Minds were blown when former Dodgers outfielder Jayson Werth agreed to a seven-year, $126 million free agent contract with the Washington Nationals during the 2010 winter meetings.
A lot of money! So many years!
The CEOs gnashed their teeth. Another example of Agent Scott Boras deceiving one of his own, they said. The precedent, the impact on the market, the madness! New York Mets CEO Sandy Alderson at least covered his response with humor: “I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington.”
And for Werth? Yes, he starred in the 2008 and 2009 postseasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, helping them win two World Series and a title. But didn't the Dodgers unceremoniously release him rather than offer arbitration after he missed the 2006 season due to injury?
Today the contract would be considered a low offer. Meanwhile, Werth ended his solid 15-year career in 2017 with considerable financial wealth. And although he initially dedicated himself to organic farming, most of his interests gravitate toward competition.
As a player, he owned and operated a small mixed martial arts company called Capital City Cage Wars. A couple of years ago, he got into horse racing, not betting on races but owning racehorses.
And voila, Werth has a horse, Dornoch, in the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Kentucky Derby hopefuls Dornoch, front, and Endless work out Tuesday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Dornoch has a 20-1 chance to win Saturday's race.
(Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
“It's the only thing I can do at this point in my life that has any relevance to what I did for so long,” Werth told the Washington Post. “And then the day of the race when your horse runs, the nerves… I mean, I never got nervous about baseball. I had a job to do and I knew I was going to do it.
“But this? You know, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. When they're running and coming straight to the front, the stakes are high. … It's the only thing I can do where I feel those emotions that I felt when I was playing, the competitive juices. You want to win so badly.”
Werth's company (Two Eight Racing LLC is a nod to his MLB jersey number, 28) owns 10% of Dornoch, a 20-1 chance to win at Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old colt was purchased for $325,000, so Werth's investment was a modest $35,000. Dornoch is one of several dozen racehorses owned in part by Two Eight Racing.
Post position in the Kentucky Derby is a blind tie, and Dornoch was unlucky to get the number one spot, which puts him next to the rail to his left with little room to maneuver out of the gate.
Werth, however, seems happy to be there. He knows what it's like to be dealt a hard hand: He said the Dodgers misdiagnosed the torn ulnotriquetral ligament in his left wrist and owner Jamie McCourt had him seen by an eccentric quack named Vladimir Shpunt.
However, Werth finished his career strong, posting his best numbers after turning 30 and acknowledging his good fortune in finding a team that believed in his ability. Perhaps the same goes for Dornoch.
“People invest millions of dollars every year in horses just to try to get into the Derby,” he told the Washington Post. “Then people say, 'Wait. You've been doing this for two years and you already have a horse in the Derby? People do this all their lives and have never gotten a horse in the Derby.
“And I said, 'Yes, I know. I know. It doesn't escape me. “What we’ve been a part of here is crazy.”
