2009 MLB Season

[gunnar hendershow]

They had to move Lee for financial reasons. Their payroll would have been close to $160 million if they'd kept both.

No it wouldn't have. Lee was due $9 million this year, they traded him and then signed Blanton to $8 mil a year. They literally saved $1 million by getting rid of Lee.

Edited February 28, 2010 by damshow

[Ananas]

I think that's a bit disingenuous to say. To say they saved 1 million by moving Lee is to suggest that they were likely to give Blanton away in the first place. They tried to move him but couldn't get an offer they were comfortable with. If they'd just non-tendered him they would have let a type-A front of the rotation starter walk with no compensation whatsoever. And that would have been just to keep Cliff Lee for one year before his contract expired and they had no control over him whatsoever. Yes the Jays taking on some of Doc's salary allowed the Phillies to have been in position to hold on to Doc and Lee at just under 150 million dollars, but it's been reported numerous times that the Phils budgeted 2010 at 140 million dollars. Phils team president David Montgomery made the point that they're at the limit of their revenue potential, and at some point you can't increase payroll anymore. And then there's the obvious other reason to trade Lee - the restocking of the farm system so the Doc deal doesn't leave you completely barren. And the fact that Doc was reportedly willing to accept a much more club friendly contract. But at the end of the day the Lee trade was at the very least very much motivated by payroll.

[gunnar hendershow]

No doubt it was partially motivated by payroll. My point is primarily that they could've held onto Lee for one more year. I did forget Blanton would have walked and they would have gotten nothing in return. The point that a lot of people here at least make is that they shouldn't hold anything back for this year or next year. The core is going to start leaving after 2011 and depending who you talk to there's either not a lot in the farm system even after the Doc deal or not enough. Halladay wanted to be a Phillie and signed the contract that helped the team. Cliff Lee, assuming he performs this year, is due a huge contract by someone. Lee did help them restock the farm system, but when you've got a team this good do you really want to be concerned with the farm system? It's nice to have a team that can perform year-in and year-out, but wouldn't you want to make a team that can win its 3rd straight NL penant and possibly 2nd World Series in 3 years?

It all comes down to the argument of whether you want to put all your eggs in one basket or not. As a fan of the Orioles, I hope that if the team ever gets competitive again we go all out when we have the chance. Phillies ownership is notoriously stingy, and I do think that had some to do with the Lee deal. Not that $140 mil is a small budget, but they sell out every home game and merchandise is through the roof. If they went a few million above that, they would have recouped those losses at some point.

Really my entire argument is that if the Phillies don't win a World Series with Doc, everybody will be talking about the potential 2010 season with him and Lee as a likely 1-2 20-win combo.

[Toe]

I think its a smart move. They are obviously not spending like the Yankees and Red Soxs. Moving Lee helped them to keep their farm system stocked so they can remain competitive in the future without spending $200 million on salary.

[Lowerdeck]

Hell, the Red Sox aren't even in the same league as the Yankees.

The Yanks are probably at what... 190M? But they can be really bottomless if they chose. The Sox probably wouldn't break 175M, and are a bit below that number anyway.

[Ananas]

I don't know what their payroll is for this year, but the last two years they've opened with payrolls above 200 million. And with the new potential revenue from the expanded sky boxes and ad-space at the new stadium... well at least the small markets can take solace in lots and lots of luxury tax.

[GhostMachine]

It'll never happen, but the way baseball works needs to change. Revenue sharing and the luxury tax, rather than having a salary cap, benefits the large market teams and it doesn't really help the small market teams be competitive; it just keeps them from going belly up.

Let me give you an example of why I don't think revenue sharing works the way it should: At another message board someone did some research last year and figured out that the way revenue sharing is done, no MLB should have a payroll less than $70 million, yet last season at least 12 teams had payrolls below that. That means the owners are either pocketing the money or spending it on repairs and upgrades to the stadium instead of trying to make their teams more competitive by boosting the payroll. Luxury tax doesn't mean shit, because to teams like the Red Sox and Yankees, that's pocket change.

Bud Selig said a few years ago that the system works because there is parity in baseball. I said it then and I'll say it now: BULLSHIT! Yes, you do get smaller market teams who become competitive and even make it to and win the World Series. But those teams do not STAY competitive.

Baseball used to be my favorite sport, but the steroids scandal (particularly Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire being users), teams essentially buying championships due to lack of REAL parity, and the lame change they made so the All-Star Game determines World Series home advantage have all kicked baseball down a few notches. I actually care more about college and pro football than I do baseball.

[Ananas]

NY Post reporting that Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria will choose the Blue Jays over the Yankees, and is close to signing a 4 year, 10 million dollar contract. The Yankees reportedly matched the offer, but Hechavarria preferred to sign with the Jays, who have no close to ready shortstop prospects. The Yankees had reportedly preferred to move him to second, giving them the option to trade Robinson Cano if they didn't wish to extend him beyond 2011. The contract tops the 8 million fellow Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias got from the Red Sox in 2008. While Iglesias is considered to be the better average hitter, Hechevarria has more power and has a better frame.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Remember the days when Epy Guerrero gave us first crack at any good Caribbean prospects? I miss that.

[Meacon Keaton]

...so, the rumors are a possible Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols trade. My God, St. Louis. Give Pujols however much he wants. Howard will hit the same amount of homeruns as Pujols, but he'll strike out 200 fricking times. Pujols could be a triple-crown threat, whereas the only crown Howard has is the one from Burger King.

[HailtotheYo]

GM, you're dead on. I reference the previous owners of the Devil Rays for an exact case of what you're talking about. I agree wholeheartedly, and probably even to a bigger degree. I think the luxury tax is bullshit as well but that's a different story.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I think I'm going to be starting up a Jays-related blog in the next week or so. If any EWBers want to contribute, you're more than welcome - although a warning, I do want it to focus more on the Jays than MLB in general, so I'm looking at Toe, Clawson, Beatnik, etc. mostly.

[Toe]

I'll think of something to write about. Could be fun!

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Yeah I really have no idea what it'll be - I'm not a huge stathead, I don't want to be a clone of DJF, etc. etc. So pretty much anything you'd like Jays-related is fair game.

[HailtotheYo]

First entry....

How the Jays shall forever rot for not keeping Matt Stairs: Professional Hitter

[Ananas]

I'd be down for that. Course I'm down for a lot of blogs for the first week, then once every three months.

[EddieG]

I can even help out on a very irregular schedule, the view from a guy who knows jack shit about baseball, rarely watches it, but loves the Jays 'cause his stepfamily coming from Toronto.