Anyone a little bothered by the money given out to baseball players this offseason?

[Counciltucky]

$7 mil/year to Ray Durham?
$11 mil/year to Vicente Padilla and Gil Meche?
$16 mil/year to Andy Pettitte?

I mean, all four are good ballplayers, don't get me wrong, but at this stage in each of their careers, they're not much more than slightly above average. They don't seem to be worth such high amounts.

I'm a tremendous baseball fan, and I want to be able to afford tickets to games this year, but we as fans are going to have to pay extra for the contracts of these average-to-above-average players, which doesn't bode well for the future.

[Bluzmann57]

1. I'm a huge baseball fan too

And not one of the men you listed is worth the money they are getting. Pettite has had a good career, but his best days may be behind him. Heck, I'm a Cub fan and I'm not sure if I would have given all that money to Aramis Ramirez. They stunk with him, they can stink without him. Speaking of the Cubs, rumors are that they may for sale soon and may fetch...are you ready?...ONE BILLION dollars. That is obscene for a franchise which hasn't won anything since 1908. Actually, that's obscene for a franchise like the Yankees, who fox and espn are trying desperately to make America's team.

[oberliner]

2. Where the hell did the Royals get that money from?

When was the last time they paid over 10 million a year for anyone?

Mike Sweeney maybe?

[Counciltucky]

3. And that worked out so well...

Yes, Mike Sweeney is a good person and a solid baseball player when healthy, but he's been hurt so much that he hasn't been very effective in recent years.

[never cry wolf]

4. Not particularly

I agree with your assessment that these players are average or a bit above and compared to many other salaries for better players they may seem over priced but it is a smaller and less talented free agent market pool than in the recent past. That means that the few players worth having are going to be in more demand.

By the way, ticket price has very, very little to do with the player payroll. Owners will charge as much as the market will bear. The Cubs have spent $300 M this off season on 6 free agents yet they have announced that ticket prices for '07 will not be raised. Why? Because they had a lot of no shows last year and pre-season demand is way down. Conversely on the south side the White Sox probably made more money last year than they ever have. Record attendance, highest local ratings, huge merchandise sales yet they have made no major deals and just dumped Freddy Garcia for 2 kids to get rid of his $10M salary. Oh yeah, due to continuing high demand, they have raisied their ticket prices. Gate receipts only account for about a third of revenue and player payroll a bit above half of expenses.

Of course the owners cry poor but despite the fact that there are many potential host cities clamoring for a team how many of them are looking to sell? These are savvy business people and they are not losing money. Their books may show it but they have many ways to hide revenue and steer overinflated expenses back into their own pockets. That does not even take into account the tens of millions they make every year due to the added value of their franchise and the sweetheart stadium deals paid for by local governments.

[PDittie]

5. Me neither

The MLB players union is the strongest of all professional sports, and their members continue to reap the rewards of those efforts.

Good on 'em for getting all that they can.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Yes, I think it's obscene. nt

[GOPisEvil]

7. Remember this largesse next time there's a financial crunch.

Last season, it appeared the owners had gotten the fiscal responsibility message. This season, flush with some additional revenues, GIL FREAKING MECHE got $55 million from the Royals. That is ONE MILLION DOLLARS for EACH of his career wins. So, next time the owners plead poverty, remind them of this day.

[HuckleB]

8. LOL!

Mariners fans are doing a lot of crying these days, but they're happy the Meche is gone. He wasn't worth the minimum, much less $11 million. Poor Royals fans!

[Counciltucky]

9. Take it from someone who follows the Royals...

The worst Mariners pitcher is better than the best Royals pitcher. Meche, believe it or not, is a genuine improvement.

[HuckleB]

10. Still, why not at least go after Ted Lilly, if you're spending that kind of money?

Heck, if you're going that far for Meche, why not just outbid the Rangers for Zito.

[Counciltucky]

11. You got me there.

I'd rather have Lilly as well -- much better track record. Maybe Lilly (like most established players) had no interest in playing for Kansas City.

[dad]

12. This is the craziest one

Cubs sign free-agent pitcher to 3-year deal

By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter

December 9, 2006, 10:05 AM CST

The Cubs filled out their rotation on Friday night by signing free-agent Jason Marquis to a three-year deal worth approximately $20 million, sources said.

The signing, which was first reported by the St. Louis-Post Dispatch, ends the Cubs search for two starters, following the four-year, $40 million deal for Ted Lilly on Wednesday.

Marquis, 28, went 14-16 for St. Louis in '06 with a 6.02 earned-run average in 2006. he was 3-10 with a 6.72 ERA after the All-Star break, costing him a rotation spot in the postseason.