Regarding saving $160 million (or more) through prudent contract management, MS (and many others) writes:
How on earth is Jeff Bagwell at $6.5 million a waste of a roster spot, time, money, etc.? Sure, his power numbers are way off, but he’s got an 872 OPS, and baseball can’t work that with the first signs of your best player ever showing a little decline, you release or trade him…. He’s still an above-average offensive player, and bound to turn it around in the next couple of months.