Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Throwing Good Money After Bad?
I didn't get a chance to point out Paola Boivin's column yesterday on a new administrative/ownership structure for the D-Backs. I'm not quite sure why the column was published, except for 2 reasons:
1. It wasn't a widely-reported change. (And, true, this is the first I can remember of it.)
2. It might portend Bad Things for the D-Backs.
The implication of #2 is that Colangelo loves to spend anything to win, and the new owners might be skinflints looking to the Devil Rays and Brewers as models of team ownership. I tend to be dubious of that concept -- I tend to believe most owners, having made money in other fields, want to enjoy that money in the professional baseball field. And indeed the quotations in the column give zero indication that we're about to become Tampa Bay West.
The column does raise the issue of the team's salary structure and what it means for certain players. I want to look into this more, but I believe that Gonzo is owed $10 M next year and Randy $16.5 M, or nearly half of what I recall at one point the target being for total team salaries -- $55 M. Mantei has, I believe (I don't have the link), a $7 M option (that he calls), Brandon must be up to at least $2 M... you do the math. It doesn't look good for Finley or Bautista (that may be good or bad depending on your perspective), and it makes signing Sexson for the $8 - $10 M he's probably due that much harder. [Edit: just saw on another website that Sexson's already making $8.7 M -- the site I'd seen before said $4 M. So make that range $13 - $15 M.] More thoughts on this in the days ahead.
As for last night's game, two points of note:
1. Elmer thankfully does not require D-Back bloggers or Brenly to pull out the OGDNATM rule by pitching well last night. I'd expect to see Fossum up here by Friday (giving the D-Backs a couple days to decide whether to send down Bruney or Good).
2. Shea has had a good four-day streak going (.526OBP -- no walks, natch/.842SLG). Shea may be writing his FGDNATM corollary (Four Games...), but whenever Sexson comes back his decent recent hitting along with Tracy's defensive struggles will make Brenly's decision at 3B harder. Hey... I am by no means advocatin', I'm just sayin'...
1. It wasn't a widely-reported change. (And, true, this is the first I can remember of it.)
2. It might portend Bad Things for the D-Backs.
The implication of #2 is that Colangelo loves to spend anything to win, and the new owners might be skinflints looking to the Devil Rays and Brewers as models of team ownership. I tend to be dubious of that concept -- I tend to believe most owners, having made money in other fields, want to enjoy that money in the professional baseball field. And indeed the quotations in the column give zero indication that we're about to become Tampa Bay West.
The column does raise the issue of the team's salary structure and what it means for certain players. I want to look into this more, but I believe that Gonzo is owed $10 M next year and Randy $16.5 M, or nearly half of what I recall at one point the target being for total team salaries -- $55 M. Mantei has, I believe (I don't have the link), a $7 M option (that he calls), Brandon must be up to at least $2 M... you do the math. It doesn't look good for Finley or Bautista (that may be good or bad depending on your perspective), and it makes signing Sexson for the $8 - $10 M he's probably due that much harder. [Edit: just saw on another website that Sexson's already making $8.7 M -- the site I'd seen before said $4 M. So make that range $13 - $15 M.] More thoughts on this in the days ahead.
As for last night's game, two points of note:
1. Elmer thankfully does not require D-Back bloggers or Brenly to pull out the OGDNATM rule by pitching well last night. I'd expect to see Fossum up here by Friday (giving the D-Backs a couple days to decide whether to send down Bruney or Good).
2. Shea has had a good four-day streak going (.526OBP -- no walks, natch/.842SLG). Shea may be writing his FGDNATM corollary (Four Games...), but whenever Sexson comes back his decent recent hitting along with Tracy's defensive struggles will make Brenly's decision at 3B harder. Hey... I am by no means advocatin', I'm just sayin'...
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