[SirFozzie]

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So, does owner Paul Dolan envision himself ever signing a player to, say, a 10-year, $300 million deal?

“You don’t know. Probably the day when we do a deal like that is when somebody else is doing $1 billion deals with somebody else.”

What, then, would he advise to fans who are already growing unsettled about Lindor’s future in Cleveland?

“Enjoy him,” Dolan said. “We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens.”

This year, the Indians will arrive at Opening Day with a payroll about $15 million to $20 million less than their initial number for the start of the 2018 season. Dolan contends the Indians have lost money the last few years, though he insists “we’re not whining or complaining. It’s a challenge.”

Teams are not required to open their books to the public.
25-man Opening Day payroll, per Cot’s Contracts
2015: $88 million
2016: $96 million
2017: $124 million
2018: $135 million
2019: $117 million (projected)
Dolan noted that it’s easier to profit during “the down cycle,” those lean rebuilding years, since a team has less incentive to add established major-league talent to an undefined core. The Indians are attempting to stave off such a noncompetitive stretch. They retooled over the winter, but they clutched on to their collection of elite talent: a couple of MVP candidates on the left side of the infield and a stout starting rotation. The rest of the roster, of course, is littered with uncertainty, as ownership’s payroll mandate made it even more challenging to surround the core with proven pieces.

“We’re not going to outspend anybody,” Dolan said, “so we need to outsmart them.”

To do that, the organization has made recent investments in its academy in the Dominican Republic, its complex in Arizona, as well as in technology, sports science and analytics, all in an effort to foster a more effective player development culture.

“Nobody wants us to balance our checkbook,” Dolan said. “They just want to win, which we do, too. So, I understand that. I do think that once the season gets underway, it’s all about what that team is doing on the field, whether it’s a $220 million payroll or an $80 million payroll. It’s how we’re performing. So, we have to get to playing games.”