09-04-2021, 12:09 PM
This question cannot be answered until next year, and maybe even the year after that.
1.) We need to see how he plays in 2021. Does he further cement himself as a top 5 safety? Does he get even better and show he might be the best or 2nd best overall? Does he regress, and look to closer to safety #10 than he does safety #1?
2.) Do we tag him? What is the tag amount for 2022?
3.) If the answer to #2 is yes, how does he react to the tag? Is he pissed? Does it hurt the locker room? Does he threaten to hold out or demand a trade? Or is he perfectly fine with it, and all is well?
4.) What does the market look like in FA? There's a number of safeties coming up on contract. Do a few of them sign big deals (15 mil +) and drive up the price? Does the amount of safties available bring down the price (supply vs demand)?
5.) Do we eventually sign Bates long-term? What does that contract look like compared to the 13-15 million he most likley was looking at this year? Is it more? Is it less? Is it the same?
The biggest concerns are that we end up paying more in the long run than we would have had we inked him early, and/or does tagging him hurt the relationship. On the flip side, we may not end up paying any more at all or we may even save money, and we get to see another year before commiting.
Like I said, no one can answer this until next Spring. And even then we still might not have our answer.
1.) We need to see how he plays in 2021. Does he further cement himself as a top 5 safety? Does he get even better and show he might be the best or 2nd best overall? Does he regress, and look to closer to safety #10 than he does safety #1?
2.) Do we tag him? What is the tag amount for 2022?
3.) If the answer to #2 is yes, how does he react to the tag? Is he pissed? Does it hurt the locker room? Does he threaten to hold out or demand a trade? Or is he perfectly fine with it, and all is well?
4.) What does the market look like in FA? There's a number of safeties coming up on contract. Do a few of them sign big deals (15 mil +) and drive up the price? Does the amount of safties available bring down the price (supply vs demand)?
5.) Do we eventually sign Bates long-term? What does that contract look like compared to the 13-15 million he most likley was looking at this year? Is it more? Is it less? Is it the same?
The biggest concerns are that we end up paying more in the long run than we would have had we inked him early, and/or does tagging him hurt the relationship. On the flip side, we may not end up paying any more at all or we may even save money, and we get to see another year before commiting.
Like I said, no one can answer this until next Spring. And even then we still might not have our answer.
