But Laura's also quite mad about this whole thing. Why?
For one thing, the "fans" are simply tearing Torii apart for this, calling him "greedy" and "disloyal." WTF?!? Yes, baseball players do get paid obscene amounts, but that's griping about the game, not this player. And as anyone who's ever had a well-paying but hellacious job can tell you, money is rarely reason enough to take or keep a gig. Far more important are feeling valued and having a solid future. The Twins have clearly demonstrated that they're not prepared to give Torii either of those things.
But the Angels are. They've signed Sweetcheeks for five years (while the Twins were only willing to go to three), but even more important, they're committed to building a team that has a real shot. The Twins don't seem to be interested in that route, preferring instead to save money and skip the quest for glory.
Now, if you wanted nothing in life more than to be a Broadway actor, would you take a job in Albuquerque? Hell, no! You'd go to NYC. So if Torii wants to chase a championship, why Earth would he stay here when he can work for someone who'll put his money where his mouth is?
On that note, compare the net worths of Angels owner Art Moreno ($1.2 billion) and Twins owner Carl Pohlad ($2.6 billion). Granted, it's always easier to spend someone else's money, but Carl's got plenty of it and if he's not willing to invest in the Twins, then maybe he shouldn't own them. Maybe he should leave baseball altogether and go back to (as one of his former part-time employees explains it) making inappropriate comments to his female staffers instead.
Oh, Torii, you'll always be my first baseball boyfriend. We'll miss you.
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