According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kevin Millwood has signed with Texas for 5 years/$60 million, with the fifth year voidable if Millwood’s maddening habit of missing small to large amounts of innings continues (see 2001, 2004-2005). Millwood, who was perused by the Red Sox if the reports were true, will be 35 if the full contract comes to term.

Sixty million dollars is a hell of a lot of scratch for someone like Millwood. On it’s face, you have a guy who floats within the margin (the completely arbitrary number I just made up of +/- 5%) of completely average, at least for an American League starter at least if you tossing out some years, such as his sublime 1997, his great 2005, and his crappy 2004. Normally I hate doing that, but Millwood is particularly maddening pitcher to that end…he tantalizes with two years of greatness, and usually just notches as a second-banana at best. I don’t think it’s a far stretch to be able to say that Millwood is a very slightly above average pitcher capable of greatness, with a side of suck. Therefore, let’s just accept that point.

The point of this column isn’t to put Kevin Millwood into peer context, or historical context, or really any other context. No, Kevin Millwood simply represents a economic truth that has settled on baseball in this, the hyper-free agent era. Since Moneyball annoyed the sensibilities of baseball men, it’s much more common for the Internet-dwelling baseball fan to see baseball players for what they really are…assets for the baseball team to both win games and assify the seats. The best way to get people into the seats is to be a competitive baseball team (just as the Mariners…the World Series is just a happy eventual coincidence of adding another beer garden in center field. As an aside, I can’t wait to go to Safeco in July.) Players, as long reported by anyone who will listen, be the medium newspaper, TV, or barstool, want money also. Their interest in winning will make the level of cash they will accept float between the minimum acceptable and the most an owner will pay him.

This sets up a problem for the mediocre franchise. Teams like Detroit, Texas, Arizona (ok, average to awful have this problem) need to win to be able to be viable teams. If they don’t at least show the effort of being competitive, they need to be able to build a top-down franchise that Minnesota has been successful with, and Pittsburgh has Zach Duke and a decade of tumbleweeds. Because of the difficulty of prospecting, jumping the gap between “unexciting” and “competitive” is tough without doing things like overpaying for people to call your fair city home. Frequently, these teams actually take a larger risk, selecting players that have obvious warts and paying them above market in order to build some fan base/winning momentum into the future.

Case in point. Troy Glaus didn’t have a suitor willing to give him a long-term contract because there is always the possibility that he might actually fall apart on the field. In comes Arizona, coming off a successful history followed by an 111 loss year. A signature, four years and $45 million later, Glaus is a DBack. Detroit took Magglio Ordonez on for five years and $75 million despite the fact he can’t actually walk anymore. The Blue Jays, trying to keep up with the Red Sox and Yankees, overpaid for both BJ Ryan and AJ Burnett, adding both more money and years stealing them from the clutches of two have’s…the Cardinals and Yankees. Toronto, Arizona, and Detroit were party to the Glaus Complex…desperation tying into money and overpaying for good players that can really help them out despite warts.

What I’m saying is that some teams, until they build a reputation as a team that will consistently contend need to pay top+1 dollar to get high-ceiling (and in the case of Ordonez, Glaus, and Burnett very high injury risk, or with Ryan, reliever volatility risk) free agents.

Now, here is Texas. The Rangers, despite having one of the strongest pitching staffs in the AL in 2004 (in terms of results), has had a full decade where their pitching has been pretty awful. The reasoning behind this is almost completely geographical. You are in an environment begging baseballs to fly out of your ballpark (high heat and all) and a ballpark that is accommodating to that end. It’s Coors Field South, that wacky Ballpark in Arlington. So the Rangers have two strikes against them when it comes to attracting hurlers to their confines…they aren’t very good (on offense, only Michael Young and Mark Teixeira rank among the best at their positions) and their ballpark kills pitching statistics, which of course, costs players money in the future.

Enough background, I say. We’ll play in hypothetical right now. Texas decides that Millwood is a $9 million a year pitcher, and although he is an injury risk, they have no problem giving him a three year contract with an option for a fourth. Now, Texas is perusing him because they desperately need pitching, since their potential staff next year is injury-risks from trades Vicente Padilla, and Adam Eaton, good-looking youngsters Kameron Loe, and Juan Dominiguez, and the guy that worked the day shift in the canteen of the Oklahoma-to-Texas pitcher shuttle. Or even worse…John Wasdin. Millwood isn’t enamored by this offer but whatever no one else is calling. Here comes Boston, with their deep pockets, and sexy co-GM’s whispering things like “Hey, we’ll give you a 4th year guaranteed.” or “Screw that Texas heat, come pitch in Boston where it’s sub-arctic for a month and if you make contact with a pitch before Memorial Day, you might break a finger.” Or even worse for the mediocre ballclub “Whatever Texas offers you, we’ll give you a few million more.”

Young, and equally as sexy (see, we’re giving more time to non-Boston teams up in here) Rangers GM Jon Daniels panics. “Screw Boston,” says Daniels. “We’ll give you 5 years, at $12 million a year. Just give us a one year out if your arm actually does disintegrate in the next four years.” Such is the life of a mid-major baseball team.

Kevin Millwood at $12 million a year for a team like Boston is death, because it’s expensive and long. With guys like Schilling, Beckett, and Wells having health issues, Arroyo/Clement having goodness issues, and Wakefield having knuckleball issues, it’s too much to expect to have your 2nd highest paid starter be an average pitcher (I would say around Wakefield level) also have injury issues. For a team like Texas, they are going to a loan shark to try and save the family restaurant. The vig might kill them, but dammit, they have good scallops and a decent wine list. The people will come, Ray, oh yes. The people will come.

Kevin Millwood would be death for Boston. But the Rangers are gambling $60 million is the very thing they need.