The payroll issue in baseball

[TheMatrix31]

Is highly overrated. Now 9 of the top 10 2011 Opening Day payrolls are done. Detroit and STL are 10th and 11th respectively. We constantly hear about "buying" this and "spending" that and "unfair" whatever, but the whole criticism of teams like the Yankees and Red Sox is insane.

http://baseball.about.com/od/newsrumors/a/2011-Baseball-Team-Payrolls.htm

Baseball has way, way more parity than it gets credit for.

[1Rose]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

It's not about how much you spend, it's about how wisely you spend it. I've learned that hard way. $126 million to produce 71 wins. Awesome.

Hard to believe that TB is 29th.

[JBH3]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

Is highly overrated. Now 9 of the top 10 2011 Opening Day payrolls are done. Detroit and STL are 10th and 11th respectively. We constantly hear about "buying" this and "spending" that and "unfair" whatever, but the whole criticism of teams like the Yankees and Red Sox is insane.

http://baseball.about.com/od/newsrumors/a/2011-Baseball-Team-Payrolls.htm

Baseball has way, way more parity than it gets credit for.

A lot can happen over a 162 gm season, which is why there is so much parity. That grind levels out the competitive edge of clubs w/ booku $$$$$$$.

[djep]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

Nobody buys their way to championships. They're hard to come by and lots of things have to fall into place. Baseball is such a crazy game, and by crazy I mean unpredictable, that it almost seems absurd that you play 162 games to decide who is the best and then you drop 3 out of 5 games and you're a loser. It's what makes the playoffs so exciting to me.

[butnahhhhh]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

A lot can happen over a 162 gm season, which is why there is so much parity. That grind levels out the competitive edge of clubs w/ booku $$$$$$$.

[tvman]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

Is highly overrated. Now 9 of the top 10 2011 Opening Day payrolls are done. Detroit and STL are 10th and 11th respectively. We constantly hear about "buying" this and "spending" that and "unfair" whatever, but the whole criticism of teams like the Yankees and Red Sox is insane.

http://baseball.about.com/od/newsrumors/a/2011-Baseball-Team-Payrolls.htm

Baseball has way, way more parity than it gets credit for.

This is bullcrap.

There needs to be a salary cap to ensure that ALL teams have an equal chance of making the playoffs EVERY year.

[WazzuRC]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

I totally disagree Matrix. It's very true that there is plenty of parity in baseball, and the top teams haven't always capitalized on their spending when they should.

The issue I have is the fact that big market teams are allowed to take risks on players by giving them ridiculous contracts while small market teams aren't afforded the same luxury. The Red Sox are able to give exorbitant contracts to Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, etc. Even if those deals don't pan out, it's not going to cripple their chances at contending every year. Tampa or San Diego don't have the same opportunities to give them those same contracts because if they do and things don't pan out, it cripples their ability to actually contend on a yearly basis.

[DrJones]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

A lot can happen over a short playoff series, which is why there is so much parity. That randomness levels out the competitive edge of clubs w/ booku $$$$$$$.

You are correct, sir.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

I totally disagree Matrix. It's very true that there is plenty of parity in baseball, and the top teams haven't always capitalized on their spending when they should.

The issue I have is the fact that big market teams are allowed to take risks on players by giving them ridiculous contracts while small market teams aren't afforded the same luxury. The Red Sox are able to give exorbitant contracts to Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, etc. Even if those deals don't pan out, it's not going to cripple their chances at contending every year. Tampa or San Diego don't have the same opportunities to give them those same contracts because if they do and things don't pan out, it cripples their ability to actually contend on a yearly basis.

Well yeah, but it's obviously not making much of a difference. If the Brewers win this year, it's gonna be the 11th different team to win the NL Pennant in the last 14 years. That's nuts! And in the AL, you've had the Rangers, Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox, Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, then the Yankee Dynasty sprinkled with Indians in 1997 and 1995. That's seven different franchises. Not bad at all. And if it wasn't for an unbelievable run by the late 90s Yankees, I'm sure there would be other teams involved too.

I understand your point about risks though. Smaller teams just have to be smarter I guess.

[jth1331]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

The thing that is an issue, is a lot of teams produce home grown talent but then have to get rid of it because they can't afford it.
As someone else mentioned, certain clubs can throw any dollar amount at someone because they can afford to without any reprucussions. If Tampa resigned Crawford for $20 mil a year and he produced like that, they'd be dead.
Kansas City has been basically forced to get rid of any talent they've produced because they can't resign anybody.
San Diego was forced to trade Adrian Gonzalez.
People are wondering if Seattle will be forced to trade Felix Hernandez.
All due to the fact the top money teams can throw any dollar amount and sign the players.
Yes, there have been different champions, but look at those. New York, Boston, Chicago, LA, Texas, major markets with high payrolls.

[Jgainsey]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

Opinions aside, is this really an issue that's "highly overrated"? Aside from sports talk radio guys looking to kill some dead air space every now and again, is this really an issue that has ever picked up any real steam?

If it is, it has definitely flown under my radar...

Anyways, I would never criticize a high payroll team for their salary. If your team has crazy money to spend on salary, more power to ya. But you're kidding yourself if you think payrolls don't matter because of playoff results.

Teams with higher payrolls have a clear and substantial advantage in their ability to consistently build a better team. Some teams are too stupid to make use of this advantage(Mets, Dodgers, etc...), but it is there none the less.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

Nobody buys their way to championships. They're hard to come by and lots of things have to fall into place. Baseball is such a crazy game, and by crazy I mean unpredictable, that it almost seems absurd that you play 162 games to decide who is the best and then you drop 3 out of 5 games and you're a loser. It's what makes the playoffs so exciting to me.

This for the most part. In fact, parity is more prevalent in baseball than in any other sport, and by a fairly large margin.

Looking at the range of win/loss percentages from 2000-present day, the top MLB team won 71% of its games compared to the worst MLB team which won 26% of its games; the top NFL team won 100% of its games compared to 0% (lol Lions); and the top NBA team won 81% of its games compared to 14% for the New Jersey horde. Within that same time period, 7 different MLB teams won the World Series compared to 2 NFL teams winning 50% of the Super Bowls and 2 NBA teams winning 80% of the championships.

Wake me up when a baseball team wins 87.8% of its games or when a baseball team wins 20 of 21 games against a divisional opponent.

[Shield]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

The payrolls of each team don't mean squat. The fact that NY or BOS can get whoever they want each offseason b/c they essentially have no ceiling is what ticks everyone off. If I'm KC or TB the Yankees just see me as a 2nd farm system.

Reputation also has alot to do with it. The Yankees are obviously the most successful franchise in sports, they're like the Lakers, most players want to play for them. Agents like Scott Borass make it worse, not to say the players themselves aren't greedy.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

The payrolls of each team don't mean squat. The fact that NY or BOS can get whoever they want each offseason b/c they essentially have no ceiling is what ticks everyone off. If I'm KC or TB the Yankees just see me as a 2nd farm system.

Reputation also has alot to do with it. The Yankees are obviously the most successful franchise in sports, they're like the Lakers, most players want to play for them. Agents like Scott Borass make it worse, not to say the players themselves aren't greedy.

But what does it get them? The Yankees and Red Sox aren't winning the World Series every single year.

[1Rose]

Re: The payroll issue in baseball

That may be true, but it also drives up the market price for players in free agency so small market teams can not only afford those players, but also raises the overall cost for all free agents. Look what Werth did to the market?

Sure there is a lot of parity, I will agree and I also stand by my first statement that it IS how wisely you spend your money, but it's parity within limits.

In the last 15 years, what small market team has won the World Series besides the Marlins? Diamondbacks you say? Well the year they won it, they had the 8th highest payroll in baseball.

If Milwaukee get's there, while some may view them as a small market team because of their overall popularity and nationwide notoriety, they still have a payroll of near 90 million and drew over 3,000,000 in attendance this year. Sure there maybe some Cinderella stories, but in recent history, you pay to win.