Feb. 29--How great is it to be a Cubs fan right now?
Your roster is stacked with talented, jubilant players. Your manager believes in fresh legs. You might have Chicago's best Aaron Brooks.
And best of all, your general manager is Jed Hoyer, not Neal Huntington.
Huntington is the genius who decided to diss the Pirates' best pitcher by taking a page from 1960s George Halas.
As you might have read, the Pirates skimped so badly on ace Gerrit Cole's salary, they did the impossible -- making people feel sympathy for a baseball player earning half a stick.
Cole made $531,000 last year while finishing fourth in National League Cy Young voting. Huntington's original offer for 2016 was $538,000 -- actually less than Cole made last season when you include a $10,000 bonus for making the All-Star Game.
"We made a mistake in the process," Huntington told reporters. "We've owned that. We'll evolve."
So you've been on the job since 2007 and now you're acting like it's your first day?
A reminder: Teams have the right to name the salary for players with less than three years of service time. But it would be wise to make exceptional performers feel like they're valued. That's how you get your best from employees.
"They even threatened a salary reduction to the league minimum if I did not agree," Cole said.
Cole will become a free agent after the 2019 season. Enjoy him while you can, Pittsburgh.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
