Somehow, I think if the the players were faced with the prospect of having Cobb on the team being productive, they would live with the front office having given into his market value, vs. seeing him walk out the door. If they are far away money-wise, that's one thing. If they are close, go ahead and overpay a bit if you don't want to lose the player. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face, or your face may never look the same.