Juan Gone

I’m not even sure I can say why, but something about this felt very mean-spirited:

Second-strangest thing about the Tigers: Six years ago, they offered Juan Gonzalez a $150 million contract that would have destroyed them for the rest of the decade if he wasn’t dumb enough to turn it down. It’s almost like the entire franchise had a near-death experience. Anyway, they took advantage of that second life and now they’re headed for 100 wins. … Meanwhile, Juan Gone is playing in the Independent League along with my buddy JackO’s pal from home, and after JackO drove to Jersey to catch one of his friend’s games, they stopped at a Subway for dinner afterwards, and who walked in but Juan Gonzalez? That’s right, the two-time MVP Juan proceeded to sit down at a table and eat a Subway sandwich by himself. These are the things that happen when you turn down a $150 million contract. I feel like you need to know these things.

I know that Juan Gone was an overrated player, but he did hit 434 home runs and manage a career .561 slugging percentage. While the analysis of the contract is correct (the Tigers made a ridiculous offer, and Gonzalez an equally absurd decision in turning it down), it’s not terribly unlikely that Juan Gone would have found himself in the independent league, eating at Subway alone in any case. He made $87 million during his career, so my guess is that he’s there because of convenience, not because of poverty.