MASN refuses to pay for travel costs

[Barnaby Graves]

Good news guys, I have just heard from my source that Jim Palmer will be stuffed into a rolling luggage bag and will attend any road series in which the Orioles can score at least one free carry-on bag with their airliner.

[Can_of_corn]

30 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Other ideas to save money: Fly commercial.  Some unnamed assistant's job is to browse online for the lowest priced flights.  19 hour flight from Baltimore to LA saved $300, success!

[accinfo]

5 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Now that is funny Can!

[spiritof66]

7 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Need PA to die to first.  That’s the hold up, if they intend to sell of course.

That's true, unfortunately.

I believe the financial aspect of almost every decision the Orioles have made in the last few years fits the following pattern:

1. Spend  money on things that will enhance, in a visible way, the strength of the franchise for the future and therefore might have an effect on the price that it will be sold for in the near future. Spend, but keep those expenditures modest, toward the bottom of what  MLB teams spend. 

2. Don't spend any more than absolutely necessary on anything that isn't likely to affect the price a buyer will pay for the team, even if an expenditure would improve the team immediately or would enhance the fan or MASN viewer experience, and even if the result is to put a really bad team on the field. Avoid large, long-term contracts that a prospective purchaser might regard as burdensome rather than valuable. 

The only financial move I'm aware of that doesn't fit is the Jordan Lyles contract. I can't explain it. Maybe the Commissioner encouraged the teams at the center of the tanking discussions to commit to some payroll before the CBA expired. 

[geschinger]

34 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

The only financial move I'm aware of that doesn't fit is the Jordan Lyles contract. I can't explain it. Maybe the Commissioner encouraged the teams at the center of the tanking discussions to commit to some payroll before the CBA expired. 

Spending money on things like an academy in the DR doesn't fit the theory.  Yes they would avoid large long term contracts but they absolutely would not be putting a team on the field that loses 100+ games a year.  If they wanted to maximize a potential sale price whatever spending they did do would be to keep the team competetive enough to not have the cratering of attendance the Orioles have seen since 2017.

[Sports Guy]

3 minutes ago, geschinger said:

Spending money on things like an academy in the DR doesn't fit the theory.  Yes they would avoid large long term contracts but they absolutely would not be putting a team on the field that loses 100+ games a year.  If they wanted to maximize a potential sale price whatever spending they did do would be to keep the team competetive enough to not have the cratering of attendance the Orioles have seen since 2017.

The academy absolutely follows the first part of what he said.  
 

Building that academy is peanuts relative to most things. 

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, geschinger said:

Spending money on things like an academy in the DR doesn't fit the theory.  Yes they would avoid large long term contracts but they absolutely would not be putting a team on the field that loses 100+ games a year.  If they wanted to maximize a potential sale price whatever spending they did do would be to keep the team competetive enough to not have the cratering of attendance the Orioles have seen since 2017.

I'd say it falls under #1.

They are basically mandatory at this stage.

Be nice if we got an update on the one they are building.

[geschinger]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

I'd say it falls under #1.

They are basically mandatory at this stage.

Be nice if we got an update on the one they are building.

Mandatory to build a competetive team.  Almost zero impact on the sales price.  Certainly will come nowhere close to offsetting the difference in value of an Orioles franchise drawing 800k fans a year compared to one drawing 1.6m fans a year.

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, geschinger said:

Mandatory to build a competetive team.  Almost zero impact on the sales price.  Certainly will come nowhere close to offsetting the difference in value of an Orioles franchise drawing 800k fans a year compared to one drawing 1.6m fans a year.

I disagree on the sale price.  I think not having a useable facility would hurt the value since a new owner would be forced to prioritize one.

[Beysbol]

4 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

I disagree on the sale price.  I think not having a useable facility would hurt the value since a new owner would be forced to prioritize one.

Agree 100 percent. Does make a lot of sense that that place is built. Adds more value if the team is sold. 

[Ripken]

9 hours ago, spiritof66 said:

That's true, unfortunately.

I believe the financial aspect of almost every decision the Orioles have made in the last few years fits the following pattern:

1. Spend  money on things that will enhance, in a visible way, the strength of the franchise for the future and therefore might have an effect on the price that it will be sold for in the near future. Spend, but keep those expenditures modest, toward the bottom of what  MLB teams spend. 

2. Don't spend any more than absolutely necessary on anything that isn't likely to affect the price a buyer will pay for the team, even if an expenditure would improve the team immediately or would enhance the fan or MASN viewer experience, and even if the result is to put a really bad team on the field. Avoid large, long-term contracts that a prospective purchaser might regard as burdensome rather than valuable. 

The only financial move I'm aware of that doesn't fit is the Jordan Lyles contract. I can't explain it. Maybe the Commissioner encouraged the teams at the center of the tanking discussions to commit to some payroll before the CBA expired. 

...and the Orioles lease with Maryland on Camden Yards expires at the end of next year.  They aren't tied to a location either.  That said, they have made recent stadium improvements and now have plenty of money available to do more.  Both situations are also desirable to a potential buyer.

[jabba72]

Im still glad the sons run the team and not Peter. At least with them you know where they stand most of the time. Cheap yes, but they are allowing the minor league side to run effectively from everything I've read. Peter liked to cut corners there.  

[DrungoHazewood]

23 hours ago, Frobby said:

There’s nothing inconsistent with thinking they are being cheap now and thinking that money not spent now increases the ability to  spend money later.  I’d say your position is the inconsistent one, thinking that if the O’s spent more money on free agents today that wouldn’t impair their ability to do so in the future.   

I don't think there's any solid evidence that profits today will go to spending tomorrow.  The best we can hope for is profits today could go into investment in non-payroll areas today.  The remainder goes back to the owners.

The budget for 2023 or 2025 is based on projected revenues in those seasons.  I think it's highly unlikely, and probably fiscally imprudent, to think any business would project future payrolls based on future revenues plus money we have squirreled away from sometime in the past.  It's unlikely an owner of a MLB team or a restaurant or a widget company would plan on a $200M payroll based on $150M in expected revenues-expenditures plus $50M we have stuffed in the mattress.

We're all better served by assuming money not spent in 2022 is just gone.

[DrungoHazewood]

12 hours ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Other ideas to save money: Fly commercial.  Some unnamed assistant's job is to browse online for the lowest priced flights.  19 hour flight from Baltimore to LA saved $300, success!

$300 times like 35!  That's like $10k a road trip!  

What they could also do is if they're just going on a quick 3-game series, they leave the last two starting pitchers at home.  That's $600 without even trying. They could double up on rooms, too.  Hell, quadruple it up.  Two queen beds, four guys.  That would save them thousands of dollars a night.  Most of the team is just happy they're not in the Atlantic League, so they probably wouldn't complain that much.

Also, you know the soccer team Chelsea is under tight budgets because their owner is a Russian oligarch who's been sanctioned.  They're having to take a bus to their road games.  The Orioles could just use that as a proof of concept.  London-to-Middleborough is basically the same distance as Baltimore to New York.  Do they still run that bus from DC to NYC that's like $5?  

[OriolesMagic83]

9 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

$300 times like 35!  That's like $10k a road trip!  

What they could also do is if they're just going on a quick 3-game series, they leave the last two starting pitchers at home.  That's $600 without even trying. They could double up on rooms, too.  Hell, quadruple it up.  Two queen beds, four guys.  That would save them thousands of dollars a night.  Most of the team is just happy they're not in the Atlantic League, so they probably wouldn't complain that much.

Also, you know the soccer team Chelsea is under tight budgets because their owner is a Russian oligarch who's been sanctioned.  They're having to take a bus to their road games.  The Orioles could just use that as a proof of concept.  London-to-Middleborough is basically the same distance as Baltimore to New York.  Do they still run that bus from DC to NYC that's like $5?  

Major leaguers might expect the Marriott, try the Motel 6!