Is anyone upset that a team just shelled out $1 billion???

[emmett16]

Nope.  Glad to see the free market alive and well.  I hope the players get paid top dollar and the owners make a fat profit.  

[Aristotelian]

It absolutely sucks. It's bad for the game. Part of why NFL and NbA are destroying MLB in growing their fan base is that every team has the same chance to win. That being said, the Dodgers contracts are just the latest example, not anything uniquely exciting. Some had suggested Shohei himself might get $1B due to his unicorn value as both pitcher and hitter. Definitely not going to let it ruin my holidays!

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

It absolutely sucks. It's bad for the game. Part of why NFL and NbA are destroying MLB in growing their fan base is that every team has the same chance to win. That being said, the Dodgers contracts are just the latest example, not anything uniquely exciting. Some had suggested Shohei himself might get $1B due to his unicorn value as both pitcher and hitter. Definitely not going to let it ruin my holidays!

You think the Wizards have the same chance to win as the Lakers, Celtics or Heat?

Do you follow the NBA?

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, E-D-D-I-E said:

Calling Ohtani the best player in the history of the game is laughable. 

Find one better.

I didn't say the most accomplished, I didn't say the mos records.  I just said the best.

If you can find someone better in the history of the game who can throw 100 mph fastballs and hit 450+ foot homers, I'd love to see it.  

[Moose Milligan]

12 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

You think the Wizards have the same chance to win as the Lakers, Celtics or Heat?

Do you follow the NBA?

The only way the Wizards have a chance to win an NBA title is if they stumble into someone in the draft like the Bucks did with Giannis.  That's the only way the Bucks have been able to win one recently, they got a guy in the draft (I think he was like the 14th overall pick) who was a bit of a project and absolutely no one had any idea of how good he'd turn out to be.  Despite picking him, Milwaukee still isn't a free agent destination for NBA players.  They traded for Jrue Holiday, then they traded him for Damian Lillard.  They drafted Middleton.  

Despite being one of the best teams in the East for the past few years, it's not a free agent destination.  

To think other sports have some sort of parity that the MLB lacks is laughable and wrong.

[Moose Milligan]

18 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

It absolutely sucks. It's bad for the game. Part of why NFL and NbA are destroying MLB in growing their fan base is that every team has the same chance to win.  

Not really.  The NFL and the NBA are packed with action and excitement.  Let's not try to intellectualize something that doesn't require it.  

[ChosenOne21]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

None because they will not be on the Orioles roster.

How many more game do you think LAD will win when Ohtani and Yamamoto go on the IL?

I'm really confused here.

I know you understand what a hypothetical is, and that my post was one. Obviously Ohtani and Yamamoto won't play for the Orioles next year. Equally obviously, the Orioles would be a better team if they did.

Sure, LAD won't win more games if Ohtani and Yamamoto spend all or most of the year on the IL, but if I'm them I'm happy to take that chance. Most likely that won't happen and the upside is enormous.

You say talent matters and expensive payrolls don't. I agree that the O's shouldn't spend just to spend, but signing arguably the greatest active player and likely best FA pitcher isn't doing that.

Are we going to win a lot of games without signing those players? Most likely. But why not want your team to compete for the best talent in all areas? I get it if the option is choosing between being the Rays and the Yankees and deciding you want to be the underdog, but why not be both? Why not be the Dodgers?

If the Orioles truly aren't going to pursue top free agent talent, that doesn't mean they can't be a successful team. But that's going to make it harder for them, and I don't see the upside.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

2 hours ago, SouthRider said:

You lose cred by including Texas in your rant.  The only reason they are included is because the Rangers spent like crazy and it worked out for them.  Other teams have tried the same approach (Padres, Phillies, Mets) and it didn't quite work.    It all depends on ownership.  Even the O's in 90's and Nats during their run spent near the top. 

Also, in the last 10 years there have been 9 different champions.  I think MLB is quite happy with that.  

 

Since the start of the 2001 season the Yankees have won a single World Series title even with consistently high payrolls. It takes more than expensive free agents or high priced trades to be a winner.

I’m most concerned with the Orioles owner who has already whined at the prospect of having to eventually pay Gunnar and Adley. 

[now]

We keep coming back to the built-in dichotomy of full season vs. playoffs.

Take the perennial top spenders, the Dodgers and Yankees.

LA: Won WS, 2020. But they won their division 10 out of the last 11 years.

NY: Last WS, 2009. But they've made the playoffs every year but five since 1995 (24 out of 29 seasons).

Yes, they also produce homegrown talent (espec. LA, and NY of the late 90s). But their *full-season* success is largely attributable to their superior budget resources, year in and year out.

Playoffs? You just pay to play the lottery more often.

Edited December 27, 2023 by now

[Aristotelian]

11 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Not really.  The NFL and the NBA are packed with action and excitement.  Let's not try to intellectualize something that doesn't require it.  

I said part of. They have other things going for them for sure. Impossible to prove but I believe the salary caps are good for the sports, not just the owners.

[Can_of_corn]

13 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

The only way the Wizards have a chance to win an NBA title is if they stumble into someone in the draft like the Bucks did with Giannis.  That's the only way the Bucks have been able to win one recently, they got a guy in the draft (I think he was like the 14th overall pick) who was a bit of a project and absolutely no one had any idea of how good he'd turn out to be.  Despite picking him, Milwaukee still isn't a free agent destination for NBA players.  They traded for Jrue Holiday, then they traded him for Damian Lillard.  They drafted Middleton.  

Despite being one of the best teams in the East for the past few years, it's not a free agent destination.  

To think other sports have some sort of parity that the MLB lacks is laughable and wrong.

And they traded for Lillard because they know if Giannis gets unhappy he'll demand a trade, despite being under contract.

If that happens it will be to a select handful of teams Giannis approves up, which won't include the Wizards.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

I said part of. They have other things going for them for sure. Impossible to prove but I believe the salary caps are good for the sports, not just the owners.

Salary caps are good for owners, salary floors are good for players.

Hard to say if either are good for fans.

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, Aristotelian said:

I said part of. They have other things going for them for sure. Impossible to prove but I believe the salary caps are good for the sports, not just the owners.

I don't think the cap is a great thing.  In any sport, really.

I grew up a Redskins fan in the 80s and 90s.  For me, there was comfort knowing that guys like Joe Jacoby and Darrell Green were going to be on the team, year in, year out.  Gary Clark, Art Monk, etc.  Those guys were Redskins for life (I'm aware Clark and Monk played elsewhere at the end of their careers).  

Nowadays, there's no guarantee that an NFL player will spend their entire career with a team, all because of the cap.  

Let's do a reverse.  Imagine if Cal Ripken were a cap casualty before 1990 or so and he broke Gehrig's record in a Red Sox uniform?  Imagine if there were a salary cap when Brooks was playing and he spent the second half of his career playing for some dumb team like the Mets or the Phillies?

The cap doesn't do anything to create ingenuity and create different ways to look at the game in order to keep competitive.  There's a reason the Rays have been able to own the Yankees over the past few years, it's because they're forced to live within the constraints of their budget and make their dollar go further.  And they're not applauded for it, either, which is odd.  People just want to whine about teams spending money because the odds are their team isn't doing it.  Look no further than this board.  Had Angelos spent a lot of money over the course of his ownership here, we'd be singing a different tune.  

[Moose Milligan]

7 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

And they traded for Lillard because they know if Giannis gets unhappy he'll demand a trade, despite being under contract.

If that happens it will be to a select handful of teams Giannis approves up, which won't include the Wizards.

That's right.  Of all the sports, the NBA is the biggest sham of them all.  All the top players are friendly, they get together to play USA basketball and figure out how to create superteams together.  It's borderline collusion and yet people think that there's some sort of parity to the NBA which is laughable.

I still watch the NBA but someone call me when the Wizards, Trail Blazers, Hornets or Grizzlies become a place where top free agents want to go.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

That's right.  Of all the sports, the NBA is the biggest sham of them all.  All the top players are friendly, they get together to play USA basketball and figure out how to create superteams together.  It's borderline collusion and yet people think that there's some sort of parity to the NBA which is laughable.

I still watch the NBA but someone call me when the Wizards, Trail Blazers, Hornets or Grizzlies become a place where top free agents want to go.

It's shocking how badly the Knicks are run that they can't become a destination spot for players.