Pablo Sandoval to the Red Sox (5 yrs/$95MM)

[torts]

5 years, $100 million dollars offer from Boston, Heyman says its done

[Bombers]

Boston spending some coin this off season. Must be nice to wake up and say "ah who shall I buy today" with no care for a salary cap

[JohnBriggs12]

At least Ramirez and Sandoval are out of the NL. For all the KC's and TB that come around, buying a championship still is the easiest way to go for teams like Red Sox.

[bill hAll Star]

If the rumors of Hanley in LF are true, you have Cespedes, Hanley, Rusney, Bradley (played gold glove CF), Victorino, Betts if not at 2B, and Craig as OF candidates. Trades are coming.

[brewerfan82]

Think Middlebrooks could play/platoon at first? He might be a nice add as a limited time platoon player this year with a chance to take over third if he bounces back. Middlebrooks, Betts (to platoon at 2B and help in the OF), and a prospect could be nice little package to strengthen the bench this year and provide some options/depth going forward.

[WV Brew]

But they still haven't signed Lester. Time to shop Lohse/Gallardo?

[reillymcshane]

Think Middlebrooks could play/platoon at first? He might be a nice add as a limited time platoon player this year with a chance to take over third if he bounces back. Middlebrooks, Betts (to platoon at 2B and help in the OF), and a prospect could be nice little package to strengthen the bench this year and provide some options/depth going forward.

Middlebrooks looks like a guy who pitchers have figured out - and he hasn't adjusted. He's had horrible walk rates - even when he played well. I suspect pitchers are just throwing him junk more and more because they know he'll swing at it. His strikeout rate just keeps getting worse - and he still can't take a walk.

[fondybrewfan]

Sandoval's slugging is probably going to spike going from SF to Boston. He is going to love those short porches in RF in both Boston and NY. I don't think it is a no brainer for the Red Sox, there is definitely some risk on their part. Sandoval has been a good player; but they are paying him like a great player.

 

It has been nice to see some talent leave the NL so far this year. Sandoval, Ramirez, Martin. Hopefully Liriano ends up in the AL too.

[reillymcshane]

But they still haven't signed Lester. Time to shop Lohse/Gallardo?

Even if they get Lester they could use Lohse or Gallardo.

 

I would take 3B Garin Cecchini, who we can put at AAA and (potentially) be our 3B of the future. Nelson slides into the rotation. Then we use the savings to add a reliever or two, and maybe good reserve infielder.

 

Trade improves our depth and bullpen for 2015, and fills a huge organizational hole with a promising 3B who we would control for six years.

[bill hAll Star]

Middlebrooks was never a good player. He was a modest prospect that was hot for his first month in a BoSox uniform and therefore got a lot of hype.

[Invader3K]

I'm glad the Brewers didn't go after Sandoval, as had been rumored, if that was the kind of contract it would take.

[reillymcshane]

I'm glad the Brewers didn't go after Sandoval, as had been rumored, if that was the kind of contract it would take.

I thought he'd get 5 years and maybe $75-80 million. I like the guy, but $20 million is crazy.

 

As people keep saying, the clubs are awash in cash. I guess it shows.

[3and2Fastball]

I'd be very happy about that contract if the Brewers signed him for 5 years 100 million. Who cares about the money?! Mark A ain't going broke. Charge us an extra $5 a ticket or something, I want a World Series title!!!!

[markedman5]

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan 9m9 minutes ago

The big, bad Red Sox threw around their cash, got Hanley and Panda, and proved money still rules in baseball. Column: http://yhoo.it/1y95qKg

[fondybrewfan]

That seems like a dumb argument to me. SF is a big market club that could have paid just as much money for Sandoval if they wanted; same with LAD and Ramirez. Its not like this was some big market team signing a small market teams best player (Like Fielder or Sabathia). This was the rich taking from the rich.

[bill hAll Star]

Still, it's more good players on big $ teams and not on the smaller-market teams.

[jerichoholicninja]

Still, it's more good players on big $ teams and not on the smaller-market teams.

 

And in what sport doesn't that happen?

[brewcrewdue80]

Ah, the Protection rules. So Boston gets two quality bats for their infield and give up 2nd and 3rd round selections for it. They can go after other QO players and keep it going down the line right? So may as well go sign 2 of the 4 SPs with a QO tag. Scherzer/Liriano/Shields/Santana.

 

I imagine after that they'll trade away Cespedes/Jackie Bradley and Bogaerts. What MegaStar could they get for that haul?

How about getting both Fister/Zimmerman.

Maybe SD's Tyson Ross/Andrew Cashner?

 

Big market teams are just showing how dominating they can be when failing for a year(trading away Lester/Lackey and whomever more) get to keep their 1st rd pick and then sign FAs with QOs and not seem to blink in doing so. Wonder when the Yankees will get on board with this strategy? Top 10 pick/World Series/Top 10 pick...World Series?

 

And it doesn't matter how poor a team they are, they're going to sell tickets yearly. Red Sox could probably go full Loria and sell off everyone they signed if it doesn't work this season and still pull in 2.85mil+ attendance. Only to watch that 2016 tanking land them another top 10 pick and 4-5more FA signings Full on reload.

 

Milwaukee can't compete in MLB anymore. The money is too much. Boston eclipsed the 60mil in team payroll in 1999 followed by nearly 80mil in 2000 and eclipsing 100mil at 110mil in 2001. Read that. in 1998 58mil had been Boston's highest team Payroll. in 2015 180+mil isn't out of the question. 16years to triple a big market's payroll.

 

In 1999 Milw had a team payroll of 43.5mil only 13mil and change behind Boston. Come 2015 they'll be 65-75mil behind Boston. More behind than what Boston's Team payroll was in 1999.

And again QOs, don't affect Boston extending them. If they had ARam/Lohse/Gallardo on the books I'd bet they offered all 3 a QO after 2015. Overpaying for 1 year is worth the lottery ticket value if a team signed them.

 

The 28th to 34th Sandwhich QO picks last year's slot value ranged from 1.65mil-1.815mil. So something to consider when extending the QO that 15mil price tag I'd see it more as a 13mil pricetag due to the money that can be added to the draft picks value. And as a big market team, lets just drool if they happen to hit on that draft pick. How they're looking at a 6year team controlled player at likely less than 50mil over that span. How much more flexible they get to be having a cheap player and get to spend the extras on more FAs.

 

It's going to take an under 3.6ERA year from Gallardo imo in order to offer him the QO. ARam isn't getting a QO. Lohse, likely would have to pitch to under 3.1ERA to even consider it. and that's not likely. The Brewers are just continuing to get screwed since the CC/Texiera debacle.

[reillymcshane]

Yes, the Brewers get screwed by the way the system is set up. We'll rarely add a quality free agent, we lose most of decent players after six years, we rarely go big on the international market. Boston, NY, LA, Chicago - these teams will reload each year.

 

The deck is stacked against us. The only way Milwaukee can play the game is to build a team using the draft, making astute trades, extending key players are reasonable rates (such as Lucroy's deal) and employing targeted free agency. We need to funnel in cheaper players while trading players (and recouping talent) as they get expensive.

 

It sucks. But if we try to play the game the way Boston does, we'll lose year after year as we wallow in mediocrity. That's what we currently do. We can't afford Greinke, so we get Lohse. We can't afford Fielder so we get Ramirez. We can't afford Jerry Hairston Jr so we get Cody Ransom.

 

Our current attempts at contending doom us to perpetually winning around 75-85 games. If things break our way, we might make the playoffs once every five years.

 

But building through the draft is no picnic. It requires discipline and patience (for the team and for fans). It requires compromises. It requires a willingness to trade guys who the team and fans really like.

 

And things are only going to get worse. Milwaukee might get a new TV contract getting us $40 million a year, but then LA will turn around and get one giving them $240 million a year. The gap will only grow.

[3and2Fastball]

I just refuse to believe that the Brewers cannot afford to contend. The value of the Brewers has nearly doubled (if not more) since Mark A bought the team. We're talking a few hundred million dolars in increased value. Why not put that into the team? Mark A and the rest of the ownership group are all extremely wealthy men. They don't need to turn a profit by owning the Brewers. They are choosing to claim "small market, small market" and making sure they profit while loyal Brewers fans are hoodwinked into believing that we are "going for it" and "doing everything we can to compete for a title" or "can't afford to compete on an even playing field with big market teams"

[SRB]

I would much rather have Cecchini than Middlebrooks and since the Red Sox just signed two 3B for some reason, he should be expendable. He's not that exciting though, would just give us the promise of 5-6 years with an average-ish 3B. Which would be a great return for someone like Gallardo.

[bill hAll Star]

Still, it's more good players on big $ teams and not on the smaller-market teams.

 

And in what sport doesn't that happen?

 

http://www.rsenetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/Aaron-Rodgers-Green-Bay-Packers.jpg

 

In the NBA, markets definitely push guys to the big market teams, but you still have a fairly level playing field with $ aside from the Cuban or Nyets lux tax overspending pushing over the soft cap.

[I Heart Brewers]

I just refuse to believe that the Brewers cannot afford to contend. The value of the Brewers has nearly doubled (if not more) since Mark A bought the team. We're talking a few hundred million dolars in increased value. Why not put that into the team? Mark A and the rest of the ownership group are all extremely wealthy men. They don't need to turn a profit by owning the Brewers. They are choosing to claim "small market, small market" and making sure they profit while loyal Brewers fans are hoodwinked into believing that we are "going for it" and "doing everything we can to compete for a title" or "can't afford to compete on an even playing field with big market teams"

 

 

What do you mean the 'value has nearly doubled'? It's not like a house where you can take out a loan against the value of the team. Just because the value goes up does not mean their revenue and more importantly net income goes up. If you don't have cash you can't spend it. He doesn't get that 'value' until he sells the team.

[GAME05]

For all the KC's and TB that come around, buying a championship still is the easiest way to go for teams like Red Sox.

 

What bugs me most about the MLB system is that Selig expands the playoffs to put his finger in the leaky dam and say "see, now small markets have a better chance at the playoffs." But really the great years for the TBs and KCs of the world only come around once every 15 years, with a lot of horrible years in between. But Boston and the rest of the big-spenders have at most two years in mediocrity and just buy their way back.

 

Sure, Milwaukee can compete with some shrewd moves and getting lucky on some draft picks. But one mistake can cost them a few years of being able to compete. Make a mistake as a big-market club and you just pay for a replacement in FA.

 

I get that the Loria's of the world just don't spend (recent signing aside) in order to line their pockets, and that's also bad. But watching some teams buy wins while others have to do it the hard way is really hurting my enjoyment of the game.

[brewcrewdue80]

I just refuse to believe that the Brewers cannot afford to contend. The value of the Brewers has nearly doubled (if not more) since Mark A bought the team. We're talking a few hundred million dolars in increased value. Why not put that into the team? Mark A and the rest of the ownership group are all extremely wealthy men. They don't need to turn a profit by owning the Brewers. They are choosing to claim "small market, small market" and making sure they profit while loyal Brewers fans are hoodwinked into believing that we are "going for it" and "doing everything we can to compete for a title" or "can't afford to compete on an even playing field with big market teams"

 

Have you looked at Forbes money for MLB? Milw was #25 last season:

http://www.forbes.com/teams/milwaukee-brewers/

 

At a 103million payroll and all the other expenses plus revenue it shows the team having earned 6.8mil then. So upping the team payroll to 110mil would be the max payroll it appears before the team is losing money.

 

Boston Meanwhile came away with 25.3mil earnings while having a 186mil team payroll. They pull in 2.85mil fans yearly at $54 a ticket. Would indicate they could expand team payroll to 210mil before nearing a loss in revenue.

And this is vs. Milw's ticket pricing at $24 per ticket So I'd imagine when the team spends 225mil or more, they'll just raise prices another $5@3mil=$15mil. Milw would have to achieve equal fan attendance today at a 20% ticket increase to raise prices $5 and add 14mil to their revenue overall. Think that would happen? Or would attendance drop to 2.2mil a loss of 600k fans(3mil in ticket sales) and that doesnt take in to effect what 600k fans spent at game/parking/merchandise.

 

Mark A. isn't the only single individual to own the team. While Mark A. alone may be set for life in money. these other investors of his may not be able to handle the team losing money yearly to field a winning team....Im sure they didn't invest their money to do that, but to make money as any sound "investment" is meant to create.

 

Supply/Demand. Could you imagine the Brewers avg ticket price at $54? do you think the team could draw even 1.5mil fans at that price?