What does that even mean, though? I know the Tiger’s owners would love you to believe that they can’t afford to pay Skubal what the Dodgers can. But is it true?
The Tigers are owned by the Ilitch family. Mike Ilitch bought the team in 1992, reportedly for around $80M. Forbes estimates they are now worth over $1.5B. That’s not a bad return… 9% per year.
We don’t know what the actual balance sheet looks like, because MLB teams refuse to release them, but I find it hard to believe that the Ilitch family is losing money yearly on the Tigers. But even if they are, owning a sports franchise is like owning a yacht or a one-of-a-kind sports car - you really shouldn’t be in it to make yearly profits. Oh, and the Ilitch Family is probably worth about $7B.
I understand the desire for a more level playing field, but I have zero belief in what the owners are selling regarding their profitability and their desire for fairness. They just want to make more money. If they really are interested in fairness they should release audited books.
I would also note that the Tigers have in run significantly higher payrolls the past then they have the last few years. Even with Skubal they are likely well under their payroll from 2017, nearly ten years
It is also worth noting that arbitration is not meant to give a player market value and the Tigers number is more based on what they think and arbitrator would award based on precedence than them thinking Skubal is worth only 19 million. I’m betting they wish they went a little higher though.
That’s not really what happened, as most of their top players declined while still in KC; some vets fell off and retired, and some younger players regressed and left the majors (one thanks to a fatal car accident, Yordano Ventura), but there really wasn’t anyone who subsequently signed with a new team while still at their peak, except Lorenzo Cain, 2 years after their title, or Eric Hosmer, who instantly became below average. They weren’t in general a young team absolutely brimming with talent, like say the mid 90’s Indians; they were in the main a team of journeymen who simply overachieved for a couple of years when the league as a whole was relatively weak.
St. Louis sends Arenado and $31 million to Arizona, and receive right-hander Jack Martinez, an eighth-round selection in last year’s draft out of Arizona State.
He has never started more than 16 games. He has been injury prone, but they’ve varied. Last year a left flexor muscle strain & left lat strain limited him to 8 starts.
Marlins get 4 Prospects:
OF Dillon Lewis & Brendan Jones,
IF Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.
OTOH, If I had to bet which team’s management had their sh*t together and which did not, I’d say, knowing nothing of the players that the Yankees got the better deal.
Yanks will actually have 3 years of control over Weathers, so better than I though. To start the season they really need the extra starters, though with 3 good to great arms coming back, that will diminish hopefully as the season goes along. Free agent in 2029.
Don’t know anything about Weathers, but I have seen all four of the guys the Yankees gave up play multiple games in high-A ball. I think Jones has a chance to help a major league team; he’s very fast with excellent outfield defense, and he hits well. Jasso and Lewis have their strengths, but I’m less enthusiastic about them. Matheus (pronouned “Mathews” btw) is probably not going real far but man is he fun to watch–he kept getting himelf into, and then usually out of, rundowns, which is always a blast.
Ugh. I certainly don’t bemoan Tucker for getting a big paycheck, and I don’t fault the Dodgers for spending their money (or at least, money they think they’ll have). I have always contended that billionaire owners should be pushed to spend more - but at what point is there no point, where the Dodgers have accumulated a critical mass of talent that winning is inevitable?
Nothing is certain in sports, and winning the whole thing can never be certain - but it’s still disheartening.
It reminds me of the criticism of the Yankees in the 2000s about “buying” their championships.
I’m not sure how I feel about a salary cap, but I really do think there needs to be a salary floor, so that smaller-market teams aren’t just a pipeline to develop players, only to see them sign elsewhere.
If ever there was an argument for a salary cap in MLB, this is it. Tucker’s contract includes a massive upfront signing bonus, and a hefty chunk of deferred salary at the end. This means if, as many think, there’s a lockout by management after this season, even if it lasts the entire 2027 season, Tucker won’t feel a thing, because all that money is guaranteed.
Bo Bichette to the Mets on a 3-year, $126 million contract.
When I heard the sports reporter on our local newsradio station announce this, he pronounced Bichette’s name like a single word: “Beaubichette,” which sounds like it would be an appetizer at a French bistro.
Why is that an argument for a salary cap? To protect those poor billionaires from making more money? All MLB contracts are guaranteed - why does this move the needle?
It’s the Dodgers. They’ll figure out some way to lose. I’ve been a fan too long to take anything for granted. The Dodgers will almost always find a way to let me down.
