Rubenstein 1st communication to Orioles fans

[ThisIsBirdland]

1 minute ago, DirtyBird said:

Why else would old billionaires buy a sportsball team?

To become slightly richer billionaires?

[DirtyBird]

1 minute ago, ThisIsBirdland said:

To become slightly richer billionaires?

They have much easier methods of accomplishing that.

[ThisIsBirdland]

Just now, DirtyBird said:

They have much easier methods of accomplishing that.

No I was definitely joking (I hope). I think they intend to spend a healthy amount more than the Angelos family and hopefully run the team closer to break even. I understand the apprehension for some of course; better to wait and see before believing.

[Moose Milligan]

7 minutes ago, DirtyBird said:

Why else would old billionaires buy a sportsball team?

Peter Angelos did it. Don’t have to look far for billionaires who are bad owners of sportsball teams. 

[24fps]

24 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

What’s your expectation based on besides hope?

History.  They ran middle-third payrolls from 2012-2017 during their last competitive run.  $150 million might not even reach middle-middle in the next couple of years, so I don't feel like I'm going out on too much of a limb here.  Does anybody really believe that the new ownership group is going to go full private equity teardown on the Orioles?

[Pickles]

2 minutes ago, 24fps said:

History.  They ran middle-third payrolls from 2012-2017 during their last competitive run.  $150 million might not even reach middle-middle in the next couple of years, so I don't feel like I'm going out on too much of a limb here.  Does anybody really believe that the new ownership group is going to go full private equity teardown on the Orioles?

That is how he made his money though.  It's a fair question imo.

Here's a great article: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-two-rubensteins/

I haven't see this on the board yet, but I imagine someone has posted it somewhere.

[DirtyBird]

14 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Peter Angelos did it. Don’t have to look far for billionaires who are bad owners of sportsball teams. 

He spent money when he bought the team.

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, 24fps said:

History.  They ran middle-third payrolls from 2012-2017 during their last competitive run.  $150 million might not even reach middle-middle in the next couple of years, so I don't feel like I'm going out on too much of a limb here.  Does anybody really believe that the new ownership group is going to go full private equity teardown on the Orioles?

I never said that the new ownership would go full private equity teardown on the Orioles.  There's that end of the spectrum, there's the other end of the spectrum where you've flat out expected them to be over 150 million in payroll by 2026.  

I'm assuming it'll be somewhere in the middle.  Probably closer to where your number is, but again it isn't a guarantee.

That's the thing.  We've got a new owner, hopefully he's more adept at the skill of being likable, something that John Angelos wasn't good at.  So far, he's done a great job.

There has been *no mention* of what his thoughts are on spending money and what a payroll should look like.  None.  Zero.

And yet there are posters here acting like Rubenstein is about to go 50 Cent at a strip club, making it rain.

If everyone's so hell bent on thinking that Rubenstein & Co. are going to spend money, bring in shiny new free agents, hand out extensions to our young stars and this is going to be baseball nirvana, then the very same people should also acknowledge the possibility that Rubenstein might be someone who is a big fan of being lean and efficient and not spending unless he absolutely has to.  

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, DirtyBird said:

He spent money when he bought the team.

Yep.  

[oriolediehard]

5 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

At no point did he say anything about spending money. 
 

I am as excited about the new ownership as anyone else. But all you guys that are expecting the new ownership to spend money and for the Orioles to become a hot free agent destination just because the Angelos family is gone might be setting yourselves up for disappointment. 
 

It is not a given. But that isn’t stopping a lot of you from thinking that it is. 

The cost of elite FA's is being out priced for small and Mid market teams and every year it is higher and agents like Boras makes it even harder. They need to stick to good drafting and developing talent and good trades. The one who should be paid is Elias. Elias is very essential for the O's to stay good.

[OriolesMagic83]

2 hours ago, ThisIsBirdland said:

To become slightly richer billionaires?

Rubenstein has been failing at that by giving away hundreds of millions of dollars.  Think how much richer he could have been if he kept every red cent he ever made.  I think Rubinsteini will spend more, but he also doesn't seem like someone that will get in a bidding war over a free agent to satisfy his ego. 

[Moose Milligan]

13 minutes ago, oriolediehard said:

The cost of elite FA's is being out priced for small and Mid market teams and every year it is higher and agents like Boras makes it even harder. They need to stick to good drafting and developing talent and good trades. The one who should be paid is Elias. Elias is very essential for the O's to stay good.

If there's one thing that I think everyone on this board could agree on...is that it would be for the Orioles to give Mike Elias a blank check.

I think the Orioles can afford an elite free agent or two or three.  At the very least, they should be locking up their young core like the Braves do.  

I do believe the new ownership will spend more money than JA did, which is a low bar to hurdle.  The question is, how much? 

I can easily see a scenario here where a good amount of posters aren't satisfied with what they spend and how they spend it.  What if Corbin Burnes goes ape**** and has a top 3 CYA finish this year and we don't bring him back?  There's a certain contingent here that's going to be pissed about it.

[Aristotelian]

6 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

At no point did he say anything about spending money. 
 

I am as excited about the new ownership as anyone else. But all you guys that are expecting the new ownership to spend money and for the Orioles to become a hot free agent destination just because the Angelos family is gone might be setting yourselves up for disappointment. 
 

It is not a given. But that isn’t stopping a lot of you from thinking that it is. 

We really don't know much about Rubenstein as an owner. The basic economics of the Orioles won't change. I would be happy if we get back to historic MLB average-ish level of payroll (which Angelos had at times before the rebuild). The biggest change I expect is that unlike Peter he will let the baseball people run the baseball operations. Hopefully he will spend smarter, whether or not he spends more.

[Satyr3206]

They need to extend Elias ASAP. Nothing matters more in my mind.

[NoCilantro]

6 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

At no point did he say anything about spending money. 
 

I am as excited about the new ownership as anyone else. But all you guys that are expecting the new ownership to spend money and for the Orioles to become a hot free agent destination just because the Angelos family is gone might be setting yourselves up for disappointment. 
 

It is not a given. But that isn’t stopping a lot of you from thinking that it is. 

In another communcation he said that losing money in sports was very very hard.  That football was printing money all the time but that in basketball and baseball you make money upon selling the team.  I think he isnt going to be skimming profits to have a massive lifestyle was his other money streams dry up.  These new guys are way more wealthy than John Angelos and they actually have worked for their money.  I do not think they will run at a loss but I do think draining every cent out of the Orioles will not be a priorty.  I think they run this team to stay profitable but also as a prestige vehicle for old billionares.  As a new shiny toy.  I think they will want to win.  

 

Just how I see it now.  Maybe after a couple of years things will seem different.  But for now I think they want to win.