There's no doubt even now that Nomar can run with the best of the best shortstops when it comes to his offensive numbers, it's just that before his injury, he could run with the best of the best in the entire league. If he had been a free agent around 00-01 he probably would've gotten an ARod-esque deal. Even a 3/30 deal is a discount compared to what he turned down the two previous springs, he reportedly declined to accept offers of 4/60 and 4/48.
He's still one of the premiere shortstops in the game but he'll never be one of the most feared hitters in the game like he was pre-injury. It's really just a string of bad luck/bad in hindsight decisions that prevented Nomar from having a megadeal right now, signing a long term deal that looked good at the time, completely unknowing that a huge boom in the FA market was about to come, then the injuries that have plagued him in '01 and '04.
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"When I cut my finger, that's a tragedy. When you fall down a manhole and die, that's a comedy." -- Mel Brooks
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