Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic sat down for a chat with Diamondbacks' owner Ken Kendrick to discuss a variety of topics. Let's break it down..
- Kendrick lauds the team's offseason moves and the balance they've struck between scoring runs and preventing them. He mentions that his team is one of the few that has increased payroll from last year.
- When asked if the team will look outside the organization for pitching help if Brandon Webb's shoulder continues to be an issue, Kendrick said the team is always looking. We heard Arizona was trying to acquire a "number three or four starter" via trade just last weekend.
- Kendrick acknowledges that it will be tough for his team to make a profit if they don't contend, which presumably will affect future payroll.
- The team still owes about $40MM in deferred money to former players like Bernard Gilkey, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Matt Williams, Luis Gonzalez, and Roberto Alomar. That number was over $200MM when Kendrick's group took over the team in 2004, and they'll be making significant deferred payments through the 2012 season.
- Because of the capital commitment that was put into the club when he took over, the money tied up in deferred payments will not necessarily be available to the club once those payoffs has been made. "But those of us who have been putting money in will not have the obligation to do that in the same way that we do now," said Kendrick. "So there would be some more freedom if we are prepared to go further into our pocket books."
Even though the talk about it possibly being tough to turn a profit and all of the deferred payments can be scary for the Diamondbacks' faithful, the team is clearly committed to contending now and in the future. They've committed $65.75MM in extensions for Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds within the last month.
