I understand your sentiments, but Joe would have received more from other teams. The offer was fair considering the market, and if they wanted him, they had to pay. I really believe the decision comes down to just that. Quite frankly, with free agents I believe teams take all these factors into account (whether publicly or not) and it comes down to whether you will outbid the other person. It's kind of like a charity auction I was at a while back and bidding on a Kent Hrbek signed ball. Was the ball worth the cash for the people bidding (short term, hell yes), but in the long term maybe I'll see Kent in a bar sometime....