When you are a clown in the Auguste “my appearance and behaviour is bizarre and meant for your entertainment” sense, it is difficult to flip switch and be taken seriously as a Professional Baseball Pitcher. When you are coming off a full year away from the game after your second Tommy John surgery and with a minimum guaranteed pay day of $6.8 million coming up, stuff gets serious in a hurry.
Such is the situation of Brian Wilson, annoyer of most and former closer of the San Francisco Giants. Wilson faces an old fashioned non-tendering by the San Francisco Giants as he is indeed owed at least $6.8 million after earning $8.5 million in 2012. Wilson signed a two-year, $15 million deal after the Giants 2010 World Series triumph. The Super Two player still has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, thus the guaranteed figure (the Giants cannot pay by less than 80% of his previous season’s salary as per the CBA).
With large arbitration raises due for fellow Giants Hunter Pence and Santiago Casilla, Wilson figures to be the odd man out. Should the Giants non-tender Wilson, he becomes a free agent. The Giants can then re-sign him unless another team steps to the fore…
