Should I stay or should I go?

As the Hot Stove (or the Thermogenic Kiln, as Tom calls it) starts to warm up, and we start to hear tasty little morsels such as this, Paul at Nice Guys Finish Third has a timely reminder that the phrase 'free agent' still contains the word 'free'. As much as I dislike, as a fan, being called 'Silly Putty' (gee thanks, Paul), he makes a very valid point:

All that Jorge Posada, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, or any other free agent, would have to do is to talk to their agent and say "I’m a Yankee/Red Sox/Astro and I want to stay that way. I love it here. Get it done." and it would be done.

As if to illustrate the point, today's news includes the deal signed by Troy Percival, formerly of the Anaheim Angels and now a Detroit Tiger. Percival was scheduled to go on a four-city tour to meet potential suitors, but he liked what he saw in Detroit, so he picked up the phone, called his agent and got the deal done. I like the fact the he didn't play off one club against another or spend weeks agonising over the decision:

"I know what I want when I want it," Percival said. "I don't need to go out and search for an extra dollar."

Easy to say when you're making $6 mil a year, but there are players out there who will be doing just that, so I tip my cap all the same.