Thoughts on Ryan Braun's new deal

I am pleased to hear that Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum agree with me in that baseball shouldn't expand the playoffs. Good stuff there, worth a read. Expansion just serves to water down the regular season and a play-in round makes the early scheduling of the playoffs weird and if you ask me isn't exactly the true nature of the game because the division winners would be sitting for a long time in between games.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on leftfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers (11-10) signing a five-year contract extension to keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. Braun really is a superstar right now and it is very good for baseball that he will be staying in a smaller market like Milwaukee long-term. I was happy that Joe Mauer signed a long deal with the Twins last year, and I'm glad to see that team loyalty isn't dead. It's just not good when teams like the Yankees and Red Sox soak up all the best players as soon as they're eligible for free agency (or close to it via trade). Braun has always seemed to me like he has a good head on his shoulders and this is just further evidence of that.

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is Braun's teammate, first baseman Prince Fielder who is in the last year of his contract and unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee. Fielder is a great player, but he seems to be the type to try and exploit the free agent market and attempt to get a huge contract. Fielder's agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for getting every last penny he can from the highest bidder for his clients. Boras is not good for baseball, just more of a money guy. Not that I think guys shouldn't get paid, but I think loyalty should play at least some role. Braun is still making more money than he can probably ever spend, but he is also showing loyalty and that he is content and happy in Milwaukee. I like that.