Mike Trout's dad taught history, his family happily middle class in Millville, New Jersey. Carlos Correa's father worked at construction sites in Puerto Rico, barely scraping together enough money so he could send Carlos to a school where he could learn English. Francisco Lindor remembers the long hours his mother worked at an office in San Juan and how she deferred his requests for a new piece of equipment by saying, "Maybe my next paycheck."
Very few players, an agent remarked this week, come from moneyed families, and of course, very few among them will make the kind of money Trout will earn in his career. Any wealth they have could feel temporary because of how quickly a playing career in professional baseball passes, particularly with the way the game is trending young. Yoenis Cespedes got a lot of attention for his fleet of custom cars, for his loose luxury, but he is an outlier. Most others might feel the anxiety of financial pressure -- of cashing in on opportunity built on how hard they can throw, or how far they can hit a ball.
This is why some agents and older players fretted this winter over the impact of another slow free-agent market and the early talk of looming labor strife. Some players are listening closely to union chief Tony Clark when he suggests they should save their money.
And some may be taking it a step further, and out of that concern -- maybe you can call it fear -- they might be looking to make as much money as possible, as soon as possible, and in the eyes of some agents, taking deals that don't reflect their actual market value.
Whit Merrifield signs a four-year, $16 million deal with the Royals; 25-year-old Aaron Nola, a Cy Young contender, gets $45 million; Friday, the Twins will announce long-term deals with 26-year-old Max Kepler and 25-year-old Jorge Polanco. Minnesota's deal with Polanco guarantees him $25.75 million, and in return, the Twins have seven years of control, because of two club options at the back end of the contract.
Each of these players has the right to make the best deal for himself and his family, but within the scope of the larger financial tug-of-war for the union and the owners, some agents see these deals as body blows for the players' association, because the players are getting markedly less than they could get if they were able to trust a system that looks increasingly antiquated. In the view of agents and some players, they are selling themselves short -- and bit by bit, weakening the union's position.
The union has been fighting a larger battle for veteran free agents the past two winters, but now younger players are grabbing for deals that guarantee them money but weaken the potential for growth. "This bolsters the middle class," said one agent, "but in the wrong way."
There is concern among the same agents that this early-spring wave of deals will grow, gathering momentum like a collective rush for the door in a panicked room, and that the union will continue to lose ground.
Here are some players, among many, who might be candidates for these early-bird contract extensions:
Luis Severino, Yankees. At his best, he is, like Nola, a Cy Young Award candidate. But he is coming off a year in which he struggled. UPDATE: The next Nola indeed. Severino and the Yankees have agreed to a 4-year, $40 million extension with a fifth-year club option.
Joey Wendle, Rays. He's coming off a strong season with Tampa Bay, but he turns 29 in April and is still five years of service time away from reaching free agency.
Matt Chapman, Athletics. He'll be 26 in April. Oakland typically flips its best young players in trades rather than locking them up to long-term deals, but the financial landscape has changed.
Khris Davis, Athletics. Over three seasons for Oakland, he has bashed 133 homers. But he's 31 and average at best on defense, and the free-agent market has not been kind to players like him -- corner outfield/infield slugger types -- in recent winters. He's making $16.5 million this year through arbitration.
Matt Olson, Athletics. He has been excellent in the first two years of his career, but he plays a position (first base) that has not paid well in recent winters for free agents not named Eric Hosmer.
Trevor Story, Rockies. Colorado's organizational priority right now is signing Nolan Arenado to a long-term deal, but locking up the 26-year-old Story could pay off for the team.
Kyle Freeland, Rockies. The Rockies picked him in 2014 at No. 8 overall in the draft, right after the Phillies took Nola at No. 7. They're on similar career trajectories.
German Marquez, Rockies. He's 23 and still making minimal dollars, at that stage of his career when he could be looking for long-term security.
Mitch Haniger, Mariners. He has improved in production and value over the early stages of his career, but he's 28 and is still far from free agency, having accumulated just two-plus years of service time.
George Springer, Astros. He's 29, and because the Astros didn't promote him until mid-April 2014, he won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season. With his accomplishments for the Astros in the early stages of his career, his leverage for a long-term deal might never be higher than it is right now.
Trevor Williams and Jameson Taillon, Pirates. Both have two-plus years of service time, and if the Pirates are going to sign either to a long-term deal, now would be the time to try to do it.
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs. He's 29 years old with four-plus years of service time.