESPN, suggests that now Roger Clemens has started playing part time, it will start the ripple effect on older players to start doing it. "I just hope it doesn't transcend into more guys wanting to do that," Stark quoted one National League executive as saying. "But I think the groundwork has been laid. What would keep a [John] Smoltz from wanting to do it? What's to keep a [Mike] Mussina from wanting to do it?" Don McKee says if a player like Smoltz or Mussina make 16-18 million a year, playing the last four months of the season would still bring them about 10-12 million dollars. And if Barry Bonds breaks the home run record and wants to continue playing, why not start your season in June and rest up for an extra couple of months. Could this start a new type of clause in contracts?Filed under:
As Players Age, Part Time Seasons Begin
Jayson Stark, writer for ESPN, suggests that now Roger Clemens has started playing part time, it will start the ripple effect on older players to start doing it. "I just hope it doesn't transcend into more guys wanting to do that," Stark quoted one National League executive as saying. "But I think the groundwork has been laid. What would keep a [John] Smoltz from wanting to do it? What's to keep a [Mike] Mussina from wanting to do it?" Don McKee says if a player like Smoltz or Mussina make 16-18 million a year, playing the last four months of the season would still bring them about 10-12 million dollars. And if Barry Bonds breaks the home run record and wants to continue playing, why not start your season in June and rest up for an extra couple of months. Could this start a new type of clause in contracts?