Originally posted on 11/18/2014:

Like I've said before, teams own the "rights" to players for too long and they have to either go through arbitration or play it safe and take a deal that could make them underpaid in their prime (mid to late 20s).

Guys usually get their paydays around the age of 30 based on previous success. In reality, that's when the decline starts. The irony of it all is that both the teams and and the player already know this.