Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

[steelcurtain311]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article****p?ymd=20100921&content_id=14922998&notebook_id=14923006&vkey=notebook_tb&c_id=tb

This is just appalling, and the reason why baseball is so broken. The Rays are a VERY good baseball team. Yet they now have to fall apart because of money issues. It defeats the purpose of professional sports, it really does.

[Dice]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Well, you can send them over to the White Sox. We definitely could use some of those guys. Hell, we don't even know if Ozzie is going to be here next year(I hope he stays). But just in case, if you want to send Joe Maddon as well.

[av7]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Blame the fans for not supporting the team

[Dbax_Faithful]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Blame the fans for not supporting the team

You hit the nail on the head there. I've watched a couple games that were in Tampa (I watched on TV) and I was so surprised at the low attendance for a (at the time) first place team. Those people down in Florida need to start supporting their teams, because the Marlins attendance has been almost non-existant.

[boomhauertjs]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Normally I would blame this on the revenue structure of baseball, but in the Rays' case, you have to blame the fans. For a team that has been a contender the last few years (not a one-year fluke), their attendance figures are embarassing. If Tampa won't support a contender, then I would have no problem with them relocating.

[Dog]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Blame the fans for not supporting the team

THIS!


In a Rays Yankees game last week it was CC Sabathia vs David Price. Huge game. Two great pitchers going at it, in the heat of the playoff race, and the stadium was only 75% full...


In the World Series the Rays had to hold concerts after the games to get people to attend.

[MassNole]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

I think people blaming the fans are seeing this too black and white. Yes, Tampa should have better attendance given its success, but ultimately the fans know it's only a matter of time before the top talent goes elsewhere through Free Agency regardless of their support. Just another example of MLB is really only a 3-4 team league with a high level farm system masking itself as the rest of the league.

[jake44np]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Blame the fans for not supporting the team

Blame a very crappy indoor stadium for fans not wanting to go to the game.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

When you can't fill the stadium when you're a contender, there's a major problem. It's looking like Tampa (and Florida as a whole for that matter) is just a poor market for professional baseball.

I do not agree with MassNole's assessment of the league as a whole being 3-4 teams. Look at the Twins. They went from talk of contraction to having a decade of success that looks like it isn't going on a downturn for at least another 5 years.

Let's take a look at the World Series matchups in the 2000's:

Yankees-Mets
Diamondbacks-Yankees
Angels-Giants
Marlins-Yankees
Red Sox-Cardinals
White Sox-Astros
Cardinals-Tigers
Red Sox-Rockies
Phillies-Rays
Yankees-Phillies

Yes, the Yankees and Red Sox are there a few times, but look at the variety of other teams. This does not show a "3-4 team league" to me. It shows that with the right combination of personnel that any team can make a run at any time. Of the 10 possible winners, there have been 8 different teams that have won. And yes, I realize that the two to repeat are the Yankees and Red Sox. But if you're going to say that only 3-4 teams have a chance year in and year out, then why isn't the final four New York, Boston, New York, and the Dodgers every year?

For teams in smaller markets, it's all about setting up a system from the top to the bottom and filling the organization with guys that can evaluate talent. Every year the Twins have a guy step up from AAA and contribute immediately. You can't call that luck when it happens over and over again. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a shiny new stadium that you fill every day. But when they contended in years past, they could even fill the Metrodome fairly regularly on the weekend or for a big late-season weekday series. I agree that no team outside the top spenders can keep any of their players they want. But the teams that have competent front offices can turn those players in to 2-3 contributors down the road. Just because the Rays plan on cutting payroll does not mean that they will not be able to contend. They just have to be able to find players that will contribute for less. These teams can bitch all they want about the way it's set up, but you can either whine and accept it or do something about it by making sound decisions.

[SPTO]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Blame the fans for not supporting the team

Unfortunately that's the case but I think it's also a function of not being in a good facility. I wonder how many people show up if they played in a nice retractable roof stadium. At least the Rays have planned ahead and have a good stockpile of talent coming up the pipeline. That's what Montreal did for quite a few years until they just became a farm system for the bigger market teams.

I sure hope that's not the case there but it really seems the Florida market is just not good for baseball which is a little odd since you'd think it'd be a natural what with transplants from up north and all that.

[Speedy]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Blame a very crappy indoor stadium for fans not wanting to go to the game.

Nice try, but not even close to a reason why fans aren't coming. Baseball in Florida is an afterthought plain and simple...They didn't come when Miami won in '97 or '03, they didn't come in '07 nor are coming now with Tampa being the best in baseball. Best thing for the Rays to do is get out of their lease and try to go somewhere like Raleigh or something (Homer idea ).

Seriously though, the Rays will not be profitable if they continue to reside in Florida.

[jake44np]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Nice try, but not even close to a reason why fans aren't coming. Baseball in Florida is an afterthought plain and simple...They didn't come when Miami won in '97 or '03, they didn't come in '07 nor are coming now with Tampa being the best in baseball. Best thing for the Rays to do is get out of their lease and try to go somewhere like Raleigh or something (Homer idea ).

Seriously though, the Rays will not be profitable if they continue to reside in Florida.

Yes they would if they have a new up to date stadium with luxury suites and such.
No one in Tampa wants to go inside an ugly concrete stadium to watch an outdoor sport.
They make no money at all off of their stadium, they need corporate boxes and suites badly. Nice try on your part but you are wrong by friend.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

Yes they would if they have a new up to date stadium with luxury suites and such.
No one in Tampa wants to go inside an ugly concrete stadium to watch an outdoor sport.
They make no money at all off of their stadium, they need corporate boxes and suites badly. Nice try on your part but you are wrong by friend.

I don't think it's a simple as "if you build it, they will come" in Florida. After the initial bump, I believe either Florida franchise would come back to the same problem they are having now. They just don't have the sustainable market that other teams have. You have to remember that both franchises are relatively new and don't have the ingrained history of a team like the Reds.

[elicoleman]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

I've been to the Trop and it was a waste even a decade ago. I wasn't from there so I don't know the area but everything I've heard is that it isn't even in a good part of town. People simply don't even feel safe going to the ballpark.

Honestly, I think if the built a smaller ballpark along the water in a better area, I do think the fans would come. Who the hell wants to go indoors when its beautiful sunny Florida weather?

Regardless of why he's cutting payroll significantly, why the hell would you mention it now? Why say anything in the last week and a half of a AL pennant race? Just poor form if you ask me.

[snepp]

Re: Rays cutting payroll, despite success?

It would be nice if OS didn't filter out the . j s in all the MLB.com links.