Speculation Liam Baker

[Jeremias]

Time for some house cleaning.

1) Do not drag discussions or individual posts over here from other threads or boards.

Feel free to respond to those posts wherever they were posted, if you so choose.

2) Enough with the personal attacks. It’s a long season and this one may go the distance, so if you want to remain a part of the discussion, do it respectfully.

We will use thread bans and infractions if necessary.

 

[WilloTree]

My guess (and a bit of historical input) is that Freo will cough up at the top end something reasonable and then spend the two weeks pissing around with late pick swaps.

 

[Mesc]

Meh, He's not worth the hassle IMO. Offer up something "Fair" if its rejected move on .

 

[Farang83150]

WCE to find the pick to satisfy the trade
Not richmond problem

It really is IF he were to say he wants to go to WC.

 

[Farang83150]

If they are willing to pay him $1 m a year I am pretty confident the deal with Richmond will be done in about 5 minutes . These deals are done months before trade week .

They will work it out and it will be for the equivalent of a top 10 pick

He is worth every cent of that and more to be honest

Bloke pretty much never plays a bad game .

He won't get offered 1 mil, no way does that happen.

 

[Farang83150]

What will the picks be that make up the equivalent of a top 10 pick?

No chance WCE will split their first for Baker.

Spot on, no way will they do that.

 

[Farang83150]

Then he ain’t going there

He'll go where he nominates and won't be for a top 10, no way will they split for 8 and 9 and use either on Baker.
He's good but......

 

[Farang83150]

He'll be in the new house next year for a late 1st or early 2nd and a pay rise..

 

[Sherriff Incorporated]

If they are willing to pay him $1 m a year I am pretty confident the deal with Richmond will be done in about 5 minutes . These deals are done months before trade week .

They will work it out and it will be for the equivalent of a top 10 pick

He is worth every cent of that and more to be honest

Bloke pretty much never plays a bad game .

He played a terrible game last weekend. Its comical to think you'll get a top 10 pick for him. But go ahead.

 

[WilloTree]

Haha I bet you would.

I actually think Langdon is a very good player. Reliable wings as good as Langdon don't grow on trees.

You don't rate him?

 

[Freomaniac]

There are 2 ways of getting Baker … you trade for him or push him into the PSD.

Second option won’t happen because Baker is a life member of Richmond and a decent person that won’t shaft the club that took him as a rookie..

That leaves trading for him.
When the trade period is open he is contracted.

The way Richmond operate in 95% of trades, is win win.

The deal, if he is going, would already be agreed on.
The Shultz deal sets the bench mark …
Both clubs will feel like winners when the deal gets done.

Trading him is tempting as freo have got 3 1st rounders and a 2024 1st as well.

PSD? Not gonna happen.

It sucks he is out of contract but only in his 7th season. In a way, I rather richmond sign him to another season and make him a free agent.

 

[tiger_tough]

I actually think Langdon is a very good player. Reliable wings as good as Langdon don't grow on trees.

You don't rate him?

He's a role player in a very good side. No stand out attributes other than a freakish tank. Poor field kick. Had a couple of very good seasons a few years back but other than that nothing special.

Baker is far better.

 

[THE_GUN]

It really is IF he were to say he wants to go to WC.

Not really

How does he get there , If eagles dont come to the party Richmond dont trade him and he will stay exactly like Papley did
He can stay 1 more year then leave as a free agent the following year thats not Richmonds problem
simple

 

[THE_GUN]

PSD won’t happen but the onus is not on the club to find whatever Richmond wants like has been suggested.

How do you reckon Baker is feeling about Richmond if they don’t accept the worst of Freos 1sts and ship him to the Psd?

Richmond owes him as well and it would be absolutely disrespectful to screw over this “triple premiership player, legend of the club” over 1 draft pick spot

How do you think Baker is geeling about Fremantle after chasing him now for 3 years and finally getting him to agree then leaving him on the shelf because they dont want to give up a pick 3-4 spots higher ?

I think he feels that Richmond wants him more and he will stay

 

[THE_GUN]

No suggestion he is taking a pay cut but at $600k he’s currently outside the top 150 highest paid players, indicative of what he is worth as a player.

He’s not all of a sudden going to jump into the top 50 and get $1M so people can stop banding that around. $700-800k is the likely mark over 3-4yrs, it’s pure speculation that Richmond have already offered $800k.

Mate you are delusional

Baker signed the 600k contract 2 years ago and his offer from Richmond will be $800k x 5 maybe 6 years
He will be getting an uplift to move and i would suggest min $850k-$900k

 

[Tugga27]

Not really

How does he get there , If eagles dont come to the party Richmond dont trade him and he will stay exactly like Papley did
He can stay 1 more year then leave as a free agent the following year thats not Richmonds problem
simple

The difference is, I'm pretty sure Papley was contracted.
So because Sydney weren't happy with the deal, they held on to him.

Bottom line is, he's uncontracted.
So if he wants to go home, he's going.

 

[THE_GUN]

The difference is, I'm pretty sure Papley was contracted.
So because Sydney weren't happy with the deal, they held on to him.

Bottom line is, he's uncontracted.
So if he wants to go home, he's going.

contracted or not Richmond do not have to trade him unless they get fair value
This is exactly what we posted about during the CCJ trade and We ( Richmond supporters were proven correct)

As were the bomber supporters during the Saad trade , PSD is not an option and clubs/players dont burn their clubs
Clubs chasing players for 3 years and finally get them to agree to move - GET THE DEAL DONE as they will this time


He cant go home unless he gets a trade mate , Ohh he can but maybe not play a year

 

[Freomaniac]

Mate you are delusional

Baker signed the 600k contract 2 years ago and his offer from Richmond will be $800k x 5 maybe 6 years
He will be getting an uplift to move and i would suggest min $850k-$900k

Serious question... Is Liam Baker worth $800,000 a year?

From 2018-2021 he looked like a young fringe player averaging 15 disposals a game. His last 2 or 3 seasons or from the start of the 2022 season, he has improved. He is averaging 20 disposals a game and kicking 10-15 goals a season.

The bloke is only 173 cm. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. But on the other hand, Freo dont have a lot of wingers that average 20 disposals a game outside of Jeremy Sharp.

Walters is 32 or 33 years old and we need another quality player that can play forward flank or on a wing.

Plus Baker has played in finals, played in finals wins and premiership wins too. People thought it was crazy for freo to give a 29 year old banged up Jaeger O meara a 4 year deal.

I dont think giving a 27 or 28 year old Liam Baker a 4 year deal is crazy.

 

[stallon]

contracted or not Richmond do not have to trade him unless they get fair value
This is exactly what we posted about during the CCJ trade and We ( Richmond supporters were proven correct)

As were the bomber supporters during the Saad trade , PSD is not an option and clubs/players dont burn their clubs
Clubs chasing players for 3 years and finally get them to agree to move - GET THE DEAL DONE as they will this time


He cant go home unless he gets a trade mate , Ohh he can but maybe not play a year

If the Tigers arent willing to facilitate a trade that gets Baker where he wants to go, hes hardly going to stay there, he may as well take his chances in the PSD and hope he gets through to the Eagles pick.

Worst case for Baker is a team he doesnt want to play for picks him up, fully knowing he doesnt want to be there, with him setting his price at $1mil+ for a 1 year deal, and hoping that none of the Vic clubs take him before West Coast have a chance. Once he gets to west coast on 1mil+ they can sort something out to even out a 5 year deal or whatever they wanna do.
If hes coming home, then hes coming home, you dont get to play hard ball with clubs when you have 0 leverage.

Yes I know clubs dont burn other clubs, but the Tigers are a part to this too lol, they cant go demanding overs, that would be them trying to burn the clubs chasing Baker. If Baker is as respected and liked as you make out, then they will let him go for fair compensation considering the circumstances, a late first or early second rounder

 

[Patty_Moz]

Mate you are delusional

Baker signed the 600k contract 2 years ago and his offer from Richmond will be $800k x 5 maybe 6 years
He will be getting an uplift to move and i would suggest min $850k-$900k

Which small defenders are on that sort of money?

There’s nothing to substantiate Richmond is offering $800k. He would be the highest paid small defender in the league without ever making a 40 man AA squad. He’s not that level of a player, there’s no evidence or logic in the numbers you are firing off. He’s simply not going to be one of the 50 highest paid players in the competition.

 

[WestCoast05]

As were the bomber supporters during the Saad trade , PSD is not an option and clubs/players dont burn their clubs
Clubs chasing players for 3 years and finally get them to agree to move - GET THE DEAL DONE as they will this time

You have every right to your opinion on what he is worth in a trade... but I'm not convinced you fully understand how the trade system works (you're not the only one on these boards though).

When leaving (or in the case of a contracted player, desiring to leave) - players will nominate their club of choice, that player then has zero to do with the trade process come trade week.

They are not sitting in the booth with their desired destination club saying "that trade is too low, I will re-sign a contract with Richmond if you don't up the picks going back to them". Nothing even remotely close to that happens, the player is completely removed from the process after nomination (as they should be).

Also, uncontracted players are not worth FAR LESS in picks, but to pretend it isn't a factor is a bit silly. This goes back the other way in Richmond's favour if you are wanting to trade in players who are uncontracted.

And clubs don't pick some randomly selected trade, like the Schultz trade for example, and use it as a benchmark for their trading. Each trade has different factors etc (like Schultz being contracted and Collingwood's first pick at the time expected to be 17 or 18 and Freo taking advantage of them chasing back to back flags).

Lastly, I know you are saying Baker won't 'burn his club' - but likewise I think Richmond won't burn their premiership players. A good club will usually accommodate them and help them get where they want to go.

 

[nut]

Serious question... Is Liam Baker worth $800,000 a year?

From 2018-2021 he looked like a young fringe player averaging 15 disposals a game. His last 2 or 3 seasons or from the start of the 2022 season, he has improved. He is averaging 20 disposals a game and kicking 10-15 goals a season.

The bloke is only 173 cm. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. But on the other hand, Freo dont have a lot of wingers that average 20 disposals a game outside of Jeremy Sharp.

Walters is 32 or 33 years old and we need another quality player that can play forward flank or on a wing.

Plus Baker has played in finals, played in finals wins and premiership wins too. People thought it was crazy for freo to give a 29 year old banged up Jaeger O meara a 4 year deal.

I dont think giving a 27 or 28 year old Liam Baker a 4 year deal is crazy.

If you think Baker was a fringe player between 2018 and 2021 then you need to start watching footy more closely.
Baker’s biggest attribute is his ability to win the ball… his height has very little impact on his ability to do that.
He is an elite kick and finisher.
He is 26 and in the age bracket we need.

 

[nut]

Which small defenders are on that sort of money?

There’s nothing to substantiate Richmond is offering $800k. He would be the highest paid small defender in the league without ever making a 40 man AA squad. He’s not that level of a player, there’s no evidence or logic in the numbers you are firing off. He’s simply not going to be one of the 50 highest paid players in the competition.

Is he a small defender? He plays midfield at the moment and holds his own.. plays up forward too.
Can you name a small defender that has kicked 50 goals in just over a 100 games?
He made the under 22 All Australian team.
The average AFL wage is about to tick over 400k (that salary cap divided by players on the list) … 800k a year is not that much money for a player who regularly finishes high in best and fairest awards … including in premiership years.
He’d be in top 8 players picked in any AFL side and one of the first picked for WA is you ever field a team in the near future.
Don’t under sell Baker, it only proves you ignorance.

 

[stallon]

Don’t under sell Baker, it only proves you ignorance.

You dont need to oversell him either, we arent the ones negotiating here. You can be honest

 

[nut]

You dont need to oversell him either, we arent the ones negotiating here. You can be honest

He is worth more than Shultz… and that sets the value.

 

[Patty_Moz]

Is he a small defender? He plays midfield at the moment and holds his own.. plays up forward too.
Can you name a small defender that has kicked 50 goals in just over a 100 games?
He made the under 22 All Australian team.
The average AFL wage is about to tick over 400k (that salary cap divided by players on the list) … 800k a year is not that much money for a player who regularly finishes high in best and fairest awards … including in premiership years.
He’d be in top 8 players picked in any AFL side and one of the first picked for WA is you ever field a team in the near future.
Don’t under sell Baker, it only proves you ignorance.

I’ll let you Richmond supporters figure out which position he is best in. Once you guys agree can you let the rest of us know.

Goes to prove you really dont know what type of player he is or his best position
Certainly not wing , He can play as a high half foward but his best position is a small defender that rotates through the midfield.

If he’s a midfielder he wouldn’t be playing in front of Fyfe, Young, Brayshaw, Serong and Johnson smoked him on the weekend. No team pays their 2nd string midfielders even $800k. Maybe he’d be in front of JOM and we pay him about $500k and he cost a 2nd rounder.