The final post on the Pedro situation

Yesterday, Pedro Alvarez finally put his signature on a contract that made him an official member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He seems to have an idea that there are some people in Pittsburgh upset at him for this, and he had this to say:

"I'm so happy this day has come," Alvarez said in a conference call with reporters from PNC Park last night. "I just want to play baseball."

[...]

"I just want the fans of Pittsburgh to judge me as the professional player that I am now," Alvarez replied to a question on that subject. "I will work my hardest to be the best player I can be, to be a leader on and off the field in the community. It's a big day for me and my family. When I was a little kid, we dreamed of this. And the fact that it's a reality now ... all I can say is, starting today, I will be the best player I can be."

If you have a chance, I'd recommend reading all of Dejan's article. And if you're one of the people mad at him, I'd remind you that baseball is a business and that this situation wasn't even particularly contentious when compared to some Boras situations in the past.

If you're a BP subscriber, Kevin Goldstein has his last update on the situation. He says that the first day of the grievance hearing went pretty poorly for baseball, at which point they informed the Pirates that if they didn't re-negotiate with Alvarez there was a chance they'd lose him and their compensatory pick as a penalty. This likely goes back to the argument that baseball knowingly broke the CBA by granting the extensions and anticipated a slap on the wrist, which would make their violation even worse. The talks took place with the consent of the MLBPA, commissioner's office, and arbitrator, as they agreed that it represented a fair window for Alvarez to negotiate, which he lost when the deadline was extended.

And finally, that's that.