matt wrote:
Strebor wrote:
Arizona should've signed Cueto or Zimmerman and then used the non-Inciarte prospects from the Miller trade to address other needs. They still wouldn't have had a top-15 payroll in that scenario and it would be a clearly superior team to what they have right now.
Sure, KK can dig through his couch cusions for another 20 million
Every independent data point we have suggests that the D-backs are doing very well: Forbes said the franchise's value has more than doubled since 2011, MLB revenues are at an all-time high and growing, they have a new TV deal, etc. Kendrick has repeatedly slashed payroll when the team didn't contend during the last 10 years, but has not increased it now that they can contend. Loria has demonstrated that it's not necessarily in the best financial interest of an owner to win in MLB, and I strongly suspect that the D-backs are in that position right now. My guess is that they only want to maintain the appearance of being a credible franchise in order to bolster their case for another taxpayer handout on a new ballpark in the coming years. It's harder to make an argument that you can't compete with the Dodgers and Giants in your current ballpark if you outperform them.
If the D-backs weren't doing well financially, why is Hall still here? Attendance hasn't grown during his tenure despite the massive upswing in downtown Phoenix. The team certainly hasn't been successful on the field.
I don't follow baseball to root for the owners to maximize the return on their investment. Just because Kendrick has set an internal budget doesn't mean that it's reasonable.
