I feel bad for you guys because the Jays have been well-run enough that they'd have made the playoffs if they were in the Central.
But you guys have the richest owners in the league, stop bellyaching. And be patient, this team has a real future ahead of it. The Red Sox and Yankees are old now, they won't be making the playoffs every year (The Sox aren't already).
AA has hinted several times in the past that he has the wherewithal to put payroll in the stratosphere when the time is right. Ricciardi did that himself, he just blew the money on people like Wells.
Hey, I'm not one of those 'spend, spend, spend' guys. I like what AA is doing and I'm glad the team doesn't have any bad contracts really. Yeah, Fielder and Darvish would have been nice and obviously would have improved the team but the contracts they were handed were a bit too much in AA's mind and I'm ok with that. He went for it and tried to make it work at numbers that made sense to them. I'm cool with that. I'm happy with the team and they're going in the right direction. I see playoff baseball coming back to Toronto in the next few years and that's a good thing.
Yes, there should be. On both sides. [/Pirates fan]
Something that limits the discrepancy and forces the deadbeat owners to pony up would greatly improve the league. There's absolutely no reason why any team in this league can't spend at least $75 million on a team. If you can't spend it...sell the ****ing team to someone who can.
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“The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile, but that it is indifferent. If we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death, our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” - Stanley Kubrick
Most definitely!! But that goes both ways. No team should be spending 200+ million while another is spending 35. As I said, this goes both ways. No way should a team be only spencing 35 million on a major sports team (as the Pirates can/will do and make money). Have a max/low like hockey, and not let it be exceeded either way.
the teams are already closer. there's been different winners and playoff teams pretty much every year. weakening good teams so you can artificially pump up lesser teams is just ****ing with your product.
just keep derping around with the salary cap until those big, bad, mean big market teams can't compete!
Your thesis is that a salary cap would weaken good teams to artificially pump up the bad?
How about the current system, where two good teams with limited budgets lost Pujols and Fielder to teams with limitless budget? You find that preferable/fair?
This has been beaten to death. Baseball has proven that as much spending money may help, it can also hurt. Pavano got 40 million over 4 years with the Yankees and barely even pitched. Mike Hampton extorted millions off the DL during his career.
Also, the players and pitchers on the field win games, not payrolls.
Your thesis is that a salary cap would weaken good teams to artificially pump up the bad?
How about the current system, where two good teams with limited budgets lost Pujols and Fielder to teams with limitless budget? You find that preferable/fair?
Milwaukee and especially St. Louis could have afforded to keep both players, they just chose not to. The Cards had no interest in paying Pujols $30 million until he's 42.
Not every free agent who leaves is a tragedy of the poor (like the Cards are poor) being victimized by the rich.
Besides people like Mike illitch and Arte Moreno are great for sports, much less baseball. Two owners who want to win regardless of how much it costs. Penalizing them so Bob Nutting can pocket his guaranteed $40 million profit is ludicrous.
Your thesis is that a salary cap would weaken good teams to artificially pump up the bad?
How about the current system, where two good teams with limited budgets lost Pujols and Fielder to teams with limitless budget? You find that preferable/fair?
the angels and tigers have limitless budgets?
and it's not like the cardinals didn't offer pujols over 220 million dollars. it was the fact that it took them as long as it did that probably did them in. plus, pujols had a 275 million dollar offer from noted limitless budget team the florida marlins.
In a fair game the largest determinant of success is good management. In MLB this is overridden by three factors:
1) Money. Congrats Yankees and Red Sox, you "win" (and I use that term loosely) 95+ games every year because you spend loads of money. That's so intellectually intriguing /sarcasm
2) The state of not being in the same division as the two aforementioned. The World Series has become so unbelievably cheapened and tainted by "champions" (again, using that term loosely) that would never have even sniffed the playoffs (or even won a mere 80 games) if they played in the AL East.
3) A draft system that rewards the futile and punishes the respectable, although this is a problem with every sports league.
Also, I think the bigger problem than the salary cap now is limiting draft spending. I can't believe small market owners agreed to that. If teams are allowed to spend what they want in free agency, they should be allowed to spend what they want on draft picks.
In a fair game the largest determinant of success is good management. In MLB this is overridden by three factors:
1) Money. Congrats Yankees and Red Sox, you "win" (and I use that term loosely) 95+ games every year because you spend loads of money. That's so intellectually intriguing /sarcasm
2) The state of not being in the same division as the two aforementioned. The World Series has become so unbelievably cheapened and tainted by "champions" (again, using that term loosely) that would never have even sniffed the playoffs (or even won a mere 80 games) if they played in the AL East.
3) A draft system that rewards the futile and punishes the respectable, although this is a problem with every sports league.
Seems like a lot of Jays fans want people to feel bad for them. For starters, I hate hearing that the only reason they dont make playoffs is their division. There might have been a few years they could have had a chance the last little bit in a different division, but even that is unlikely.
Baseball is fine the way it is, I would not want to see guys penalized for opening their cheque books because they want to win just because there are other guys who wont do it but make money at the end of the season through revenue sharing.
Milwaukee could not have afforded to keep Fielder.
Milwaukee turned an almost $20 million profit last year and has an owner with a net worth of $700 million. They just didn't want to give nine years to a 350 lb first baseman.
Milwaukee turned an almost $20 million profit last year and has an owner with a net worth of $700 million. They just didn't want to give nine years to a 350 lb first baseman.
No, as of right now the Brewers are in danger of losing money as they are getting less in revenue sharing and are operating with a payroll of $100 million. I can assure you they did not make close to $20 million last year and I can assure you that with their current TV contract they will not be making a ton of money in any season unless they cut the payroll a ton.
Forbes is wrong. They made money because of a deep playoff run but it wasn't anywhere near $20 million.
Once again, 3 million fans is great, the $10 million a year they're currently getting from their TV contract is not so great. That's the lowest in the majors.