MLB Offseason Thread - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Machiavelli · 12-23-2008, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pagal4321

How the hell do the Yankees spend this much money during a recession?

And, on another note, this is one of the reasons I'm starting to sour on the game of baseball. The top 3 free agents end up on the SAME TEAM?

It's disgusting. Jays need a hope and a prayer this season to compete with them and the Sox.

ricoFlame · 12-23-2008, 01:59 PM

mind boggeling how these guys spend. they must be counting on making a ton of money from their new stadium and all related streams of income. crazy in these economic times for sure.

Pagal4321 · 12-23-2008, 02:21 PM

A-Rod: $27.5 million/year
Teixeria: $22.5 million/year
Sabathia: $23 million/year
Burnett: $16.5 million/year
Posada: $13.1 million/year
Rivera: $15 million/year

What a joke.

flamesaresmokin · 12-23-2008, 02:27 PM

With these three signings by the yanks this year I really don't see how anyone can say that baseball doesn't need a cap system. It really takes away from other teams ability to compete when one team poaches all the UFA's.

Its not the best way to build a team, but adding one of these players to teams with good foundations would put them over the top. Instead the yankees stockpile them all and prevent the overall competitiveness of the league from increasing.

CaptainCrunch · 12-23-2008, 03:48 PM

This is one of the key reasons why I lost interest in major league baseball. If your not Boston or the Yankees you might as well forget about getting out of the American League East. Its not exciting baseball anymore either. Its a bunch of fat steroid laden idiots taking a swing at the ball and running to first base.

The Yankees will eventually end up driving the small market teams into being their perpetual farm teams for player development.

If I'm a fan of Toronto or Pittsburgh or others it would be tough to give a crap.

moon · 12-23-2008, 04:28 PM

While this is obviously tough to take for many fans the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Red Sox etc. have all been spending crazy amounts of money for awhile now and not winning every year.

When the Yankees had their "dynasty" in the late 90's early 2000's it wasn't because they spent the most money it was because their farm system produced guys like Jeter, Rivera, Petite, Williams etc. to go along with those big bats. Now that they have stopped producing homegrown talent they have failed to win World Series.

Even Boston who relied a lot more on money didn't do it solely with ouotspending others but made some good trades (Ortiz) and signings to ge guys that weren't wanted.

It isn't as though Pittsburgh and Toronto are lighting the world on fire with their stellar scouting departments. TO especially has spent enough money to be competitive but has just been stupid on who they spent the money on and have been unable to produce a top level hitter as well.

It sucks to see the Yankees be able to get whomever they want but they generate the money to pay these guys fairly and it doesn't guarantee them anything at all in terms of winning.

burn_baby_burn · 12-24-2008, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

When the Yankees had their "dynasty" in the late 90's early 2000's it wasn't because they spent the most money it was because their farm system produced guys like Jeter, Rivera, Petite, Williams etc. to go along with those big bats. Now that they have stopped producing homegrown talent they have failed to win World Series.

Your right on the money. As a Yankees fan I'm excited about the pickups. But I also know that it is far from guaranteeing any sort of post season success on the diamond. Personally I would prefer to see a salary cap in baseball. What fun is it to expect your team to win the World Series every year? It gets kind of boring and you lose appreciation for winning.

CaptainCrunch · 12-24-2008, 12:01 PM

The luxury tax system certainly doesn't work. I think there are two teams at this point that need to pay the luxury tax. One of the teams has to pay 1.1 million. The other needs to pay near 27 million. Can we guess what team that is.

Even if the luxury tax is spread out among the other teams, the 27 million dollar fine which is no hardship to the Yankees, equals about a million bucks per each team.

They should make the luxury tax 10 dollars for every dollar over the cap.

habernac · 12-24-2008, 12:51 PM

The luxury tax is a joke. MLB needs a cap, period. It's amazing they still have teams outside the Sox, Yankess and other big spenders.

JiriHrdina · 12-24-2008, 02:14 PM

Spending money doesn't guarantee success but there is a clear link between how much teams spend and how much they win.

You will have the occasional exceptions - like Tampa Bay last year or the great As teams from a few years back - but for the most part the teams that generate a lot more money win a lot more games.

But MLB doesn't care because it defines its success based on what happens in Boston, Chicago, LA, New York, etc and really doesn't give a rat's rear end what happens in KC, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Tampa, Montreal...er...Washington, etc.

So the question becomes why should we care as fans. Is there a point to being a Jays' fan anymore?

habernac · 12-24-2008, 03:26 PM

that's the point it's coming to, Jiri. Which sucks, because I really love baseball. Problem is, will MLB notice if I stop watching Sportsnet in the summer time?

RedHot25 · 12-25-2008, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JorjeHrdina

So the question becomes why should we care as fans. Is there a point to being a Jays' fan anymore?

While what you stated may true, just for me, the time I stop "caring" is the time that they've won. So I guess that's what keeps me going I guess.

Go Jays

!

ricosuave · 12-25-2008, 08:15 AM

How the Yanks make their money
http://nymag.com/news/features/2007/profit/32903/

Da_Chief · 12-25-2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricosuave

How the Yanks make their money
http://nymag.com/news/features/2007/profit/32903/

from the article.

Quote:

Best Way to Make Money: Buy a related business—a cable network like YES—and rake in your profits there. And run a tight ship: The Yankees staff is a mere 200 in New York, including the players and the Staten Island farm team. Most stadium staffers are contracted out.

thats what the Jays are trying; Rogers Network, Rogers Stadium, the team itself.

So far not working too well for them it seems.

MJM · 12-25-2008, 05:49 PM

For the since year since I was 18 years old, I will not be going on a Blue Jays road trip this year to see them play on the road. We usually go to Seattle, Anaheim, Oakland, etc. to see them at least once a year, but not this year. I'm so disgusted with baseball, a sport I grew up loving and playing, that I can't justify spending 1 dollar on it anymore.

nickerjones · 12-25-2008, 06:13 PM

The sickening thing, i think, about the Yankess spending this money is that after they give these huge contracts then they start asking the city and taxpayers for more money to help foot the bill of their new stadium.........

alan21 · 12-26-2008, 04:37 PM

I only see this as a problem if the Yankees won every year. Which they do not and even missed the playoffs this year. What would help the league is a change in the playoff format, allowing more teams to get a sniff of the post-season. It's just not logical for a team like the Yankees and Red Sox with such a large revenue stream to have a similar payroll as the Royals and Twins. They could start by cutting down about 12 games off the insanely long season 10 around 150 games. Also, shortened the drawn out spring training period. By doing this they could switch to a longer playoff format which most fans would rather watch anyways and not see them field a bunch of AAA guys for the entire month of March. The whole structure of baseball doesn't make any sense to me.

nickerjones · 12-26-2008, 09:27 PM

Well barring a couple huge injuries this year it could be everything short of a lock for the Yanks getting in. The fact is good pitching always beats good hitting and the Yanks have great pitching.... Im kinda wishing my boy Chipper would go DH for the Yanks just so he could win another series... ok NO i dont i still hate the Yanks

ricoFlame · 12-31-2008, 11:39 AM

DeRosa to the tribe.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3802342

nickerjones · 01-01-2009, 04:23 PM

sad to see the cubs let derosa go cause he seemed to be one of their better players the past couple of years..... I wish the Braves would land a few big names in the pitching world..... i was hoping they would get kerry wood to close things for them but no luck..... We also need a big bat to protect my boy chipper ...