Nats spend $16.5 million on the draft?!?

[BrunoCherrytown]

They are the richest owners in baseball. They also sit in one of the biggest markets in baseball and have a relatively low payroll this year. The Orioles are spending more on their major league payroll than the Nats are spending on their major league payroll AND what they spent in signing bonuses for the draft this year.

(Who owns the lion's share of the TV rights to that big media market ---- the O's)

[SammyBirdland]

Other than the stupid Werth contract, Rizzo is doing a very good job of building the Nats. They should be poised to pounce when the Phillies start to decline.

Can you even imagine that? Can you imagine the Nationals being ESPN and MLB Network's token non-Yankees/Red Sox team to broadcast games for?

[Can_of_corn]

(Who owns the lion's share of the TV rights to that big media market ---- the O's)

The O's do not control MASN, they are a separate entity.

[Sports Guy]

Picking nits, but Baltimore could not have drafted Bell unless they took him in the first. He came off the board at 2:1 before Baltimore's second pick (2:4).

My bad. I was thinking he went R3.

Point remains the same, just without that part.

[ChaosLex]

Wasn't Bell drafted before us in Round 2? Not that we would've signed him anyway, but I don't think he was even available by that point.

Picking nits, but Baltimore could not have drafted Bell unless they took him in the first. He came off the board at 2:1 before Baltimore's second pick (2:4).

Beat you to the punch.

[DrungoHazewood]

The O's do not control MASN, they are a separate entity.

I'm sure that's technically true. Just like the Cubs don't control WGN, or Wrigley Field Premium Ticket Services.

But I don't think anyone really believes these companies have any true measure of independence. When Peter Angelos says jump, MASN asks how high.

[Can_of_corn]

I'm sure that's technically true. Just like the Cubs don't control WGN, or Wrigley Field Premium Ticket Services.

But I don't think anyone really believes these companies have any true measure of independence. When Peter Angelos says jump, MASN asks how high.

What I meant was PA decides how much MASN profits get funneled into the O's and if the O's are ever sold MASN might not be part of the deal.

[Sports Guy]

Pirates spent 17M.

[BrunoCherrytown]

What I meant was PA decides how much MASN profits get funneled into the O's and if the O's are ever sold MASN might not be part of the deal.

I understand that difference perfectly.

The MASN profits in no way are getting funneled into the O's team. If that is what you are saying I wholeheartedly agree with you.

But it is undeniable that Angelos stands to benefit greatly from the continued rise of the Nats. He gets to own his regional competitor's TV rights and as they get better by spending aggressively in FAs and the draft, MASN's ratings will go up, thus ad revenue goes up, and he can sit back with or without MacPhail and continue to claim poverty even though DC and Bmore are together way bigger than Boston. DC is very close on its own to Boston's media market size. So owning those TV rights is a gravy train.

Especially if the Nats owner and GM don't use poverty as an excuse to not field a competitive team.

[Hank Scorpio]

Pirates spent 17M.

On the rule IV draft alone.

I wonder what their annual international budget is? They have a good lineage of Caribbean scouting, IIRC.

[Sports Guy]

47.6M. That's how much Pitt has spent on the draft since 2008. Most of any team.

That's some serious money there.

[SrMeowMeow]

I'm okay with our draft now that we've signed everybody. And it would be hard to imagine where we'd reasonably spend more than another 3-4MM, tops, with the picks we had - correct me if I'm wrong. Having a second 1st rounder gives you the opportunity to take some impact overslot guy for big money. Not saying the O's would have done it - probably not - but we did spend pretty well.

Hard to like the assortment of safe bullpen arms we drafted, though.

[Stotle]

I'm okay with our draft now that we've signed everybody. And it would be hard to imagine where we'd reasonably spend more than another 3-4MM, tops, with the picks we had - correct me if I'm wrong. Having a second 1st rounder gives you the opportunity to take some impact overslot guy for big money. Not saying the O's would have done it - probably not - but we did spend pretty well.

Hard to like the assortment of safe bullpen arms we drafted, though.

I'd say $4-6 MM, given the deals we saw signed. Maples for $2.5, Norris for $2, Howard for $1.85, Dunston for $1+, an assortment of HS position players/pitchers in the $500-900K range.

More importantly, it's hard to knock the O's for "not spending enough" when they landed Bundy/Esposito for such team friendly deals. Espo could have been 50% higher, as could've Bundy.

[DrungoHazewood]

I'd say $4-6 MM, given the deals we saw signed. Maples for $2.5, Norris for $2, Howard for $1.85, Dunston for $1+, an assortment of HS position players/pitchers in the $500-900K range.

More importantly, it's hard to knock the O's for "not spending enough" when they landed Bundy/Esposito for such team friendly deals. Espo could have been 50% higher, as could've Bundy.

The Orioles are not bad at spending money to get the guys they've drafted to sign. Wade Townsend excepted, they usually get their guys, including a fair number of overslots.

But when the Rays had as many first/supplemental picks this year as the O's have had cumulatively since 2004 you get to the real problem. They can't spend much much more without more picks. All of their eggs are in one basket, so no matter how good that basket is it can't compete with the five or six or eight baskets the other AL East teams have.

And I know I'm preaching to the choir here.

[hoosiers]

I'm okay with our draft now that we've signed everybody. And it would be hard to imagine where we'd reasonably spend more than another 3-4MM, tops, with the picks we had - correct me if I'm wrong. Having a second 1st rounder gives you the opportunity to take some impact overslot guy for big money. Not saying the O's would have done it - probably not - but we did spend pretty well.

Hard to like the assortment of safe bullpen arms we drafted, though.

We always want the Os to spend more. And we should given that some of these teams are spending $15+M, now.

I do think our spending continues to ramp up in the right direction for overslot signings after the fifth round.

I think for the $ and the picks we had that our front office did quite well. Now that our big guys have signed on such favorable terms - particularly Bundy and Esposito - it certainly seems we could have looked at another $1M-$2M spread amount 3 more guys.

The Pirates and Nats did spend some staggering amounts on some quality talent, but there is a lot of implied overspend in those $. Bell, for instance, is not worth anywhere near $5M.