The Yankees and Dodgers both slashed payroll in 2018 by Mike Axisa @mikeaxisa 49s ago • 4 min read By any measure, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are powerhouse teams. The Dodgers have won six straight NL West titles and back-to-back NL pennants. The Yankees went to Game 7 of the ALCS last year and won 100 games this year. Both teams are loaded with young talent too. They are on the very short list of the best teams in baseball.Both the Dodgers and Yankees experienced their 2018 success -- neither won the World Series, of course, but they had strong seasons -- despite slashing payroll. Baseball's two financial powers were able to stay under the $197 million luxury tax threshold in 2018 to reset their tax rate and reap other financial benefits. The payroll numbers:Team2017 Payroll2018 PayrollDifferenceDodgers$253.6 million$194.5 million$59.1 millionYankees$226.4 million$192.1 million$34.3 millionKenley Jansen $11.3 million in actual … [Read more...] about Yankees and Dodgers hinting at staying under MLB’s luxury tax threshold for second consecutive season
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How to fix baseball? Two ways MLB can improve its product without changing the game on the field
The best thing MLB can do for baseball is make it more accessible by Mike Axisa @mikeaxisa 35s ago • 4 min read Let me start by saying baseball is not perfect. It never will be perfect because everyone has a different idea of what perfect is. Some like small ball. Some like dingers. Some want to return to the glory days when starting pitchers finished what they started. Some like the widespread bullpenning we see today. Everyone has their own platonic ideal of baseball and that is totally cool.And yet, there seems to be a prevailing narrative in the sports corner of the internet that baseball needs to be saved, or at least fixed. A lot people seem to think something is wrong is baseball. Plug "how to fix baseball" into the ol' Google machine and you get over 90 million results. Ninety million! That's a lot of fixing. As long as there is baseball, there will be people trying to fix it.I come here to tell you baseball -- the actual game on the … [Read more...] about How to fix baseball? Two ways MLB can improve its product without changing the game on the field
Blue Jays headed for dramatic payroll cut
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By Richard Griffin Baseball Columnist Tues., Sept. 11, 2018 Since 2013, the Blue Jays have featured opening day team payrolls that were each more than $115 million, the highest six totals in franchise history. The 2018 Jays payroll in April stood at $164.1 million, second-highest in team history and ninth in all of MLB among 30 teams, according to figures by USA Today. That streak of free spending by the Jays is coming to an end. At a media session late last week at the Rogers Centre, team president Mark Shapiro emphatically spoke of going young for a couple of seasons, of finding out who can play at this level and who can contribute to a winner whenever it is that the Jays turn the ship around. Best guesses internally were 2021. Only when the time is right will the Jays reach to collect expensive help in the form of top-tier free agents or trades for high-priced pieces. This is how rebuilds happen. “When you enter into these junctures, usually your … [Read more...] about Blue Jays headed for dramatic payroll cut
A’s prove payroll size doesn’t matter
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By Richard Griffin Baseball Columnist Mon., July 23, 2018 Remember how embarrassed Blue Jays fans were earlier in the season when the A’s arrived at Rogers Centre on May 17 and promptly swept a four-game series, outscoring the home side 27-12? The A’s arrived with a 21-22 mark, while the Jays were 22-21 after a fast start in April. The Jays were looking to re-discover their winning ways against a team presumed to be also-rans in the AL West. Well Jays fans, be embarrassed no more — at least for the sin of losing to the A’s. Since their team charter touched down in Toronto two months ago, Oakland has posted a 36-21 record and has the sixth best mark among 30 major-league teams — behind only the Red Sox, Astros, Yankees, M’s and Cubs. The difference in the Top 6 best teams? The five teams ahead of them are all spending $157 million-plus on payroll, while Oakland sits at a modest $66 million. Only DH Khris Davis earns more … [Read more...] about A’s prove payroll size doesn’t matter
MLB Rumors: Is Manny Machado trade to Phillies imminent?
As baseball fans woke up Monday morning, ready for Major League Baseball's week-long All-Star Break to kick off, they were treated to some pretty substantial news on the Manny Machado sweepstakes. A trade is reportedly on the horizon: And a warning to any Philadelphia sportswriter looking to spend this week on vacation: It sounds like the Phillies are more or less on the precipice of trading for Machado. According to several sources, notably MLB.com's Paul Morosi, the Phils are one of the two top teams in the hunt, alongside the Dodgers. The Brewers also could be a sleeper team to land the All-Star infielder.The Phils have seen Baltimore scouts ramp up their homework, with Adonis Medina — the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies farm system likely the centerpiece of a trade. Other prospects being scouted long and hard include Franklyn Kilome (No. 7 prospect), outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz (No. 5 prospect) and infielder Arquimedes Gamboa (No. 8). For more on those players … [Read more...] about MLB Rumors: Is Manny Machado trade to Phillies imminent?