Rockies co-owner Dick Monfort recently conducted a Q&A session with fans over at The Denver Post. Here are the highlights…
- Third base, a right-handed bat, and outfield stability are at "the very top" of the team's "to-do" list this winter, but Monfort cautions that there isn't much third base talent to go around. They still feel Ian Stewart can be their solution at the hot corner.
- Monfort emphasized that the team must develop homegrown pitching because "paying a pitcher $15 million per year when he is in the latter stages of his career is a mistake our club cannot make if we expect to be a competitive team."
- Monfort expressed his pleasure with manager Jim Tracy and GM Dan O'Dowd, noting that they "believe in continuity in our leadership group."
- The Rockies consider themselves to be a mid-market franchise, like the Rangers or Brewers. Monfort is in favor of a ten-team playoff scenario, or as he put it, "anything that helps our club reach the postseason."
Relly ANY team shouldn’t sign a player for $15+ MM/ year. I still think in a dream world that players would get paid based on performance. They would earn a base salary and then get bonuses at the end of the year. In an event a player is hurt, they would determine the injury and compensation based on how they performed (almost a weighted system). The only reason it wouldn’t work is based on how different it is than the current system. However most players who are the top of their game would still get lots of money. Basically Pujols would (obviously) make more than (insert AAAA player here).
Then teams like the Rays would struggle because they’d have to pay their young stars big money because of their performance. The whole point is to find bargains.
Part of my idea would include service time bonuses. So in that regard, the Rays could restock their lineup every 3-4 years and save on s.t.c
How is that different than the current system? Players get more money each year based on service time and then they get paid a contract based on expected value.
Plus the Rays (specifically) have to worry about selling tickets before anything else.
Imagine a team like the Rays puts together an incredible team. Six
All-Stars. A Cy Young winner, batting champion, an MVP, the league
leader in saves, and two 20 game winners. By the end of the season,
there would be so many incentives, bonuses, etc being reached that the
team could conceivably be reaching a point where they can no longer
afford to let some of their players continue playing for fear that they
would reach more incentives. Basically, they could theoretically be
forced to choose between going into debt and allowing their best players
to continue playing, racking up more incentives, OR avoid going into
the black by benching their best players, depriving their fans of the
players they want to pay to see. Who’s going to stand by a team that does that? Who’s going to buy tickets to see that?
Millionaires v. Billionaires. If players took a pay cut tomorrow then the price of tickets will still go up so I don’t really see any problem with the players getting their cut when they’re offered $15M a year.
Derek Lowe…
How is pitching NOT the top priority?
Ian Stewart’s OPS last year: .464.
Collective hitting OPS of Rockies pitchers: .384
At least he’s not the worst hitter on the team.
I believe that Gavin Floyd will end up in the Rockies rotation next season.
Floyd for some prospects.