Mets Sign Kodai Senga

True. It is already nearly impossible for small market teams to retain their own talent, let alone recruit any. Every mistake a small market team makes can’t be erased with a pile of money like many big market teams do (Cashman nearly every other year has 1 or 2 lemons he adds, and every year has to patch things up at the trade deadline). It is usually a half a decade lasting, franchise crippling disaster when a small market team makes a major mistake.

That $150 isn’t given to each team, It is spread amongst them. Let’s assume every small market team today could spend 100 million, and some have pushed themselves upwards of 130 million. Let us assume they all spend the full 100 million to 130 million. That would place them at roughly 30 to 50 million less than the payroll of the mid-tier spending teams at the 150 million range (about 4), 60 to 80 million less than the next higher level (about 5), and as much as 100+ million below 5 teams. 25+ man roster to fill. 12 teams (now) make the playoffs.

Assume each 30 million represents an all-star caliber player in their respective prime years, or later years for elite talent (30 because the higher stuff we are seeing the last two years is an impossibility for the teams we are discussing, and that in itself should be proof enough). This in no way even touches on the money available for player development, minor league contracts, or the appeal to players when trying to recruit talent. Let’s take the Mets this off season with a payroll of 300+ million for arguments sake. That is a possibility of 10 all-star purchases (30 million example). Unrealistic because that 300+ million will be spread over the entire roster because you need to field 25+ over the season. A team at 130 million can make a total of 4 all-star purchases, but that has to be spread over the 25+. Assume young talent, arbitration, low output players, and the occasional signing of mid-tier talent, there is your 130 million. How many real all=-stars could you actually sing, or keep? 1 or 2? How many under the same exact circumstance for the Dodgers, Yankees, etc? half a dozen, maybe more? Maybe a discount for ring chasers at the end of their careers. Is Pittsburg getting ring chasers at 15 to 20 million a year rather than 25 million? More like reclamations, cast offs, and people trying to stay in the show. BTW, Pittsburg three times had amazing teams in my lifetime. How long was that window each time before that roster was picked clean by other teams seeing opportunities the Pirates could never match? 2 to 3 years of buildup, 2 to 3 years of contention, and then 2 to 3 years of tear down in each case. Wait a decade for the process to possibly repeat depending how bad the team could get to build prospects.

Let us now see if logically that would change the parameters. Would smaller market team now be able to retain elite talent from leaving for higher contract opportunities elsewhere? In large part, no. The bigger contracts cripple an attempt to achieve a balanced roster able to compete for more than a very short window. You would have to fulfill that contract, and if you do win at all, pay arbitration increases for your own players you developed, and still need to fill holes to maintain competitiveness. Players would still need to give hometown discounts to be retained.

Would they be able to get high price talent in their fold? In large part, no. They could attain either a slightly larger number of mid-tier players or make a splash once in a while for an elite player. Based on the 30 million equals a great player model that would represent nearly 1/3 of their roster payroll before having to fill out another 24+ slots.

Would making a mistake be mitigated with the extra money? In large part, no. Handing out a large contract to an elite player for a small market team would simply be at whatever the going high rate is atm, taking up a major portion of their payroll, and giving them a lack of opportunity to plug holes with either quality replacements, especially proven high-end talent. A mistake with 1/3 of your payroll is already crushing. More than 1 would ensure a lost half decade. Mid-tier mistakes are already a problem for many of these team, as those tend to represent as much as 10% or more of their entire payroll for 10 million plus players. Still have 24+ slots to fill.

I just increased every small market team’s payroll for this example and didn’t solve a single underlying problem. Truth is, I don’t care. These are private businesses owned by real human beings. They can spend as they wish. Do what they want within the framework provided.

I am just not going to sit he and delude myself into thinking those teams have a remotely close playing field to retain their players, extend any run at contention, or recruit the talent they need to fill short comings when and where they need to like larger market teams can.

I would have to check but I think their total revenue (all included with TV, gate, rev share, etc) is basically 250 million total, or so. You are right and I misunderstand the lumping of the pools into the rev sharing when I checked earlier. They seem to be operating despite that money at a very low profit margin considering how low the payroll is, and the fact the stadium was subsidized by tax money. It’s a mathematical problem I would have to delve into, but as it stands, they don’t seem to be all the profitable despite their holding payroll down.

I know Forbes placed their total revenue intake under the Dodgers play payroll outlay alone. I’ll delve in later.